Laura Schwartz has been leading an effort to understand the state of admissions policies in affordable housing properties funded with Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) for returning citizens and propose policy changes that would improve the housing options of returning citizens. Laura achieved a significant win in this work last year, she was able to convince the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) to revise its Qualified Allocation Plan (QAP)[1] to include returning citizens in the definition of special needs populations. PHFA also agreed to create pilot program addressing this population and to prioritize funding for PHARE applications addressing this issue. This work will continue in 2019.
[1] The QAP is the document that lays out the requirements and point system for applications for Low-Income Housing Tax Credits.