Elected officials and affordable housing advocates united Monday to urge voters to tell their federal representatives to oppose a congressional bill they said would devastate financing for affordable rental housing.

The House passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act on Nov. 16 on a 227-207 vote, with support from no Democrats and all but 13 Republicans. Rep. Darrell Issa voted against it and Rep. Duncan Hunter was for it.

Among other changes to the tax code, Housing Resolution 1 would eliminate multifamily housing revenue bonds and the 4 percent Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program, which provide incentives and credits to developers and investors in low-income housing.

Deacon Jim Vargas, president and CEO of Father Joe’s Villages, said the bill would be a setback to his organization’s Turning the Key initiative to create 2,000 affordable housing units over the next four or five years.


“Does it mean we won’t be able to build them?” he said about losing the credits to investors. “It doesn’t necessarily mean that, but we would have to find that funding elsewhere. It is impactful.”

According to the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee, more than 10,500 affordable rental housing units have been created or preserved in the city of San Diego with 4-percent housing credits since 1997.

The program helped fund the development of Celadon, the site of the news conference, which provides 248 affordable rental apartments, including 76 for formerly homeless people.

“If this program were to be lost because of this ill-advised provision of the current tax reform proposal, the nation would lose 1 million affordable rental housing units nationwide over the next 10 years,” San Diego Housing Commission President and CEO Rick Gentry said.


The U.S. Senate is expected to vote on its version of a tax reform bill this week. If passed, the full Congress would then work to address the differences in the bill under the process known as reconciliation.

The Monday press conference also was attended by California State Senator Ben Hueso, San Diego City Council members Chris Ward and Barbara Bry, San Diego Regional Task Force on the Homeless CEO Gordon Walker, Interfaith Community Services CEO Greg Anglea and Local Initiatives Support Corporation Executive Director Ricardo Flores.


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gary.warth@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @GaryWarthUT

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