Affordable Housing Takes Center Stage at NYHC/NHC Event

NEW YORK CITY—Despite the frigid temperature outside, the New York Housing Conference and National Housing Conference’s 37th Annual Awards Luncheon saw a record turnout this year. Held Thursday at the New York Hilton here, the event attracted some 1,300 affordable housing professionals and raised about $600,000.

The ceremony was kicked off with opening remarks by Alfred A. Dellibovi, luncheon chairman and president and CEO of the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York, who introduced the first speaker, Maria F. Barry, community development banking executive with Bank of America-Merrill Lynch. She stressed BofA-ML’s commitment to affordable housing in the New York region, citing the 10-year, $1.5-trillion budget the firm has targeted for investment in the area. BofA-ML has spent $750 million of that total over the past three years, resulting in the creation of some 4,500 affordable units. “The sophistication of development teams, the range of tools made available to developers and the leadership of the Housing Conference” are all major parts of New York’s affordable housing success story, said Barry.