Low Income Housing Tax Credits
The federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program is the largest federal program encouraging the creation of affordable rental housing for low-income households in the U.S., with approximately 100,000 new units developed annually and producing over 3 million total housing units since the program’s inception. The LIHTC program is a critical source of affordable housing for tenants. Yet, much about the LIHTC program is not commonly known among advocates working with survivors.
Explore the resources below that were developed through collaboration by the Safe Housing Alliance and Regional Housing Legal Services on what advocates of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking survivors should know about the LIHTC program.
VAWA Home
This external website provides resources for advocates who want to help survivors access Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) units. The website also provides tools on how domestic violence and sexual assault programs can advocate for developing more LIHTC units for survivors in their communities.
VAWAhome.com
Learning Modules
Opportunities for Advocates in the Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program
How Partnerships Can Enhance Survivors’ Access to Low Income Housing Tax Credit Units
Using the Qualified Allocation Plan Process to Influence LIHTC Priorities
Opportunities for Advocates in the Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program
What is the LIHTC program and why is it important for survivors?
Explore the resources below to learn how the LIHTC program differs from other affordable housing programs paid for by the federal government and how survivors can find LIHTC units in their communities. You’ll also discover a variety of ways that advocates can get involved through partnerships and strategic advocacy, to help survivors access and maintain LIHTC units.
Materials:
- Webinar recording
(Originally aired 9/30/20) - PDF of webinar slides
- LIHTC units map
- Allocating agencies list from Novogradac
- QAP listing for 2020 from Novogradac
- NCSHA list of members (NCSHA is effectively the trade group for allocating agencies)
How Partnerships Can Enhance Survivors’ Access to Low Income Housing Tax Credit Units
Learn about partnership models that lead to increased access to LIHTC units for survivors. These resources spotlight several partnerships with state and local domestic violence programs that play critical roles in creating new LIHTC units for survivors and further work with housing providers to ensure that survivors can access existing LIHTC units.
Materials:
- Webinar recording (Originally aired 10/28/20)
- PDF of webinar slides
- Pennsylvania Women In Need press release
Housing Protections for Survivors in Low Income Housing Tax Credit Units
Discover strategies to address common housing obstacles that survivors face, including evictions, emergency transfers, admission denials, and lease bifurcations in LIHTC units. The webinar will provide an overview of housing protections for survivors applying for and living in LIHTC units. Presenters will discuss survivors’ housing rights under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and related laws. They will also briefly cover protections for tenants under federal and local eviction moratoriums.
Materials:
- Webinar recording
(Originally aired 11/18/20) - PDF of webinar slides
- National Housing Law Project VAWA Brochure (English and Spanish)
- Housing Q&A for Survivors of Domestic and Sexual Violence during COVID-19
- Advocacy Flowchart for Requesting LIHTC VAWA Emergency Transfers
- Sample VAWA Emergency Transfer Request Form for LIHTC Properties
Using the Qualified Allocation Plan Process to Influence LIHTC Priorities
Did you know that the Qualified Allocation Plan (QAP) is a tool that advocates can use to influence the kinds of housing projects that receive Low Income Housing Tax Credits? The QAP outlines each state’s eligibility priorities and criteria for awarding LIHTCs to developers. The QAP can also be used to help improve access to protections under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) in your state. Advocates will learn how to use the QAP’s public process to influence policies so that they better target the development of LIHTC units for survivors and increase access to VAWA protections. Presenters also will introduce research that shows the extent to which each state has included priorities and legal protections for survivors in its QAP.
Materials:
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