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Meeting New Challenges
Falling tax credit prices. Rising costs. Uncertainty in the tax exempt bond market. The threat of prevailing wages. Creating, preserving, and managing affordable housing have never been easy tasks, and in 2008 our challenges have grown. How do we transform these changes into opportunities? Can we make our resources grow and develop new financing methods and construction techniques? We have gathered some of the most resourceful and successful affordable housing professionals from across the country to help us answer these questions and provide insight into the opportunities that lie ahead.

Creating Opportunities
Since 1998, the New York State Association for Affordable Housing has represented the private sector in affordable housing and worked with government, non-profits, and for-profit organizations throughout the affordable housing community. Together, we’ve worked to increase funding for housing programs, create a voice for professionals in the field, and inform our members of new opportunities and developments. Our membership includes developers, not-for-profits, attorneys, architects, lenders, equity investors, and other housing professionals.

Celebrating Successes
Our successes include the establishment of two state programs, the Homes for Working Families program (HWF) and the New York State Low Income Housing Credit (SLIHC) as well as the passage of RPTL-581-a, which requires assessors to use the income approach in valuing affordable projects. We have also fended off efforts to expand prevailing wage requirements to affordable housing. In New York City, we secured $13 million to develop more housing for lower income New Yorkers, while at the state level we continue to work to increase funding for existing programs and to develop new programs to meet today’s challenges.

Making the Empire State and the Big Apple Shine
We work with New York State and New York City housing agencies to help make their programs the best in the country. We also monitor proposed legislation that may affect our industry. Currently, we are working to exempt affordable housing from prevailing wage legislation and to amend the Scaffold Law, a major cause of the skyrocketing costs of builders’ liability insurance. In New York City, we modified bills which would have raised the cost of affordable housing development.

Keeping Your Eye Out for Us
In addition to the annual conference, NYSAFAH sponsors other events state-wide. Look for us at ongoing networking breakfasts in New York City, an annual lobbying day in Albany, and other events in Rochester, and Buffalo. Learn more about us at www.nysafah.org.