Letter from the CEO
Our country is witnessing an unprecedented cultural, political, and racial divide. There are no easy answers and progress comes painstakingly.
Housing doesn’t cure all ills. It cannot bridge all divides, make up for years of mistreatment, oppression, and economic setbacks. But it is the quintessential best start to a better life.
As the Pulitzer Prize-winning sociologist Matthew Desmond puts it, “Housing is absolutely essential to human flourishing. Without stable shelter, it all falls apart.”
Knowing this, we at The NHP Foundation are constantly working to increase and improve the housing we provide. In addition to expanding our footprint to new regions and providing different types of housing including scatter-site single family rentals, we are also expanding our portfolio of customized onsite services to address the ever-changing needs of the residents we serve.
To increase the creation of more affordable housing, NHPF tirelessly supports those in advocacy who work with lawmakers to ensure that programs such as the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) continue to flourish, providing the much needed incentives to keep funding flowing.
We also realize that the creation of housing alone is not going to solve societal issues. To that end, NHPF has also initiated important Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) efforts both at the organizational level and onsite in our housing communities. The purpose of this initiative is to build on our affordable housing mission and achieve greater inclusivity, diversity, and racial equity through the establishment of internal, external, and resident engagement goals.
NHPF is working to increase the organizational capacity and understanding of the systems, practices and beliefs that have historically led to inequitable treatment and lack of access to opportunities to residents of color in affordable housing communities.
In the past two years, we have been building an organizational culture that acknowledges the past and addresses inequities. Through these efforts, NHPF furthers its mission and vision of building equitable, sustainable, and enriched communities.
What does this look like in practice? NHPF has revamped key hiring, reporting and vendor policies, procedures, and practices to align with inclusivity, diversity, and racial equity. We have led efforts to promote racial equity in the built environment with editorials, interviews, and other output on the subject and we have engaged in insightful organization trainings.
Finally, we are working to provide residents and communities tools and opportunities that position them to achieve goals and transform their lives. This work is concentrated in coaching and training activities, internship opportunities, trauma-centered counseling, and financial education.
We are proud of the more than 10,000 residents of our housing communities who seek better lives for themselves and their families. And we are proud of our staff who work alongside them to help achieve the goals that can only be achieved when one is securely housed.
There are no easy solutions to the rips in our social fabric. But let’s not let down our guard. We look forward to continuing to partner with financial institutions, policymakers, advocates, and others to seek the hard solutions and press forward to achieve them.
Richard F. Burns,
NHPF Chief Executive Officer