Affordable Housing

The ABA Foundation is committed to revitalizing neighborhoods and communities throughout the United States. We partner with banks from all different asset classes to cultivate growth and develop thriving economies. As part of our mission, the Foundation works to elevate and support issues around affordable housing and community development. This webpage is designed to equip bankers with the tools and resources to invest in affordable housing on a local level throughout the year.

Each June, the ABA and the ABA Foundation celebrate American Housing Month.

Banker Tools

The following resources provide information to help banks support affordable housing efforts in their communities.

• America’s Housing Challenge Infographic – an ABA Foundation document that illustrates the affordable housing challenges in America.
• Become an FHA Approved Lender – A U.S. Housing and Urban Development website that provides information on how banks can become approved to serve as Federal Housing Administration (FHA) lenders.
• Connect with a NeighborWorks Housing Partner – NeighborWorks comprises a network of nonprofit organizations deeply committed to affordable housing and community development.
• FDIC Mortgage Lending Center – a Federal Deposit Insurance Company (FDIC) resource to help community banks initiate affordable mortgage lending.
• Homeownership in America – an infographic outlining current gaps in homeownership rates, barriers faced by younger generations and communities of color trying to own a home, as well as down payment assistance resources banks and other groups offer that can help overcome those barriers.
• Local Housing Solutions Resource Center – a collection of materials jointly created by the Abt Associates and the NYU Furman Center to help communities develop comprehensive and balanced local housing strategies to cultivate affordability and foster inclusive neighborhoods.
• National Council of State Housing Agencies – the council was created by the nation’s state Housing Finance Agencies (HFAs) to coordinate and leverage federal advocacy efforts for affordable housing. HFAs were created to help states meet the affordable housing needs of their residents.
• Telling Your Housing Story Guide – an ABA Foundation resource to encourage bankers to share their housing stories as they invest in their communities. 

Past Webinars

• Addressing Racial Wealth Gaps Through MDI/CDFI Bank Investment — Explore opportunities to partner with Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs) and Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs). These groups have a long history of providing economic investment and resources to financially underserved communities. The webinar will feature a panel discussion followed by Q&A. It will showcase real examples of how investing in these partnerships can spur greater economic mobility in underserved communities.
• Military and Veteran Families and Affordable Housing — hear from the Military Family Advisory Network (MFAN) and Citi about how the military community accesses housing and the ways in which banks have worked with military families to support their housing requirements.
• Banks, Seniors and Housing: The Challenge and the Opportunity – listen to a virtual presentation, featuring the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University and Northrim Bank on the senior housing crisis and the ways banks can be a part of the solution.
• A Look At Local Housing Solutions and Partnering with State Housing Finance Agencies – access the recording to hear from industry experts at the NYU Furman Center and the National Council of State Housing Agencies on accessing tools and partnering with state Housing Finance Agencies to enhance affordability in your community.
• Bank Strategies to Address Affordable Housing – the presentation featured the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and insights from award-winning bank programs, highlighting insights and strategies on how banks can support affordable housing.

Affordable Housing Articles

The links below contain ABA Foundation authored articles that underscore the multifaceted challenges that Americans face in finding and living in affordable homes.

• A Hand Up with a Down Payment
• Time to Focus on Senior Housing
• A ‘Housing First’ Approach to Homelessness
• Community Development as a Healthcare Strategy
• Making Sustainable Homeownership More Achievable
• Down Payment Assistance: Making Sustainable Homeownership More Achievable
• NOAH: The New Housing Acronym You Need to Learn
• Navigating the Complexities of Affordable Housing Finance

Banks in Their Communities

Check out the Banks in Their Communities Map to see how banks across the nation are connecting with their communities to support affordable housing and developing other corporate social responsibility programs. Each year the ABA Foundation recognizes and promotes the ways in which banks contribute to economic growth, community development and enhanced quality of life in their communities through the Community Commitment Awards.

Community Development Tours

During ABA’s annual convention, through support from the Federal Home Loan Banks, the ABA Foundation hosts Community Development Tours with bankers, highlighting bank-community collaborations that focus on improving affordable housing and investing in neighborhoods throughout cities across America. Past visits included a look at the ways banks are tackling challenges with homelessness and gentrification as well as working to help community-based organizations provide supportive services to their communities.