Program areas at National Housing Trust
Energy efficiency: the National Housing Trust is committed to promoting energy efficiency and sustainability for low-income residents across the country. Nht's unique approach to energy efficiency includes policy advocacy, green lending, renewable energy, and sustainable development. In combination, these strategies result in healthier places for low-income residents to live, reduce operational costs, and result in resident savings and a cleaner environment.
The Trust provides assistance to government agencies and congressional committees and staff in connection with federal legislation affecting the existing supply of affordable Housing. The Trust provides technical assistance on a pro bono basis to non-profits, government agencies, and tenant associations seeking to preserve affordable low-income Housing in a number of states. In 8 states, the Trust engaged utilities, Housing finance agencies and nonprofit Housing developers to recommend that utilities provide a fair share of utility program energy retrofit funding for affordable Housing occupied by low income renters.
Access to opportunity: the National Housing Trust believes in a balanced approach to fair Housing, which promotes access to high opportunity communities through mobility, while ensuring that residents who remain in neighborhoods currently experiencing distress and concentrated poverty have access to Housing resources and investments that improve their Housing. This approach allows for affordable Housing development and preservation in a variety of areas, while ensuring that residents have the right to choose where they live. For nht, opportunity means giving families and elderly residents a choice that is best for them. Choice means both improving the quality of life for residents of low-income communities as well as supporting mobility to "high opportunity" neighborhoods.
Federal & state policy work: the National Housing Trust advances federal, state, and local policies that create equitable and sustainable communities by safeguarding our nation's affordable homes. We work with our partners to preserve and improve affordable multifamily rental Housing by: providing research and analysis on our nation's at-risk affordable homes; shaping legislation and policy implementation to protect existing Housing resources; documenting successful, cost effective and replicable affordable Housing preservation state and local policy solutions; expanding and improving utility energy efficiency programs to drive large-scale efficiency investments in affordable multifamily buildings; leading a coalition of affordable Housing preservation advocates and practitioners known as the preservation working group; providing research and analysis on our nation's at-risk affordable homes; and jointly leading a powerful collaboration to introduce private and public energy efficiency investment into affordable Housing.