Prepared by Jeff Mosley, August 2018
with funding from the sponsors of the Ian Axford (New Zealand) Fellowships in Public Policy.
Jeff Mosley directed HAC’s Training and Technical Assistance Division with the Housing Assistance Council (HAC) in Washington, D.C., where he trained and provided technical assistance to rural and Native American communities seeking to develop affordable housing and strengthen their internal capacity. Prior to his work at HAC Jeff served as a Senior Program Director with the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) National Rural Program. While at LISC he provided technical assistance and underwrote financing and funding requests for affordable housing projects, including post-natural disaster community development rebuilding efforts. He previously served as a Research Associate at the Urban Institute conducting research and evaluations of U.S. federal programs. Jeff received his Master of Science in Urban Affairs and Policy Analysis (1990) at the New School University and his Bachelor of Arts in Policy Studies and Political Science (1984) from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University.
During Jeff’s Ian Axford Fellowship in New Zealand he was based at the Ministry of Social Development and at Community Housing Aotearoa. He researched the economic and policy environment for accessing financial capital to address the systemic housing crisis, focused on opportunities for public-private partnerships to increase the scale of housing development. Jeff also studied capacity building efforts and programs for strategies that would expand the development role of community housing providers.
Aotearoa New Zealand is forward thinking as it considers the well-being of its citizens. An early adoptee to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the Country confirmed its intentions to improve the well-being of all Kiwis. One of the goals is to ‘ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums’. As Aotearoa New Zealand grapples with its housing crisis, Government has introduced and supported efforts to house those who are homeless to those struggling to secure an affordable dwelling. Government invests in programs like Housing First and Kiwibuild, but there is a clear understanding that government cannot alone solve this crisis across the housing continuum. While lenders, investors and funders are active in supporting these efforts there is a greater need for their resources and long-term engagement. Jeff Mosley shares his observations and suggest recommendations to help encourage greater private-sector investment in affordable housing, including a set of international financing models to explore. He also outlines models of multi-sector partnerships that work. Finally, he will discuss the need to focus on capacity building, helping to ensure the strength and growth of community housing providers to help ensure all Kiwis are well housed.
Download full report in PDF format:
Priming the Pump: Access to Capital and Capacity to House New Zealanders