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MortgagePoint » Your Trusted Source for Mortgage Banking and Servicing News 60 August 2025 J O U R N A L and Homelessness and Professor of Policy Analysis, Pardee RAND Graduate School, detailed the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program and the administrative challenges behind this program. Once an essential tool for expanding access to housing, helping millions affordably rent homes in the private market, burdensome inspection requirements, and insufficient support have caused many property owners to drop out of the program. Pan- elists explored opportunities to improve the HCV program to encourage greater housing provider participation and foster greater usage of the voucher program. Next up, Henry Cisneros, Board Chair of the BPC and Former Secretary of HUD welcomed a panel featuring Julia Glanz, Deputy Secretary of the Maryland Department of Housing and Commu- nity Development; Deborah Goddard, Secretary of Housing for the State of Rhode Island; RuthAnne Visnauskas, Commissioner and CEO of the New York State Homes and Community Renewal; and Steve Waldrip, Senior Advisor for Housing Strategy and Innovation, State of Utah, for the session, "A State-Led Agenda to Tackle the Housing Affordabil- ity Crisis." As states continue to shape pol- icies and direct investments that impact housing supply and affordability, state leaders are advancing practical solutions to expand access and lower costs. The panel of senior housing officials shared the challenges they face, strategies that deliver results, and innovations that are driving progress in their states. With natural disasters and climate-re- lated events displacing more people each year, the "Innovations in Post-Disaster Housing" session examined how state and local governments, along with the private sector, can improve recovery ef- forts and ensure that survivors gain access to safe, stable housing. Adrianne Todman, Former Acting Secretary of HUD, led the panel discussion featuring Taylor Marr, Senior Housing Economist with Airbnb; Carlos Martín, VP for Research and Policy Engagement with Resources for the Future; and Sara Morgan, President of Fahe. Katy O'Donnell, Financial Services Reporter with Politico, moderated the next session, "Collaborating in Congress: Finding Solutions to the Housing Supply Shortage." Featuring two of the 2025 recipients of the Terwilliger Bipartisan- ship in Housing Award, which recognizes lawmakers working to promote bipartisan solutions to America's affordable housing challenges, Sens. Lisa Blunt Rochester and Todd Young discussed the potential for bipartisan collaboration, and what it will take to advance legislation that would have a meaningful impact for Americans with the greatest housing needs. During the "Financing the Fix to the Housing Supply Shortage" panel, Abha Bhattarai, Economics Correspondent with the Washington Post, led a panel discussing potential policies and program improve- ments to scale up success and help solve the housing affordability crisis. Thomas Bryan, Executive Director and CEO of the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority; Ismael Guerrero, President and CEO of Mercy Housing; and Barry Krinsky, Na- tional Production Manager with Citi Com- munity Capital, offered their perspectives on the challenges they have faced securing financing, and provided ways they have made projects pan out. LEGISLATION INTRODUCED TO DECRIMINALIZE HOMELESSNESS U .S. Reps. Pramila Jayapal and Maxwell Frost have introduced the Housing Not Handcuffs Act, a measure aimed at prohibiting the crim- inalization of homeless persons on public lands when there is nowhere else to go. The Act prohibits federal agencies from arresting, ticketing, or otherwise criminalizing homelessness. The Housing Not Handcuffs Act is the first bill strictly aimed at stopping federal agencies from treating homelessness as a crime. "Every single person in the richest country in the world should be able to have a roof over their head and a safe place to sleep. It's that simple," Rep. Jayapal said. "There is nowhere in this country where you can pay rent on a minimum wage salary. By criminal- izing aspects of homelessness, cities and states across this country are only "Every single person in the richest country in the world should be able to have a roof over their head and a safe place to sleep. It's that simple." —U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal