Research & Innovations

From Shelterforce:

Back in 2006, Cambridge, Massachusetts’s aging public housing stock needed serious work. Some of the housing authority’s nearly 2,500 apartments were in 70-year-old buildings with deteriorating and outdated infrastructure, Cambridge Housing Authority officials say, and a few properties built in the 1970s had leaked for decades. Many needed upgrades to heating, ventilation, and plumbing systems.

A five-year capital assessment required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) revealed capital needs of at least $228 million. CHA officials estimated it would take 32 years to make the needed improvements based on its annual HUD funding at the time.

“Our backs were against the wall. We were going to start losing units,” says Margaret Moran, CHA’s deputy executive director for development. “Out of desperation, we began a process, both internally and with our residents, of exploring alternate ways to tackle the capital need.”

That exploration helped launch a series of improvement projects starting in 2010. Today, CHA is about 75 percent done with a portfolio-wide redevelopment, Moran says, with extensive work completed on 17 properties encompassing more than 2,345 units. Moreover, they’ve exceeded original plans, including addressing more resident comfort issues, achieving energy efficiency improvements, and adding 200 new deeply affordable housing units, with further expansion in the works.

It’s not news that federal support and funding for public housing has declined sharply since the early 1970s. Housing authorities across the U.S. have struggled to afford maintenance, repairs, and upgrades to their properties, and the number of available units is steadily declining. Against that grim backdrop, Cambridge stands out as a positive exception.

CHA’s redevelopment has been cited as an innovative model for its layering of strategies and funding sources to pay for the renovations, as well as for minimizing disruption for residents and retaining ownership or control of the properties rather than ceding them to private interests.

“It’s a great example of what can be possible,” says Susan Popkin, a fellow at the Urban Institute who co-authored a 2024 research report that profiles CHA as one of a few public housing authorities that have financed redevelopment in innovative ways.

Read Shelterforce's article. 

From the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation's website:

In Alaska the term “rural” isn't just a label, it's a lifestyle that shapes our communities and experiences in ways those from outside the state may not fully appreciate. More than 80% of our communities have fewer than 1,000 residents. More than half our land mass, which is twice the size of Texas, is only accessible by plane or boat and some villages require riding a four-wheeler or snow machine after the boat or plane lands. These communities still need access to housing but many lack the capacity to take advantage of existing housing programs and are unable to expand their inventory because there are no specialized systems or workforce locally accessible even when funding is available.

 

Statewide Concern 

In early 2023, Alaska Housing Finance Corporation surveyed state agencies to gather data and pinpoint specific communities struggling to recruit and retain workers due to housing shortages. A common thread was soon identified: 

• Due to a lack of housing, many positions essential to the community’s economic vitality are unfilled.

• Airport crews, public safety officers, healthcare workers, maintenance staff, judges and other critical professionals are struggling to find housing of any type, and sometimes end up sleeping on floors.
• Demand for housing is so extreme, properties are purchased sight-unseen before they even go on the market. 

This data became the springboard for the Last Frontier Housing Initiative that connects AHFC staff, systems and infrastructure with rural community partners to help build housing. 

 

Collaborative Solutions

A combination of federal and state funds allowed AHFC to embark on a once-in-a-generation opportunity to incentivize local governments in Western and Southeast Alaska with incentives for new housing construction.

To jumpstart housing builds, AHFC offered to be a design-build partner with local governments in five of the most remote communities in the United States – Ketchikan and Sitka, on islands in Southeast, and Bethel, Nome and Kotzebue that are off the road system in Western Alaska.

The proposal was direct. Administered through a grant process, AHFC would award roughly $24 million in construction funding on a government-to-government basis with a simple proposition: 

1. The construction funding is yours if you choose to accept it; 
2. Where overlapping jurisdictions exist, i.e., borough/city/tribe, the community decides who leads; 
3. A minimum number of units will be built: some for state workers, others meeting federal affordable definitions;
4. What is built, where and how is entirely a community call so long as minimum construction outcomes are met;
5. Community partners must match AHFCs funding by at least 15% in cash, land, in-kind, etc.;
6. AHFC staff will be available to help grant recipients navigate the programs, visit the communities and support their efforts by reviewing draft requests for proposals, helping with admin, grant tracking, etc. – anything required from start to finish.

Community Support 

The response was nearly immediate with communities bringing their own innovative ideas to the table. With basic guidelines under the proposition leading the way, support provided by AHFC was tailored to meet individual community needs. Beyond funding, AHFC’s support fell within one of two broad categories. 

