DECEMBER 2024 ADVOCACY UPDATE – Affordable Housing Support
December Advocacy Update – Affordable Housing Support
Tracking Equity Event
On November 19, MHP cohosted an exciting event in College Park which looked at the state of equitable transit-oriented development around the forthcoming Purple Line light rail line as well as the already established Metro Blue line.
MHP was an original signatory to the Purple Line Community Development Agreement and has since been working to expand affordable housing, support small businesses and revitalize communities in the Purple Line corridor since the project broke ground in 2017.
MHP President Rob Goldman participated in a panel discussion alongside small business owners, community advocates and philanthropic leaders whose organizations are investing in the work being done to bring more opportunity to the residents who live in these transit corridors.
The panel compared the different approaches to achieving equitable development in the Blue line corridor— a 40-year-old line that has not experienced the type of investment other regional Metro stops have — and the Purple Line, which is still under construction. The panel helped uncover best practices and key challenges across different facets of equitable development including housing, support for communities and small businesses, placemaking and more.
Special thanks go to Wells Fargo and LISC for their support of this event.
Call to Action
Last week, Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich transmitted a special appropriation to the Montgomery County Council to support several different County programs for households that are most at risk of homelessness or eviction.
Among other things, the appropriation would provide additional funding to the County’s Rental Assistance Program (RAP) which provides ongoing rental assistance to households at risk of homelessness. Earlier this year, the County had to close this program to new households due to lack of funding.
Over $1 million would go to support the county’s emergency rental assistance program which provides financial assistance to families that are at risk of eviction. Without additional funding, the County anticipated that funding for emergency rental assistance would be exhausted in the March to April timeframe, which would put even more households at risk of eviction.
The County Council is expected to vote on the special appropriation next Tuesday, November 9.
Assessing What Trump’s Second Term Could Mean for Affordable Housing
In the wake of the presidential election, MHP and other affordable housing advocates have been assessing the potential impacts to affordable housing.
During his campaign, Trump shared ideas for how he would address housing affordability, but his proposals often lacked detail. It remains unclear which proposals, if any, Trump will pursue in his second term, but here are several things to watch for when it comes to affordable housing and Donald Trump’s second term in office.
LIHTC – the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program is still the primary tool for creating and preserving affordable housing nationwide. There were efforts to modernize the LIHTC program during Trump’s first term, so it’s not out of the realm of possibilities.
Budget for Housing Programs – Federal housing programs are likely at greater risk of seeing budget cuts. HUD programs like housing vouchers, the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, and the HOME Investment Partnerships program which support the construction of affordable housing and low-income residents could see less funding in future years
Tariffs – We could see higher construction costs if the tariffs that Trump has talked about implementing come to pass. This would then put a strain on state and local housing trust as projects will likely require a greater local subsidy due to increased construction costs.
Opportunity Zones – You may remember the term Opportunity Zones from Trump’s first term. Opportunity Zones were meant to spur investment in economically distressed communities. There isn’t as much focus on Opportunity Zones now as compared to several years ago, but we could see this program brought back.
Streamline Construction of Housing – We could see a bipartisan push to remove regulatory roadblocks to housing construction. During Trump’s first term, there was an effort to eliminate regulatory barriers to affordable housing which looked at things like zoning, rent controls, building codes, impact fees, parking requirements, etc. However, this effort began late in his first term and ultimately most of the recommendations were not acted upon.
Committee for Montgomery Legislative Breakfast
MHP leaders recently attended the Committee for Montgomery Legislative Breakfast. This event brings together a coalition of leaders in business, labor, education, civic and community-based organizations to discuss critical issues facing Montgomery County. This year’s MHP table also included members of the Long Branch Business League and one of our founders, Jackie Simon. Our team networked with many elected officials at the State and County level and gained new perspectives on the legislative landscape we face going into 2025.
