A Record of Impact
Leadership at the Louisiana Housing Corporation, 2016-2022
Housing is more than bricks and mortar. It’s stability, opportunity, and the chance to rebuild. As Executive Director at the Louisiana Housing Corporation, Keith led work through some of the most demanding moments in the state’s recent history, from historic floods and hurricanes to a global pandemic. The result was measurable progress: thousands of new homeowners, more than 15,000 affordable housing units created, and new standards for resilient, accessible construction. These are the results Keystone Connects brings to every client engagement.
Louisiana Balance of State Continuum of Care Team
The Louisiana Balance of State Continuum of Care (LA BOSCOC) in 2023 serves as the federally recognized homeless coalition for 22 parishes in the state, roughly half of the state’s geography. The CoC Program funds provide resources exclusively for populations experiencing or at risk of homelessness, including but not limited to: veterans, youth, families, and individuals fleeing domestic violence. In its first year of existence, the 2015 BOSCOC program consisted of nine parishes. LA BOSCOC had merged with two other CoC programs by 2019, expanding its jurisdiction into Baton Rouge and Houma and resulting in the 22 parish geography it serves today. The LA BOSCOC website is one of the program’s most significant contributions to the effort to end homelessness in Louisiana. The website hosts information about how to access Coordinated Entry to CoC and other resources statewide in the format of an interactive, user friendly map. LA BOSCOC also launched a Street Outreach Report Portal on its website, where the public can provide information about individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness. Upon receipt, LHC Street Outreach staff reaches out to follow up with those individuals and connect them to available local resources.
Energy Assistance
The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Crisis assistance maximum has increased twice since 2016 to meet the rising utility costs across the State. The annual maximum benefit per household in 2018 was set indefinitely at $475. As of 2023, the annual maximum benefit is $1000 per household and is subject to annual review
Compliance
The LHC provides regulatory compliance monitoring for all affordable housing programs through its Construction & Compliance Monitoring Department. The Department monitors and evaluates compliance by owners and management agents of LHC-funded properties with applicable State and Federal rules, regulations, statutes, and polices. It facilitates adherence to these rules by providing technical assistance and training to owners, management agents, residents, government officials, and the public regarding compliance matters. The Construction and Compliance Monitoring Department is also responsible for ensuring that properties funded by LHC are financially secure and maintained in decent, safe, and sanitary condition. Since 2016, the policies and manuals were implemented to create a framework of protections for those we serve: • Low Income Housing Tax Credit Owner’s Policy Manual 2019 • HUD HOME program Owner’s Policy Manual 2020 • Fair Housing and Tenant Selection with Regard to Criminal Record Screening Policy 7/14/2021 • Tax Credit Program Addendum – Establishing Rights for Tenants as it Relates to Occupancy 06/04/2021 • Revised Low Income Housing Tax Credit Owner’s Policy Manual 12/2022
Housing Development
The Louisiana Housing Corporation (LHC) established the Developer’s Assistance Program to aid developers who are experiencing unprecedented increases in development or operating costs. The program helps close the funding gap caused by unforeseen circumstances, such as labor and supply shortages, increased insurance premiums and deductibles, increased taxes, and higher interest rates. By helping developers field these challenges, the program increases the number of completed projects and improves accessibility to affordable housing across the state. Compliance The LHC provides regulatory compliance monitoring for all affordable housing across the state.