1. Outreach

• AHFC staff went on-site to all five communities to meet with local elected leaders, tribal partners and community stakeholders for explanation and dialogue on the Last Frontier Housing Initiative.

2. Support

• AHFC provided support for all partners during the procurement phase.

• AHFC staff and technology supplemented the local partners' operations in several communities. 
• AHFC provided programmatic guidance and on-site training to partners who were new to the program resources, setting them up for long-term success once the properties converted to the operations phase. 

By May 2024, AHFC had visited all five communities and started signing funding agreements – with construction starting soon after. 

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“Consistent with AHFC’s past practices, we listened, we followed through, and we worked with our partners to build housing they were unable to build on their own." - Bryan Butcher, CEO/Executive Director, AHFC

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Real Results

The Last Frontier Housing Initiative moved fast, exceeded unit expectations, came in under budget, and the first units are online.

• New units built (63) exceeded baseline expectations by 45%;

• $9.8 million in match funding beat projections by 173%;
• $584,000 costs per door were below models by 8%.

Due to the success of the Last Frontier Housing Initiative, in 2024, the Alaska Legislature created a new $4 million program with intent for AHFC to expand its housing partnerships with four statewide agency landholders to catalyze new housing developments, and it renewed the Last Frontier Housing Initiative. Both were supported by Governor Dunleavy.

“Structuring the Last Frontier Housing Initiative as a government-to-government partnership allowed AHFC to build and execute housing plans with our community partners rather than for them," said Butcher. "This buy-in and partnership enabled each of the five communities to leverage their respective strengths with AHFC’s resources to drive housing solutions most appropriate for their needs.” 

 

Creating Opportunities

The success of the Last Frontier Housing Initiative is due in large part to AHFC’s diligent monitoring of allowable uses of restricted dollars, thought leadership and ingenuity, leveraging congressionally appropriated ERA-2 but expiring housing assistance with more flexible state resources. This diligence and creativity led to new resources allocated to continue work that is making a meaningful difference in housing construction statewide. The Phase I efforts including the original five communities paved the way for $22 million in additional resources to be deployed to seven new communities in Phase II of the Last Frontier Housing Initiative.

In September 2025, AHFC expanded the effort further, closing a deal with the University of Alaska to purchase land and property across the state for the purpose of future housing development. 

“Our partnerships weren’t simply staff and funding driven. We engaged with communities and stakeholders individually to maximize outcomes, which included strategic work to build awareness, generate excitement and build accountability,” said Butcher.

From the Tacoma Housing Authority's press release:

The Tacoma Housing Authority (THA) has secured new funding to rehabilitate over 300 of its existing affordable housing units. 316 households representing over 1,000 residents of northwest Salishan and Hillside Terrace 2300 will see their units updated over a two-year period. This $150 million effort will bring much needed upgrades and renovations to these decades-old properties.

Resyndication is a feature of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program in which affordable housing providers seek to secure a new allocation of tax credits for the purpose of preservation, rehabilitation, and/or sustainable development. This critical tool ensures that THA has financial backing to update and renovate hundreds of units and improve the quality of life for tenants at THA family properties. This program was recently expanded by Congress and championed by Senator Maria Cantwell.

The rehabilitation project is expected to span two years, with improvements designed to enhance comfort, safety, and sustainability for families. THA is taking a strategic, staggered approach in which households will be temporarily moved to different units in their community while their home undergoes construction. The scope of work includes:

•          New roofs, windows, and heat pumps
•          Upgraded appliances, flooring, cabinets, and countertops
•          Interior and exterior painting
•          Modernized plumbing and electrical fixtures
•          Comprehensive site improvements

“Salishan and Hillside Terrace are family properties at their core,” said Director of Asset Management and Real Estate Development Ken Short. “This resyndication is more than a construction project—it’s an investment in children, parents, and neighbors who deserve high-quality, safe, and sustainable housing.”

55% of households whose homes will be rehabilitated include children, and 73% are extremely low-income, earning less than 30% of Area Median Income (AMI). The average annual income of these households is $28,918.

The resyndication is backed by over $150 million in funding from multiple sources, including a $10 million award from the Washington State Department of Commerce, dedicated to energy efficiency upgrades including new windows and heat pumps with air conditioning. Citi Bank is serving as the lender for this effort, underscoring the strong financial partnerships that make this ambitious rehabilitation possible.

THA has engaged LMC as the general contractor, who will partner with local development group 1DROP to facilitate outreach and opportunities for local, community-minded small businesses to work on the project.