BCHF is continuing to explore ways to align its education and affordable housing work. In November, Stephanie Klupinski, our VP of Legal and Strategic Growth, presented at the Education Law Association conference in Orlando with Carlie Boos, the Executive Director of the Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio, and Graham Bowman, an attorney with the Ohio Poverty Law Center.
Their presentation was called “How a Housing Crisis Becomes an Education Crisis – and How to Fix It,” based on their paper with the same name. The following summarizes some key points from their presentation:
-Three out of five Americans worry about their ability to pay for housing;
-Affordable housing programs are not just for the extremely impoverished but reach a broad band of the income spectrum;
-Stable housing is integral for student success;
-The Low Income Housing Tax Credit program (aka LIHTC) is the largest source of federal assistance for affordable rental housing in the country, having placed around 3.5 million units in service since the program began in 1986; and
-Too many LIHTC units are built in low-performing school districts.
BCHF develops LIHTC properties in twelve different states, including Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, and North and South Carolina. We are exploring how states can enhance their application processes for LIHTC developments to improve access to quality public schools for the residents. We know that public charter schools can play a big role in accomplishing this goal. To learn more about this work, please contact Stephanie at sklupinski@bchf.org or at 614-318-9876.