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<br />PRIVATE SECTOR MODELS <br /> <br />Increasingly, associations of the business sector~charnbers of commerce, home <br />builders associations, boards of Realtors--are getting together to address the need <br />for workforce housing. Participation and activities of these associations are varied. <br />Early associations, where affordability crunches occurred, conducted housing <br />studies to educate the public and politicians. Some associations monitored and <br />supported state legislation that furthered affordable housing requirements for local <br />communities. Now, these coalitions are forming workforce housing funds. <br /> <br />Housing industry associations have become active in the last 8-9 years in <br />spearheading local and regional community efforts to spur the development of <br />workforce housing. <br /> <br />The National Association of Home Builders has partnered with Fannie Mae <br />on an American Dream Commitment plan. They are identifYing <br />metropolitan-area workforce housing initiatives and searching for <br />community-based workforce housing experiments. They have pledged to <br />provide national leadership and to work with local communities on <br />public/private partnership solutions specific to local needs. <br /> <br />The National Association of Home Remodelers, Inc. (NAHRl), through their <br />local membership groups, targets projects in neighborhood revitalization <br />areas. <br /> <br />The National Association of Realtors' Housing Opportunity Program begun <br />in 2002 is designed to promote and improve the availability and affordability <br />of housing. As many as 200 housing opportunity programs are now <br />sponsored by state and local Realtor associations. <br /> <br />Employer Assisted Housing (EAP) programs are especially useful to employers <br />with recruitment and retention needs. Typically, an employee, after so many years <br />of continuous employment, will receive a benefit of a down payment towards a <br />home purchase. Or, vice versa, the employee initially receives the benefit and does <br />not have to pay it back after so many years of employment. Typical employers are <br />educational, health and financial institutions where there are a large number of <br />lower wage employees. These programs grow slowly. Enlisting initial employers <br />is complex and each program has to be tailored to the company. <br /> <br />30 <br /> <br />Linda S, Lkmnelly. ;\.I.C.I'. <br /> <br />August 2006 <br />