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Building Opportunity III: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing in the Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program. Civil Rights Research

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Building Opportunity III: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing in the Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program. Civil Rights Research
Language: English
Authors: Janelle Taylor, Robert Lindsay, Philip Tegeler, Poverty and Race Research Action Council (PRRAC)
Source: Poverty & Race Research Action Council. 2023.
Availability: Poverty & Race Research Action Council. 1200 18th Street NW Suite 200, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 202-906-8023; Fax: 202-842-2885; e-mail: info@prrac.org; Web site: http://www.prrac.org
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 20
Publication Date: 2023
Document Type: Reports - Evaluative
Descriptors: Low Income Students, Tax Credits, Neighborhood Schools, School Desegregation, Disadvantaged Schools, Housing, School Choice, Access to Education, Educational Equity (Finance), Equalization Aid, Neighborhood Integration, Social Discrimination, Equal Education, Resource Allocation
Abstract: The Poverty & Race Research Action Council (PRRAC) began tracking civil rights related provisions in state Qualified Allocation Plans (QAPs) in 2008, out of concern for a growing concentration of Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) developments in high poverty, segregated neighborhoods, a trend which had already generated fair housing litigation in several states. Since that first 50-state survey, and a follow-up survey in 2015, much has changed. Whether because of increasingly powerful public health and social science evidence, growing awareness of fair housing obligations, or positive leadership within the industry, an increasing number of states have eliminated potentially discriminatory provisions in their QAPs, added incentives for development in high opportunity communities, strengthened affirmative marketing and tenant selection practices, and defined requirements for concerted community revitalization plans accompanying developments in low income neighborhoods. Strong incentives to support new LIHTC development in higher opportunity communities are especially important today, as an increasing share of LIHTC funds are going toward preservation of existing public and assisted housing developments, which are often located in high poverty neighborhoods. Preservation of existing affordable housing is critical, but to maintain balance and choice in affordable housing investment, even greater efforts must be made to expand new LIHTC family development in low poverty communities with high performing schools. Improved QAPs are an important first step toward this goal, but the true test of fair housing compliance is the program's performance in siting new developments, affirmative marketing, nondiscriminatory tenant selection, and community development. This 50-state survey will report on current state trends in local contribution and approval requirements, incentives for siting developments in high opportunity neighborhoods, affirmative marketing and tenant selection, and the concerted community revitalization requirement.
Abstractor: ERIC
Entry Date: 2025
Accession Number: ED671337
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:The Poverty & Race Research Action Council (PRRAC) began tracking civil rights related provisions in state Qualified Allocation Plans (QAPs) in 2008, out of concern for a growing concentration of Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) developments in high poverty, segregated neighborhoods, a trend which had already generated fair housing litigation in several states. Since that first 50-state survey, and a follow-up survey in 2015, much has changed. Whether because of increasingly powerful public health and social science evidence, growing awareness of fair housing obligations, or positive leadership within the industry, an increasing number of states have eliminated potentially discriminatory provisions in their QAPs, added incentives for development in high opportunity communities, strengthened affirmative marketing and tenant selection practices, and defined requirements for concerted community revitalization plans accompanying developments in low income neighborhoods. Strong incentives to support new LIHTC development in higher opportunity communities are especially important today, as an increasing share of LIHTC funds are going toward preservation of existing public and assisted housing developments, which are often located in high poverty neighborhoods. Preservation of existing affordable housing is critical, but to maintain balance and choice in affordable housing investment, even greater efforts must be made to expand new LIHTC family development in low poverty communities with high performing schools. Improved QAPs are an important first step toward this goal, but the true test of fair housing compliance is the program's performance in siting new developments, affirmative marketing, nondiscriminatory tenant selection, and community development. This 50-state survey will report on current state trends in local contribution and approval requirements, incentives for siting developments in high opportunity neighborhoods, affirmative marketing and tenant selection, and the concerted community revitalization requirement.