More than 120 leaders from 50 member organizations gathered for the Housing Partnership Network's 2009 Fall Members' Meeting in San Francisco in December. Against the backdrop of available stimulus funding and on-going uncertainty about the health of the financial markets, members were eager to share recent development challenges, current policy practices and solutions and new ideas in areas such as energy saving techniques.

Annie Donovan, NCB Capital Impact and Don Hinkle-Brown, The Reinvestment Fund

One of the meeting highlights was a productive session with Carol Galante, HUD's Deputy Assistant Secretary for Multifamily Housing. The discussion covered a wide range of issues affecting our industry, and addressed such issues as how members and HUD could forge new partnerships to improve communication and program implementation. The meeting closed with a tour showcasing several of our Bay Area members' projects, including LIIF, BRIDGE, and Mercy Housing.

The meeting included substantive discussions on:

• Neighborhood stabilization strategies, in particular strategies for acquiring pre-foreclosure properties, land banking, developing buyer pipelines, and securing first mortgage credit for borrowers;
• Proposed Capital Magnet Fund regulations;
• Retrofitting, in particular member experience with conducting an energy audit and estimating payback on investment for retrofitting technologies; and the challenges to funding retrofits in rental housing using DOE stimulus resources;
• Unrelenting tax credit challenges and the need to bring more economic investors to the field, and to step up advocacy efforts among members and other industry partners to improve the program; and
• Advanced practices in such areas as assessing organizational risk, valuing general partnership interests, and centralizing property procurement.

Becky Regan, Boston Community Capital, Janet Falk, Mercy Housing, CA, Stan Keasling, Rural Community Assistance Corporation, Bruce Gunter, Progressive Redevelopment, Inc.

As one member reported, "[the] peer exchange is invaluable. I always leave a meeting knowing more than before and recharged to continue the work we do."

The Network's 2010 Spring Membership Meeting will be held at the Palmer House on June 10th and 11th. We look forward to continuing a dialogue on these and other topics.

Mark Your Calendars - Spring Member Meeting - June 10th and 11th in Chicago