The 45th Annual Conference took place from March 6 to 8 in Long Beach, California. We focused on essential highlights from the main panels including the Affordable Housing development process as well as strategies for addressing homelessness. The event covered some of the region's primary concerns in an atmosphere for business and networking.

"This year's turnout was great. 2,500 lenders, general contractors, and architects connected and networked. I would say deals are getting done."

Stella Debibi, Strategic Growth Managing Director.

In terms of the overall opinion, most of the attendees agreed that the affordable housing outlook is promising for the remainder of the year and beyond. There's a lot of movement and traction in affordable housing driven by the need for housing as well as policies that promote government financing. It was apparent that people were hustling to work with lenders while exploring a variety of funding sources for their projects.

“I feel very optimistic of where the market's going, and there's going to be a lot of great projects that are going to be happening with all these different funding sources that are available.”

Miguel Garcia, Emerging Developer of Affordable Housing.

“I think people are optimistic, we spoke to some people already, that were here for the conference: lenders, and other people that are involved in the financing, they're all looking forward to deals.”

Gio Aliano - Principal | GGLO.

In addition to networking and catching up with colleagues, we also attended the panels, and here is what we learned from the key discussions:

1. Introduction to affordable housing development and finance:

This Learning Lab provided an overview of affordable housing development in California, focusing on Low-Income Housing Tax Credits and state funding sources. Speakers included representatives from various sectors involved in the development lifecycle, from predevelopment to operations. Interactive tools were used to demonstrate how decisions during predevelopment impact subsequent stages.

2. Being urgent, radical, and relentless in knocking down barriers to housing:

This workshop addressed scalable solutions to homelessness in California, highlighting the urgency of tackling the situation. Panelists discussed new strategies for quickly housing those experiencing homelessness while promoting racial justice and shifting away from a scarcity mindset.

3. Breakthrough: Building comprehensive housing policies for the next generation:

This workshop was based on the work of the Statewide Housing Advocacy Committee, which seeks to advocate comprehensive housing policy changes in California. Speakers highlighted techniques for bridging divides among housing practitioners, developing strong policy efforts, and building political strength for ambitious state-level outcomes.

This year's agenda was incredibly informative and provided valuable insights. It focused on affordable housing development, homelessness solutions, and advocacy for comprehensive housing legislation in California.

Do you have housing projects in your pipeline? We are specialists in Project Delivery, and our team is ready to help you bring your project to life. Contact us!