NHT's High Opportunity Strategy: A Focus on State and Local

By Michael Bodaken, President

At NHT we are deeply grateful to our partners and the amazing relationships that allow us to do the work we love. Any good relationship challenges the limits of what can be done and pushes the bar of excellence higher with every new project. We pride ourselves on partnering with organizations and governments that find workable solutions where none look feasible. We are lucky to collaborate with people who share our vision and strive for excellence through hard work and innovation.

We developed NHT's High Opportunity Pilot on the premise that opportunity is not a finite resource and that the provision of opportunity is meant for everyone regardless of economic status. We purposely sought out local partners in locations that believe in our mission. The work is currently taking place in five metropolitan areas in Baltimore, Chicago, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Minnesota. Our partners include Open Communities, BrickLLC, CommonGround and New Jersey Fair Share. Our pilot, the first of its kind, demonstrates that affordable housing solutions can be based in local strategies through close partnerships with state and local governments. Place matters, and place-based initiatives allow us to locate affordable housing in areas where our residents will have equitable access to high performing schools in mixed-income communities.

The High Opportunity Pilot grew out of nurturing relationships with local partners to ensure our developments met the needs of the neighborhood and future residents. As the process grows, so will our relationship with our state and local allies as we deepen our organizational and leadership capacity in those neighborhoods. NHT is confident in our community driven process that enables residents and community leaders, both private and public, to build strong, supportive, and equitable neighborhoods.