Pamela Martineau Author Archives

Breaking Ground

Jennifer Leimaile Ho, Minnesota Housing Commissioner and Incoming Chair of National Council of State Housing Agencies

10 min read

Earlier this fall, Jennifer Leimaile Ho was elected chair of the National Council of State Housing Agencies’ (NCSHA) 2025 Board of Directors. Ho is the Commissioner of Minnesota Housing, having been appointed by Governor Tim Walz in January 2019 and reappointed in 2023.

NCSHA Recognizes Stand-Out Affordable Housing Programs and Initiatives

7 min read

This fall, the National Council of State Housing Agencies (NCSHA) recognized 17 programs offered by state housing finance agencies across the nation that creatively developed tools to tackle their communities’ affordable housing challenges.

Housing Challenges of “Silver Tsunami” of Seniors Expected to Hit Most Communities

6 min read

In a study that provides key insights for housing leaders nationwide, researchers in Indiana recently released an in-depth study detailing the “silver tsunami” of senior Hoosiers in need of housing modified for age-related needs.

HUD PRO Housing Grants

Second Round of Funding Closes for Grants Removing Obstacles to Affordable Housing in Communities Throughout the Nation

5 min read

Seeking to remove barriers to creating and preserving affordable housing, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is currently weighing applications for $100 million in grant funding to communities throughout the nation for its second round of PRO Housing, Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing, grant program.

Bank of America Affordable Housing Challenge: Building Tomorrow’s Housing Leaders

7 min read

For 33 years, Bank of America has worked to develop the next generation of affordable housing leaders through its Affordable Housing Challenge, a competition in which students design an affordable housing project from concept through funding and developable plan.

Affordable Housing Preservation Remains a Strong Social Impact Investment, Policy Paper Concludes

5 min read

As the United States struggles with a severe housing crisis, investing in affordable housing preservation offers stable, risk-adjusted returns that can produce positive social outcomes.

What Can Be Done About Insurance?

NH&RA Panelists Explore Ways to Rein in High Insurance Costs for Affordable Housing

6 min read

Meet with your underwriter in person, provide as much data as possible on relevant inspections and offer photos of improvements you’ve made to affordable housing properties. These were just a few of the tips offered at the National Housing & Rehabilitation Association’s Summer Institute Panel: “What Can Be Done About Insurance?”

Subsidizing the Middle: Policies, Trade-Offs and Costs of Addressing Middle-Income Affordability Challenges

Report Analyzes Impact of Subsidizing Housing for Middle-Income Earners

5 min read

As an increasing number of cities and states develop programs to subsidize housing for middle-income earners, policymakers must ensure that middle-income programs don’t take vital resources from low-income housing programs.

Property Managers Turn to AI to Enhance Tenants’ and Applicants’ Experience

6 min read

Forget Siri. Colleen, Elise, Penny and Kelsey are the AI personas that property managers are using to manage tenants’ and housing applicants’ queries.

Housing Affordability A Top Priority for Voters, Yet Political Candidates Rarely Mention It, Survey Finds

4 min read

Nearly 60 percent of surveyed voters cite the lowered cost of housing and rent as key factors that would improve their lives, yet say those same issues are at the near bottom—12th—of issues they hear politicians speak of.

Interest Rates: Experts Weigh in on When the Fed Might Move the Needle

7 min read

What does the future hold for interest rates? Many real estate developers, consumers and economists are weighing that question as mortgage interest rates hover at roughly seven percent, more than double what they were during the height of the pandemic.

Treasury Department Introduces Triad of Moves to Bolster Affordable Housing  

5 min read

The U.S. Department of the Treasury has introduced new guidance and rule changes intended to bolster the nation’s supply of housing, especially affordable housing. 

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