Affordable Housing Institute

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Contact | Affordable Housing Institute With the support of caring individuals like you, AHI is able to provide low-bono advisory services to community-based changemaking entities to invent solutions to some of the most challenging and complex issues in affordable housing today. We do this because, in poor communities around the world, a....

Far from being helpless, the modern displaced person is often well educated, highly skilled, and motivated to improve their environment given even the simplest of foundational support. Therefore, the creation of humanitarian settlements that are intended to function as cities, with the infrastructure, economics, and social conditions that are inherent to a dense and relatively permanent settlement, will allow residents to build equity and regain a sense of normalcy.

Approaching the establishment of humanitarian settlements in this way will provide opportunities to leverage the resources and assets of the displaced – financial, material, and intellectual – to create a better quality of life during displacement, stronger communities, and more sustainable solutions.

Learn more about our research on the Instant City: https://ow.ly/I76T50Z18Wb

Just one week left to register for our highly anticipated LIHTC workshop from Harvard Graduate School of Design!

In this two-hour online workshop, AHI's David Smith will present a structural overview of the Low Income Housing Tax Credit, the importance and complexities of relying on it in your capital stack, and how each state’s Qualified Allocation Plan (QAP) implicitly tells you how to win.

🗓️ June 24, 11am - 1pm EST
🌐 Online
🔗

LIHTC Demystified: Navigating to Success LIHTC Demystified: Navigating to Success A two-hour interactive workshop on the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program, its structural essentials, […]

In Colombia, millions of families live in homes that are vulnerable to heat, humidity, flooding, poor thermal comfort, and inefficient energy and water systems.

In partnership with Build Change, we’re leading a World Bank-funded project to integrate climate-smart approaches into the government’s flagship home improvement program, Cambia Mi Casa. We conducted a comprehensive benchmark study comparing the Colombian program with cases from Indonesia, Mexico, and Pakistan, and developed guiding principles and recommendations.

Earlier this month, AHI’s Santiago Mendía and Ana Flávia Lima de Silveira helped lead a validation workshop, presenting the guidelines and facilitating discussions between government ministers, private entities, and financial and technical operators about the implementation potential.

Learn more: https://ow.ly/NTRu50ZbNzo

At the World Urban Forum, AHI was proud to contribute to the conversation on social rental housing.

Rental housing is just as exposed to market forces as homeownership. Governments have a critical role to play as facilitators and market enablers, helping to ensure affordability while creating the conditions for private-sector participation. Delivering sustainable social rental housing at scale also requires access to long-term capital and strong operational capacity.

was an excellent opportunity to strengthen our team cohesion and to reconnect with valued partners, including the World Bank, AFD, EBRD, Shelter Afrique, and UHPH, while building new relationships with UN-Habitat teams and local government counterparts.

The prominence of housing throughout the forum signals growing recognition that housing is fundamental to inclusive urban development and deserves a more central place in global urban policy discussions.

We look forward to continuing these conversations and advancing practical solutions that expand access to safe, sustainable, and affordable housing worldwide.

NEW article from AHI's David Smith on what it takes to develop middle-income housing: https://ow.ly/GRlB50Z7cKc

Millions of households earn too much for LIHTC, but not enough for their local housing market. Workforce housing addresses this critical gap in affordable housing delivery in the US and worldwide.

Tax Credit Advisor Magazine

So You Want to Be a Workforce Housing Developer? Guru David Smith explains the keys to building out the nation's supply of subsidized middle-income housing.

Just 2 days left! Apply to join the 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐲𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 by Sunday, 7 June.
🔗 tinyurl.com/Chrysalis2

--
𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞-𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐬 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐨-𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 are invited to submit an application for the second Chrysalis cohort, running from September 2026 to January 2027.

The application covers two components:
1. A structured application form covering your company overview, mission, target market, and business model
2. A financial proforma to capture project pipeline, project-level economics, and affordability profile

𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲:
Established housing businesses that are:
🔹 Actively developing or delivering housing in Anglo-African markets
🔹 Seeking to move from project-by-project delivery to a scalable, finance-ready platform
🔹 Preparing to raise capital (debt, equity, or blended finance) for defined growth purposes

The program copay and travel costs must be covered by participating entities.

🏡 Understanding risks and aligning stakeholders is key to .

At the session on blended finance mechanisms for affordable housing, AHI's Davina Wood outlined the misalignment between investors and developers through four recurring gaps - absence of foundational equity, currency and pricing constraints, ticket size mismatch, and a focus on projects instead of companies - and emphasized the essential role of governments to help bridge the gaps.

Thanks to the Urban School at Sciences Po, the Entrepreneurship and Partnerships Lab, and the Centre for Policy Research for coordinating the panel and to our colleagues at CEPT University, UC Berkeley, UN-HABITAT, and OECD Development.

Get in touch if you'd like to know more!

🏡 Housing took center stage at this year's World Urban Forum .

In the session "What works in low-income rental housing," AHI's Margaux Morenas shared the critical links, actors, and unique conditions in the housing value chain for social rental housing.

Thanks to Plataforma UHPH and CAF - banco de desarrollo de América Latina y el Caribe for coordinating the panel and to our colleagues at Asian Development Bank, Social Housing Regulatory Authority, Habitat for Humanity, and UN-HABITAT for the engaging conversation and connections.

Get in touch if you'd like to know more!

5 days left! Apply to join the 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐲𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 by Sunday, 7 June.
🔗 tinyurl.com/Chrysalis2

--
𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞-𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐬 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐨-𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 are invited to submit an application for the second Chrysalis cohort, running from September 2026 to January 2027.

The application covers two components:
1. A structured application form covering your company overview, mission, target market, and business model
2. A financial proforma to capture project pipeline, project-level economics, and affordability profile

𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲:
Established housing businesses that are:
🔹 Actively developing or delivering housing in Anglo-African markets
🔹 Seeking to move from project-by-project delivery to a scalable, finance-ready platform
🔹 Preparing to raise capital (debt, equity, or blended finance) for defined growth purposes

The program copay and travel costs must be covered by participating entities.