OCC Newsletter Focuses on Bank Financing for Homeless Housing Facilities

WASHINGTON — The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) today published the latest edition of its Community Developments Investments electronic newsletter, titled “Ending Homelessness: Financing Permanent Supportive Housing,” which provides an in-depth look at bank financing for permanent supportive housing for the homeless.  The newsletter articles provide background information about the population experiencing homelessness, the high cost of homelessness to communities, the federal efforts to address homelessness, and financial institutions’ investments to support community goals to end homelessness.  Articles further describe how banks are helping to build more supportive housing by investing in low income housing tax credits either directly or through equity funds.

“This newsletter provides examples of how banks can and are helping to end chronic homelessness by investing in the development of permanent supportive affordable housing for the homeless,” said Acting Comptroller of the Currency John Walsh.  “The articles in this newsletter review financing structures commonly used by banks to finance homeless housing facilities and how such investments may be eligible for positive Community Reinvestment Act consideration.”

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Ending Homelessness: Financing Permanent Supportive Housing

A Look Inside …
National banks are playing a key role in the national effort to reduce chronic homelessness by financing permanent supportive housing, partnering with local nonprofits, making charitable grants, and providing leadership on local boards, community groups, and community projects.

  • Resources for Permanent Supportive Housing for the Homeless
A mother and child outside their Asheville, N.C. in December 2010. The family found a home through a program that helps individuals and families experiencing chronic homeless.
U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness: How Banks are Helping to Build Homes for the Homeless
The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) coordinates the federal response to homelessness through partnerships at every level of government and with the private sector. USICH is leading the national effort to end chronic homelessness by 2015.
USICH Barbara Poppe, Executive Director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, talks with Landau Murphy, a resident of The Commons at Buckingham—a permanent supportive housing project in Columbus, Ohio.
Corporation for Supportive Housing: Helping the Homeless Live With Dignity
The Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH) helps communities seeking to prevent and end homelessness by supporting efforts to develop permanent supportive housing.CSH tackles homelessness by bringing together people, skills, and resources, and providing high-quality advice and development expertise, in a collaborative search for solutions.

The Horizon Apartments, a trompe l’oeil façade, offer 20 units of permanent supportive housing for the homeless and mentally challenged in the Venice neighborhood of Los Angeles, Calif.
Great Lakes Capital Fund: Raising Capital for Permanent Supportive Housing
In the Midwest, developers of permanent supportive housing for the homeless are working with Great Lakes Capital Fund and other organizations to give chronically homeless individuals a chance at better lives.
Coniel Norman, a resident at Detroit’s Piquette Square housing complex, shares news clippings of his former NBA basketball days—before his military service, before his homeless experience, and before he found supportive housing.
Huntington National Bank Community Development Corporation: Making a Difference, One Bank at a Time
Huntington National Bank is using its resources to help provide affordable housing in Ohio and throughout the Midwest. The bank faces a big challenge. In 2010, approximately 150,000 Ohioans were homeless. An additional 327,000 households spent more than 50 percent of their income on housing, leaving precious little for food, clothing, and other necessities of life.
The Commons at Livingston, in Columbus, Ohio, provides supportive services to low-income, formerly homeless, disabled veterans and others experiencing homelessness.
This Just In … OCC’s Four Districts Report on New Opportunities for Banks
OCC District Community Affairs Officers report on local and regional opportunities for banks to become involved with community efforts, including opportunities to help end chronic homelessness.
Map of OCC Districts

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