HAI continues its support of the upcoming Public Housing Summit that will take place this spring in Washington, D.C. Information will be posted online at HousingCenter.com under the Legislative Affairs tab. The summit is a cooperative effort between the public housing industry and the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities.

One aim of the summit is to broaden the number of public housing industry stakeholders in an effort to improve the economic and political environment of our industry. Stakeholders will be asked to help lay out a broad vision for the future of public housing. 

The current presidential campaigns suggest change is in the air. The question for public housing stakeholders is whether we can help shape that change so it is favorable to our joint interests or if the industry falls victim to someone else's vision. 

The summit’s aim is to prepare the industry to engage in election dialogue after the primaries and to raise the vision for housing and its expectations of the next administration. This shared vision will press the case for public housing with our next president.

The fundamental challenge will be for public housing stakeholders (public housing industry groups and low-income housing advocates) to revise the meaning of their mission statements. These statements must be understood in terms that can support meaningful, coordinated, and continuous cooperation with other stakeholders for the benefit of the industry.    

If we fail, we run the risk of allowing others to create a future for our industry that may not be favorable for public housing residents.

If you have any comments or questions, please contact Brian Braley at bbraley@housingcenter.com. Brian continues his work on behalf of our industry and would greatly appreciate your contributions.