Louisiana Housing Corporation looking to create new nonprofit arm to address housing needs

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – The Louisiana Housing Corporation is looking to create a nonprofit arm with the hopes of having a greater reach when it comes to providing housing across the state.

“There is a shortage of housing in every corner of the state,” said Marjorianna Willman, LHC’s Interim Executive Director. “Right now, a lot of our funding is based on federal funding, and we really need to expand that. We need funding that comes from multiple sources.”

The agency is hoping to bring multiple partners to the table. For example, Willman said that as Governor Jeff Landry continues to work to increase industry, more workforce housing will be needed for new employees. She added that with a nonprofit arm, there are certain tax benefits people would receive from contributing to housing for their employees.

“We are hoping to receive nonrestrictive funding,” said Willman. “Right now, with our federal funding mostly from HUD, it comes with lots of restrictions, and we’ve seen that when we’ve had funding such as the state Housing Trust Fund, it’s much less restrictive so we can do lots of different things.”

Tapping into other funding opportunities will help the organization get people roofs, help rehab houses, and support small businesses and small developers, she said. Each city across the state has its own specific needs.

“Each community is different,” said Willman. “Some communities need more multi-housing. Some communities need more homeownership. Some need permanent supportive housing. I would say in Baton Rouge, in our Capital City, we need more homeownership opportunities. We do have multi-family housing and I’m sure in some areas we could use more. Especially rehabbing some of our older stock.”

LHC said the new nonprofit does not need legislative approval, but it will need to be passed at a board meeting. Leaders are having internal discussions on the best path forward.

Click here to report a typo.

Copyright 2024 WAFB. All rights reserved.