NLIHC will showcase a compelling line-up of thought leaders at the 2017 Housing Policy Forum: Advancing Solutions in a Changing Landscape, taking place in Washington, DC, April 2-4. The forum will provide attendees the opportunity to engage with leaders from Capitol Hill and the new Administration on the state of affordable housing in the changing post-election landscape. These and other thought-leaders, policy experts, researchers, affordable housing advocates and practitioners, and low income residents will explore emerging challenges and opportunities given the political leadership changes in Washington, DC and the best strategies for achieving positive affordable housing policy solutions.
Among the invited and/or confirmed speakers are:
- Dr. Ben Carson, retired pediatric neurosurgeon, nominated by President-elect Trump to serve as Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). (invited)
- Susan Popkins, senior fellow and director of the Neighborhoods and Youth Development Initiative, Metropolitan Housing and Communities Policy Center, Urban Institute and author of the book No Simple Solutions: Transforming Public Housing in Chicago.
- Megan Sandel, MD, associate professor of pediatrics at Boston University School of Medicine and principal investigator at Children’s Health Watch.
- Mark Calabria, director of financial regulation studies, Cato Institute. (invited)
- Marybeth Shinn, professor of human and organizational development, Vanderbilt University.
- Nan Roman, president and CEO, National Alliance to End Homelessness.
- Dushaw Hockett, executive director of Safe Places for the Advancement of Community and Equity.
- Shauna Sorrells, director of legislative and public affairs, Housing Opportunities Commission of Montgomery County, MD.
- Virginia Sardone, director, Office of Affordable Housing Programs, HUD.
The Forum will also explore the lessons learned from the first year of implementation of the national Housing Trust Fund; the intersections between housing and health, education, criminal justice reform, and other areas; ideas for addressing the needs in public housing; the latest research on vouchers and homeless assistance programs; and ways to rebalance U.S. federal housing investments to end homelessness and housing poverty. The third day of the Forum will provide an opportunity for participants to visit their congressional delegations on Capitol Hill.
The 2017 Housing Leadership Award recipients will be honored on the evening of April 4. J. Ronald Terwilliger, chairman emeritus and former CEO of the Trammel Crow Residential Company, will receive the 2017 Edward W. Brooke Housing Leadership Award for his outstanding contributions to the cause of rebalancing federal affordable housing policy. The Brooke Award is named for the late Senator Edward W. Brooke (R-MA), who championed low income and fair housing while in Congress and later served as the chair of NLIHC’s Board of Directors. The award is presented to individuals who advocate for affordable housing on the national level. Retired Preservation of Affordable Housing President and Founder Amy Anthony will be the recipient of the 2017 Cushing N. Dolbeare Lifetime Service Award. The Dolbeare Award is named after NLIHC’s founder, considered the godmother of the affordable housing movement. NLIHC presents the Dolbeare Award to individuals for their lifetime of service to affordable housing.
The NLIHC 2017 Housing Policy Forum and Leadership Reception will take place at the Washington Court Hotel in Washington, DC. Up to three individuals from the same NLIHC member organization may attend the Forum. Register at: http://bit.ly/2dnJpnS
A limited number of shared-lodging hotel scholarships will be awarded on a first-come-first-served basis to low income residents who are current NLIHC members and who pay their own Forum registration fee (“self-pay participants”). To ensure a broad geographic distribution, no more than two scholarships will be awarded to participants from any one state (with the exception of New York, where a donor has provided funding for six). The scholarships provide residents attending the Forum up to three nights of shared hotel lodging on April 1, 2, and 3. Scholarship recipients must commit to attending all Forum sessions, including a special resident session on Sunday, April 2 and Lobby Day on Tuesday, April 4. To apply for a scholarship, contact James Saucedo at jsaucedo@nlihc.org. Questions? Call 202-662-1530 or email jsaucedo@nlihc.org.