Faces of Affordable Housing

HDC honored Brian Hudson as their Housing Advocate of the Year for his dedication, advocacy, and service to the affordable housing community. Mr. Hudson is the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency where he began his career in 1975. Mr. Hudson is Past President of the National Council of State Housing Agencies, Chairman of the Audit Committee of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh, Chairman of the Commonwealth Cornerstone Group, and a member of the Board of the National Housing Trust. He is a former member of the Consumer Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve Board. Congratulations, Brian Hudson!

The event featured the Pulitzer Prize winning author of Evicted Matthew Desmond. Mr. Desmond, a Harvard professor, lived in Milwaukee’s poorest neighborhoods for 15 months during which time he gained the trust of multiple landlords and tenants and learned their stories. Mr. Desmond’s book tells the stories of six tenants who went through evictions, as well as two of their landlords. Mr. Desmond spoke about one tenant’s story on Wednesday evening. Desmond told the story of Arleen, a single mother with two children, who faced a continuous struggle for housing. Desmond stated that without stable housing, it is almost impossible for people to find jobs or for children to be successful in school. Desmond believes that a universal voucher system, which would provide housing vouchers to those living below a certain poverty threshold, is the solution to the affordable housing crisis that currently exists in America.

HDC highlighted their “Hope & Opportunity Fund.” Contributions to this fund assist HDC residents with emergencies or one-time needs. This fund will provide flexible funds for resident needs such as food assistance, health or sanitation products, transportation, or other necessities. HDC told the story of a resident who benefitted from this fund in the past year. A woman had been living with her mother in one of HDC’s properties until the mother decided to move out of town, leaving her daughter behind. The daughter couldn’t afford the rent in the apartment they had been sharing and fell behind in her rent payments. HDC staff helped the daughter apply to the Hope & Opportunity Fund and with help from that fund, she was able to get caught up on her rent and move to an apartment in the same building that she could afford without assistance, which not only avoided an eviction, but let her continue to live in the community she had become a part of.

McKonly & Asbury is a leader in accounting and consulting for affordable housing developments in Pennsylvania. For more information, please visit our website or contact affordablehousing@macpas.com.