Independent Housing Associations Form National Board for LIHTC Advocacy

National accounting firm CohnReznick has spearheaded an effort to bring together independent state housing associations. The Council of Independent State Housing Associations (CISHA) will, for the first time, formally connect representatives of affordable housing associations with one another in order to combine and amplify advocacy efforts for the LIHTC program on the federal level and share best practices with one another.

The announcement was made by Robert C. Moss, Principal and National Director of Governmental Affairs at CohnReznick, who leads the firm’s federal and state government relations efforts, particularly in the area of affordable housing. During the board’s first meeting, the following founding officers were elected:

• President Andrea Traudt Inouye, Illinois Housing Council;
• Vice President Jolie Milstein, New York State Association for Affordable Housing;
• Secretary Ray Pearl, California Housing Consortium; and
• Treasurer Maureen Mercer, Georgia Affordable Housing Coalition.

Additional founding members of CISHA include executive directors from Alabama Affordable Housing Association, California Council for Affordable Housing, Citizens Housing and Planning Association focused on Massachusetts, Housing Colorado, Maine Affordable Housing Coalition, Michigan Housing Council, North Carolina Housing Coalition, Pennsylvania Developers Council, and Texas Affiliation of Affordable Housing Providers.