Building the Capacity of Affordable Housing Stakeholders to Leverage Clean Energy Resources

Recent climate disasters and increasing operating costs threaten the stability of affordable housing nationwide, and low-income renters are more vulnerable to and at risk of natural disasters. Investing in clean energy, energy efficiency, and climate resiliency measures can help preserve affordable housing and protect residents. However:

• Funding is scarce;
• Policies often are not tailored to address the challenges of preserving affordable housing; and
• Capacity constraints among affordable housing providers mean they may not know how to initiate the necessary upgrades to their properties.

NHT works to ensure that affordable housing providers and other key stakeholders can access and leverage state and federal funds and resources, providing low-income residents with clean, affordable, and resilient housing. With support from key partners, we:  

• Build the Capacity of Affordable Housing Providers to assess opportunities across their portfolios to leverage local, state, and federal clean energy and energy efficiency funding, thereby preserving their properties.
• Develop Resources and Share Best Practices through our Preservation Toolkit, which includes case studies, resident engagement guides, and other resources that housing providers can reference throughout the energy efficiency retrofit process.
• Advise Policymakers on program and policy best practices to ensure design and implementation address key barriers or opportunities for multifamily affordable housing. NHT has collaborated with Housing Finance Agencies, State Energy Offices, and other practitioners to enhance existing and develop new clean energy initiatives.

• Convene Key Stakeholders to help inform state and federal programs, making funding more accessible to affordable housing providers. NHT’s Preservation Working Group submitted comments to HUD with recommendations on specific no-cost measures the Department can support to increase the energy efficiency of HUD-subsidized affordable housing.

  Through past and ongoing efforts to make affordable housing across the country more energy-efficient and climate-resilient, as well as through our energy consulting practice, NHT is uniquely positioned to support local, state, and federal efforts to leverage clean energy investments to preserve affordable multifamily housing properties and protect low-income residents.