A Note From The President


Rally Day has come and gone for TALHFA and our fellow affordable housing organizations, TAAHP and RRHA. However, the legislative work has just begun. Almost 9,000 bills were filed by the State Legislature’s bill fil-


ing deadline. TALHFA, under the leadership of Jeanne Talerico, Todd Kercheval, and Diana McIver, has much work to do! Almost 40 housing-related bills were filed before the March 8th deadline. Senator Menéndez filed TALHFA’s bill, SB1858, addressing Private Activity Bond financing and allocations. Please make sure that you keep current on Jeanne’s emails relating to any and all legislative activity in the coming months.


As I reported in January, Opportunity Zones are slowly getting off the ground with only a few active Zones


being implemented across the Country. TALHFA will be tracking the implementation of HUD’s guidelines for this program and will keep you up-to-date. While Texas is relatively healthy, affordable housing continues to be a growing and costly issue with the affordability gap for many families growing daily. In a HUD study released in the winter of 2018, Fort Worth’s PHA, “Housing Solu- tions” acceptance rate was only 22%, 2 points lower than Los Angeles. A shortage of homes and our hot market impacts every urban area in Texas. Texas’s population is growing and so is the need for infrastructure, be it housing, transit, roads or utilities.


Our job is getting bigger and more critical to our communities and those families in need of safe, decent, and quality housing. Every child is born with a zip code attached to their future and a home to remember.


The State and Local Governments are struggling to meet the demands of a shifting population, proposed revenue caps, as well as mental health, education, and public services cost burdens. The White House recently released the Administration’s 2020 Budget which includes major cuts to HUD housing programs, eliminating CDBG, HOME, and the Public Housing Capital Fund. Congress, depending on several appropriation issues, is still friendly and supportive of domestic community development and housing-related programs. TALHFA is in a leadership role to serve all our communities. While the sky is not falling, it’s time we buckle up our boots, because it’s going to a bumpy ride over the next couple of years.


Once again, I am looking forward to working through the legislative process in Austin with TALHFA to serve our communities and to meet the needs of our Membership. I am looking forward to the Bluebonnets this spring and a bountiful 86th legislative session.


Sincerely, President Patricia Ward Tarrant County HFC


1st Vice President Andrea Shields Travis County HFC


2nd Vice President Diana McIver


DMA Development Company, LLC


Secretary


Tarron Richardson North Central Texas HFC


Treasurer


Robert Coleman Raymond James


Immediate Past President Dave Clark NORTEX HFC


Pamela M. Black Bank of Texas


Avis Chaisson Dallas HFC


Shari Flynn Lubbock HFC


Melinda Frazer Portfolio Resident Services


TALHFA board of directors Jill Miller


2019


Odessa HFC Jim Shaw


Capital Area HFC David Southern


Northwest Central Texas HFC


Rick Sheffield Rowlett HFC Ron Williams


Southeast Texas HFC Spring 2019 TALHFA Page 5


Talk


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