Rachel Tutwiler Attends the 2024 HPN Policy Meeting

On March 19-20, Senior Resident Services Coordinator, Rachel Tutwiler, attended the Housing Partnership Network (HPN) Policy Meeting in Washington, D.C. This was the official return of the event following the pandemic, and allowed those in the affordable housing space to meet with the offices of high-level representatives from different areas of the government including:

• U.S. Department of the Treasury
• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
• National Council of State Housing Agencies

These representatives shared updates about the latest happenings and current issues impacting affordable housing development across the country.

On the event’s second day, Rachel had the unique opportunity to meet with the offices of six North Carolina elected officials. Rachel talks about her experience during these meetings, saying, “First, I met with the offices of Senator Ted Budd and Senator Thom Tillis about the bipartisan Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024. We got positive feedback from both offices and they made it clear they understood the importance of the housing components of the bill.”

Rachel also took this time to thank the offices for their support of the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act and talk to them about increasing home program funding for fiscal year 2025 and the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund. She says, “DHIC uses these funds in our development projects and for downpayment assistance programs, and it was helpful to be able to talk to them about the impact of the funding.”

After meeting with the offices of Senators Budd and Tillis, Rachel then met with the offices of Alma Adams, Kathy Manning, Jeff Jackson, and Wiley Nickel. Part of the goal of these conversations was to have these representatives help reframe what affordable housing looks like. 

“Jeff Jackson’s office, in particular, has an innovative communication plan using social media as a voter education tool, and I think there’s an opportunity for us to create information about the importance of affordable housing that his office can share with his online followers,” Rachel explains. 

During the meeting with Wiley Nickel’s office, Rachel received one of the first copies of the office’s Housing Action Plan as part of the New Democrat Coalition, which was released earlier that day. Rachel says, “Representative Nickel is over Southeast Raleigh, and this plan is exciting because it shows us that affordable housing is a priority for the offices in our geographical area with the greatest need for it.”

More than anything, attending this event allowed Rachel to share more about the stories of how people are affected by affordable housing policies with the people who have the power to make substantive changes. We hope that these conversations will lead to more even progress that will impact the lives of those who need it most.