Work at the National Housing Conference has never been more important, and we hope it has never been more relevant and impactful for you and your organization. Your intellectual capital is your most important contribution, but without your financial support, we can’t use it to your advantage on behalf of the American Home. Renewing your membership or joining now will help NHC prepare for what will be a highly impactful 2021 that will likely influence the future of housing policy for the decade ahead. If you’re not a member, there’s never been a more important time to join.
NHC started the year with a set policy agenda, but within weeks, it was clear that there would be severe housing needs brought on by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. In April, we launched the COVID-19 Housing Resource Center, which includes over 1,000 unique sources of information from hundreds of websites. It provides an up-to-date central repository for facts that housing stakeholders need now, best practices and answers to hundreds of frequently asked questions. We also host a bi-weekly call with major housing industry leaders to coordinate responses to the pandemic. This call has included guests like the Department of Housing and Urban Development Deputy Secretary Brian Montgomery and Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Mark Calabria. On Tuesday, Oct. 20, Federal Reserve Board Governor Lael Brainard will address our National Advisory Council. You can watch a live stream of the event on our Facebook page starting at 2:30 p.m. ET.
Our work on economic equity and Black homeownership continues to be a major focus and was the topic of our National Advisory Council meeting in June. That meeting featured House Appropriations Housing Subcommittee Chairman David Price and National Urban League President Marc Morial. House Majority Whip James Clyburn joined us for our annual member meeting. Our Black Homeownership Working Group, with over 40 major organizations represented, is developing a 12-point plan to increase the Black homeownership rate. We are working collaboratively with other major organizations to coordinate leadership on this issue, including the National Urban League, NAACP, Urban Institute, Mortgage Bankers Association, National Association of Real Estate Brokers, National Fair Housing Alliance and National Association of REALTORS®.
We are also working on developing a detailed outline of a National Housing Act for the 21st century that can bring the housing industry and advocacy community together behind broadly agreed upon principles, essential to keeping housing at the top of the political agenda in a year that will likely be crowded with many other critically important issues.
NHC will also remain an important voice for housing in the media. We will continue to advocate for effective modernization of the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), as we did in The New York Times and American Banker. We will continue to press for assistance for laid off renters, as well as the owners of the buildings where they live through comprehensive rental assistance, as we have in The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. And we will advocate for our members engaged in the important work of building America’s housing, as we have on MSNBC and FOX Business News.
If you are a current NHC member, you will soon receive an email with links to your NHC 2021 Membership Dues Invoice, but you don’t have to wait. You may print your invoice and mail a check, or click the payment link NOW to pay online. Members who pay by Nov. 30 will receive two free registrations to our Solutions for Affordable Housing convening on Dec. 1, or our Solutions for Housing Communications in March 2021. If you are interested in joining NHC, click here or email Amanda Mitchell at amitchell@nhc.org.
Your support has never been more appreciated or more important. We know that your budget demands getting the maximum value out of every dollar. I hope that our work this year places NHC at the top of your priority list. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me personally on anything you need at davidmdworkin@nhc.org.