Coordinating Preservation Through an Inter-agency Working Group

Effective preservation of affordable housing requires more than individual programs - it depends on coordinated and committed public infrastructure.

This brief introduces the role of inter-agency preservation working groups as a proven strategy for aligning housing, planning, finance, and tenant protection agencies around a shared preservation mission. Drawing on examples from Illinois, Colorado, and Washington, D.C., the document highlights how formal coordination helps jurisdictions identify at‑risk properties, share data, align funding, and respond proactively to preservation opportunities.

These practices demonstrate how intentional, cross‑agency collaboration can protect existing affordable homes, deploy limited public resources more strategically, and build long‑term capacity to preserve housing affordability at scale.