The Status of Nonprofit-Owned Affordable Housing: Short-Term Successes and Long-Term Challenges

Abstract

Having established themselves as housing developers, nonprofit organizations now face the critical challenge of preserving the housing inventory they have produced. Good housing management is essential to this task. This paper analyzes a national study of nonprofit housing management. From several indicators of management performance and financial viability, the picture that emerges is that, for the most part, the developments are functioning well and providing a decent level of affordable housing. Beyond this initial “snapshot” of relative well-being, however, loom significant problems, which if left unaddressed will severely threaten the stock of affordable housing studied here. We have found indicators that prompt concern and that warrant attention from public, private, and nonprofit funders, and from government entities and intermediaries.