A safe, stable place to call home is essential to a thriving community. It provides more than shelter – it gives people the foundation to build their lives, support their families and put down roots.
By 2019, hundreds of community conversations responding to Lincoln Vital Signs data identified Lincoln's affordable housing market as a top priority. Since then, the focus area has worked in tandem with the City of Lincoln's Affordable Housing Coordinated Action Plan – supporting the community-wide goal of creating or rehabilitating 5,000 affordable housing units by 2030.
“Housing affordability is a complex challenge that no single organization can solve alone," said Amanda Barker, director of community engagement and partnerships at Lincoln Community Foundation. "Prosper Lincoln gives us an opportunity to bring the right people to the table, build on what’s already working and identify where we can make the greatest impact together.”
Prosper Lincoln 3.0’s Housing workgroup is focused on building knowledge about the need for quality housing, investing in solutions and advocating for the policies that support the goal of all residents living in quality housing they can afford.
We are excited to announce the folks coming together to collaborate across the public and private sectors in order to develop affordable financing and remove housing barriers.
- Alex Labenz, Prosper Lincoln
- Amanda Barker, Lincoln Community Foundation
- Tom Beckius, City of Lincoln, City Council
- David Cary, City of Lincoln, Planning and Development Services
- Shannon Harner, Nebraska Investment Finance Authority (NIFA)
- Rich Herink, Lincoln Community Foundation
- Fred Hoppe, Hoppe Development
- Jake Hoppe, Hoppe Development
- Dan Marvin, City of Lincoln, Urban Development
- Kirby Reardon, West Gate Bank
- Stephanie Rouse, City of Lincoln-Urban Development
- Lauren Smith, Speedway Properties
- Michaela Sweeney, Speedway Properties
- Tessa Warner, Monarch Group Realty
- Charlie Wesche, NeighborWorks Lincoln
The Housing workgroup's first conversations were centered around the question: "What strategies can we deploy to make more affordable and quality housing available in Lincoln?"
Those early discussions helped identify five priorities that will guide the workgroup moving forward:
- Partnerships: Housing touches nearly every part of a thriving community, making collaboration essential. The workgroup will build partnerships across all sectors of the city to better understand barriers, connect existing efforts and find solutions that reflect the needs of Lincoln residents.
- Public Awareness: Through events, trainings and workshops, the workgroup will expand participation in housing-related work and create opportunities for community members to deepen their understanding of local challenges and the people experiencing them.
- Funding: The workgroup will explore opportunities to strengthen financing mechanisms – like mission investments – that help make affordable housing projects possible and drive additional investment into housing assistance at the local, state and national levels.
- Pre-Development Support: Long before construction begins, developers face costs and challenges that can determine whether a housing project moves forward. The workgroup will explore ways to reduce those early barriers, from helping affordable housing developers identify ready-to-build lots to considering support for environmental reviews, engineering and architectural renderings.
- Developer Strategies: Creating more housing also means growing the number of people equipped to build it. One strategy anchoring this work in 2027 will be the launch of Lincoln’s first developer academy. Designed to lower barriers for smaller and first-time developers, the academy will equip participants with the knowledge, connections and resources they need to bring housing projects from idea to reality.
There are several proven strategies that can increase affordable and accessible housing in Lincoln," said Alex Labenz, Prosper Lincoln Housing Driver. "While we work to scale those approaches, this workgroup is able to look beyond the sector itself, recognize patterns in how other systems have engineered results, and translate those insights into new solutions for Lincoln. The goal is to build on what works while creating the conditions for new ideas to emerge."
While this work is still evolving, these early conversations are helping build a more collaborative, informed approach to durable solutions.
You can jump into making a difference in the Housing focus area by:
- Saving the date: October 21 (9-11AM) Join LCF, Prosper Lincoln and Flatwater Free Press for our next Community Conversation: Priced out of the Good Life featuring local panelists and recent reporting. Invitation forthcoming
- Donating to the Prosper Lincoln Housing Fund to support these efforts.
Signing up for Prosper Lincoln news and following us on Facebook.
Stay connected: Sign up for Prosper Lincoln updates on Connections, Housing and Early Childhood.
Share your story: Use #ProsperLincoln and tag @ProsperLincoln on Facebook.
Partner up: Reach out to Lincoln Community Foundation and explore how your organization can get involved.
