Housing Advisory Group

About the Housing Advisory Group

First organized by Herb Collins in 1995, the Housing Advisory Group (HAG) is a very select group of housing interests dedicated to protecting and improving affordable housing programs. Herb, one of the key architects and forefathers of the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), worked with President Reagan, Senate Finance Chairman Senator Bob Packwood and others to create the LIHTC program in 1986 in the midst of massive real estate tax reform.

The HAG was established during the 1995-96 budget negotiations which threatened the survival of the LIHTC. Through its efforts, the HAG created a strong foundation of support for the continued permanence of the credit program, and the eventual increase in the credit cap from $1.25 to $1.75 at the end of the legislative session in 2000. For the past 14 years, the HAG has worked in a non- partisan fashion to educate the White House and members of Congress on the benefits of the LIHTC. The HAG is unique because of its direct relationships and credibility with members of Congress and their staffs.

Given the new administration and Congress, the HAG will continue to play a pivotal role as one of the most mobile affordable housing advocacy groups in the nation. While we achieved significant victories with the passage of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the HAG's labors never cease. The HAG will continue to focus its efforts on updating and improving the LIHTC and corresponding housing programs, including reforms on insurance costs, utility allowance and rent formulas and increasing the amount of equity available for the development and rehabilitation of affordable housing throughout the country.

Membership entails an annual commitment of $2,500. Please click the link below for additional information on the HAG as well as an application.

Join the Housing Advisory Group (HAG) or learn more
Read the latest Housing Advisory Group e-news updates

How does the LIHTC work?

Click here to learn about the LIHTC.
Click here to view an illustration of how the LIHTC works.
Click here to learn more about the program, why we need it and why it works.

Current legislation and initiatives

Click here to read an industry consensus letter on a list of issues presented to policy makers on Capitol Hill.

Contacting your legislators

As legislative initiatives warrant, we ask our HAG members to contact their Congressman, Senators and members of the House Ways and Means and Financial Services Committees, as well as the Senate Finance and Banking Committees. Below are links through which you may obtain the relevant contact information for the Congress and the specific committees. As a reminder, email, phone and fax are the preferable methods of contact as U.S. mail to Capitol Hill is delayed up to two weeks due to security measures.

For more information, please contact:

David Gasson, Executive Director
(617) 624-8896

Allison E. Marino, Communications Associate
(617) 624-8678