The Affordable Housing Alliance (AHA) works to expand housing opportunity and to increase the quantity and quality of affordable housing available to people with low and moderate incomes in Connecticut through advocacy, education and collaboration.
Founded in 1981, the Alliance represents the broad, vibrant network of community-based, affordable housing activity across Connecticut. Our more than 250 member organizations include nonprofit developers, housing services agencies, resident associations, and diverse other housing practitioners and advocates.
INFORMATION AND NETWORKING SERVICES –The Affordable Housing Alliance is the forum through which housing organizations and leaders make connections, exchange information, provide mutual support, share best practices, build capacity, improve efficiency, overcome obstacles, and collaborate to promote affordable housing in our state. We convene housing people to identify common concerns, deliberate strategies and implement solutions. The Connecticut Housing Coalition serves as a resource center for member organizations, housing professionals and community leaders. We disseminate timely information on funding opportunities, policy and program updates, regulatory actions, best practices, and position openings.
POLICY ADVOCACY The Alliance seeks to ensure that the shaping of public policy benefits from the experiences and perspectives of those working to solve our housing problems on a daily basis. Over the years, we have played a leading role in initiatives such as these:
- Establishing a $100 million Connecticut Housing Trust Fund to finance the development of homeownership and rental housing affordable to low and moderate income families;
- Overcoming exclusionary zoning, through statutes such as the landmark Affordable Housing Appeals Procedure;
- Expanding the state’s Housing Tax Credit Contribution Program to encourage business donations to local nonprofits that build and rehabilitate affordable housing;
- Restoring Payments-in-lieu-of-Taxes for public housing and Tax Abatement Grants for nonprofit housing to keep rents affordable for families, seniors and people with disabilities.
We also participate in nationally coordinated, grassroots mobilizations to impact federal housing policy, on issues including the HUD budget, the Low Income Housing Tax Credit, public housing reform, and the creation of a National Housing Trust Fund.
COMMUNITY DEVELOPERS NETWORK –The Network promotes the work of nonprofit housing development organizations and their partners, including municipalities and public housing authorities, increasing their capacity and expanding the resources available for their work. It facilitates communications between developers and public agencies, coordinates advocacy around policy initiatives, provides training programs and technical assistance, promotes opportunities to increase affordable housing production, and seeks to overcome barriers to the efficiency and scale of production.
EMERGING LEADERS NETWORK – Shaping the future of housing and community development in Connecticut by engaging, cultivating and learning from the next generation of leaders.
CONFERENCES AND EVENTS – Our annual conference is the state’s largest gathering of affordable housing professionals, resident leaders and other housing advocates. The Alliance’s conference, membership meetings and special workshops provide educational opportunities for members and the public. Topics have included: financing of housing development, assisted housing management, tenants ’rights and responsibilities, homeownership opportunities, foreclosure, public housing, rental assistance, fair housing, homelessness prevention, and federal housing policy.