The AHC Story
Who We Are:
Affordable Housing Connections (formerly known as Multi-Mac) was formed in 1989 to support local units of government and housing authorities who were beginning to operate the HUD HOME program and to allocate bonding and Sec. 42 LIHTC program funding. Our incorporation as a 501c3 nonprofit and Minnesota Charitable Trust evidenced our commitment to transparency and our fiduciary focus on the public sector.
Our Mission:
We deliver monitoring and consulting services to governmental organizations, property owners and managers; and education to individuals who aspire to leadership in the affordable housing industry. Our aim is to protect the investment of private equity and tax dollars and to ensure continued quality affordable housing.
What We Do:
We continue to supplement local government capacity for expanding programs or new initiatives that promote fair housing access for households who are rent cost burdened.
We do not provide property management, project file reviews, or related services to developers or management companies whose files or projects we already review for compliance on behalf of our public sector clients.
We focus solely on local government program portfolios both for accountability and to prevent even the appearance of a conflict of interest.
Our Compliance Approach:
For over 30 years, AHC has provided local governmental agencies with the capacity to seamlessly incorporate federal and state requirements for monitoring program regulatory agreements. These requirements constantly are evolving.
We view compliance responsibilities not as a “gotcha” process but rather as an ongoing opportunity to disclose to owners and managers any inadequate or incorrect project and tenant file documentation or code violations. AHC staff are providing immediate feedback and training on program requirements throughout the monitoring process.
This approach leads to opportunities for issues to be corrected or brought back into compliance quickly. It also reduces the incidents of reported uncorrected noncompliance to federal oversight agencies that may cause funding repayment or recapture. This framework is consistent with our Mission: Our aim is to protect the investment of private equity and tax dollars and to ensure continued quality affordable rental housing.
Developed systems on behalf of public agencies to integrate data gathering required by HUD and IRS about projects and tenants.
Developed and updated compliance monitoring manuals and forms to help ensure consistency among local jurisdictions and with Minnesota Housing standards.
Developed and implemented streamlined systems and processes for integrated compliance monitoring of income and rent restrictions among multiple affordable housing programs often used in a single project.
Monitored habitability standards consistent with NSPIRE standards.
Provided consistent uniform reporting to all signatory parties to the regulatory agreements and maintain essential project records that may be subject to federal audit.
About Our Staff:
Compliance with ever-changing complex program requirements requires that our staff be experts in the programs we monitor. Our compliance staff constantly upgrade skills. Each person holds national certifications as program experts. Our commitment to quality affordable housing leads us to share our expertise with the developers and management company staff with whom we work during the entire compliance reporting and monitoring process.
Our Education & Leadership Center:
Our Education and Leadership Center (ELC) offers educational courses that incorporate testing and a certification for content mastery as well as courses on single topics such as Fair Housing and various aspects of Annual Compliance reporting. Our ELC collaboration with Hamline University focuses on diversity and skills enhancement for the next generation of industry leaders through the Leadership in Affordable Housing Certificate (LAHC). AHC staff teach the courses.
Our Leadership Policy:
AHC is led by a Board of Directors who follow the policy governance model started for nonprofits by John Carver. The Board is responsible for ensuring the strategic vision is consistent with our Mission and is managed within the Operating Budget. Our Board of Directors reflects leadership expertise from various aspects of our industry (public, private, and nonprofit sectors).
Our Funding:
Our budget supports stability to maintain our staff expertise with reasonable overhead for office rent and administrative expenses.
We do not solicit funds for operations since that may involve seeking financial support from the same grantors that also are funding the affordable housing projects we monitor. As a 501c3 nonprofit corporation, our financials are transparent and reported annually on IRS Form 990. Our internal systems are consistent with accountability standards and Best Practices of the Minnesota Council on Nonprofits.