States are also leading on green affordable housing. State housing agencies that administer the federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit, which accounts for almost all newly rehabilitated and constructed rental apartments for low-income people, are increasingly encouraging and in some cases requiring developers to utilize sustainable practices in order to receive tax credits through competitive scoring processes. Virtually every state now encourages some level of sustainable principles. Thirty six state agencies added significant new green policies to their Low Income Housing Tax Credit programs from 2005 to 2007.
State action on sustainable affordable housing has not been limited to Low Income Housing Tax Credit programs. The Maine State Housing Authority requires comprehensive green building criteria for virtually all its programs. The Minnesota Housing Finance Agency has integrated Green Communities Criteria into its rental and single family initiatives as well. The State of Washington has adopted holistic Green Communities Criteria for its affordable housing trust fund for developments receiving dollars from the state’s capital budget by July 1, 2008. The trust fund has provided $420 million to create 26,500 affordable homes and supports 4,500 new homes every two years.
Resources
Greener Policies, Smarter Plans
2007
by James Tassos
Download PDF for free (2.7MB)
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This book details this national model that began before Minnesota Green Communities and continues today. It includes strong state and local leadership, an inclusive process that joins a diverse coalition of stakeholders and a clear, collective vision for sustainable development based on the Green Communities framework. |
An Even Greener Plan for Affordable Housing
2006
by James Tassos
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This analysis builds on Enterprise’s 2005 report, A Greener Plan: How States are Using the Housing Credit to Advance Sustainability. That report analyzed 2005 Housing Credit allocation plans and found most states had begun to encourage healthy, smart and efficient building through their Housing Credit programs. |
A Greener Plan for Affordable Housing: How States are Using the Housing Tax Credit to Advance Sustainability
2005
by James Tassos
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This report discusses how states are using the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit to develop healthy, efficient and sustainable homes for low-income people. The analysis examines three key areas of green development: smart-site locations, energy and resource conservation and healthy living environments. |
There are multiple policies and programs that support energy efficiency and renewable energy, many of which are available to support affordable housing. An excellent resource is DSIRE; the database for state incentives for renewables and efficiency.