Homeownership
Market Rate Programs during the early part of the administration, mortgage revenue bonds were difficult to market and maintain. Louisiana Housing Corporation found a way to continue to make homeownership attainable by launching its TBA or “To Be Announced Program”. Starting with conventional products, the programs were expanded to include government offering and proved to be invaluable in providing down payment assistance at time when mortgage revenue bonds were difficult to market. LHC’s Homebuyer Counseling Education Program has assisted over 2,661 residents directly to learn the facts about how to become a homeowner through education. This does not account for all the thousands of other Louisiana residents that have been assisted through LHC’s network of sub-grantees and its administration of almost $4,000,000 in HUD Housing Counseling funds. Expanded our Servicing Platform – In an effort to increase exposure to our products across the state, in December 2020 we expanded our single family servicing capacity. While keeping our Louisiana based servicer, Standard Mortgage, we incorporated Lakeview Loan Servicing to enlarge our lender network and to be able to reach more applicants. Lakeview Loan Servicing is the fourth largest mortgage servicer in the nation and LHC is proud to work with them in expanding homeownership opportunities.
Rental Assistance
After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Congress appropriated funding for Louisiana’s Road Home Recovery Plan and passed the Gulf Opportunity (GO) Zone Act, providing incentives to rebuild areas most affected by the hurricanes. Advocates for both people with disabilities and homeless people, along with consumers, service providers, and state/local governmental agencies formed a successful partnership that resulted in PSH being included into the LA Road Home plan. This led to the development of over 3,000 units of permanent supportive housing for extremely low income people with disabilities. The Louisiana Housing Authority (LHA) Rental Assistance program’s partnership with the (LDH) Louisiana Department of Health PSH program, has thus far served over 2,000 households, links affordable rental housing with voluntary, flexible, and individualized services to people with severe and complex disabilities, enabling them to live successfully in the community along with support services needed to retain housing. For the provision of 3,000 units of Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) as referenced in the Road Home Program of the Louisiana Recovery Authority approved by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, $73,000,000, to remain available until expended, of which $20,000,000 shall be for project-based vouchers including administrative expenses not to exceed $3,000,000, and $50,000,000 shall be for grants under the Shelter Plus Care program as authorized under subtitle F of title IV of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. The Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) also has a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement with Louisiana Housing Corporation (LHC) to perform services of tenant selection for Special Purpose Vouchers (SPV). SPVs are specifically funded by Congress in separate appropriations from regular Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program funding in order to target specific populations. LHC’s Special Purpose Vouchers include vouchers for the following programs utilized within the Rental Assistance Department. Special Purpose Vouchers are specifically funded by Congress in separate appropriations from regular Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program funding in order to target specific populations. Louisiana Housing Authority (LHA)’s special purpose vouchers include vouchers for the following programs:
-
Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) Lake Charles Area
-
Mainstream: Non-elderly and Disabled (NED) August 28,2019
-
Emergency Housing Vouchers (EHV)
-
Tenant-Based Vouchers (EHV)
In light of the dire need for quality, safe, affordable and accessible housing following the 2016 floods in northern and southern Louisiana and the February tornadoes, Governor John Bel Edwards, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Louisiana Housing Corporation (LHC) kicked off a statewide campaign called Louisiana’s Housing Heroes Initiative. This initiative consists of an outreach campaign targeted towards landlords and property owners across affected parishes. The campaign is part of an effort to target viable small- and large-scale housing opportunities. Overview The state experienced severe storms and flooding in both March and August 2016, resulting in 56 of the state’s 64 parishes receiving a federal disaster declaration. After the March event, more than 16,462 homes had Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Verified Loss. The total number of households impacted was 21,684. The August flooding event resulted in the flooding of more than 68,380 homes and impacting 23,248 renters, for a total of 91,628 impacted households.   These figures add to the pre-disaster shortage of affordable rental housing that plagued the entire state. The Housing Heroes collaborative works to identify housing opportunities that are available immediately as well as those that are 30 days, 60 days, and 90 days away from becoming available. In the context of Louisiana’s significant housing shortage, this initiative promotes an inclusive strategy to identify and assess the readiness of units critical to the ongoing recovery of housing affordability, availability and accessibility.   Approach The basic concept of the Housing Heroes initiative is to use outreach tools such as the media, statewide associations, chambers of commerce, and state and local governments to appeal to single and multi-family landlords with affordable rental units. These units include apartments, single family homes, and mobile homes.