IHDA's Mary R. Kenney (left to right) with REALTOR® Dana Hybl and IAR's Sharon Gorrell

This week, IAR Housing Opportunity Working Group Chair Dana Hybl and IAR Housing Policy Advisor Sharon Gorrell represented Illinois REALTORS® at the annual Illinois Governor’s Conference on Affordable Housing, hosted by the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) and the Illinois Housing Council.

Gov. Bruce Rauner speaks at the conference.

Governor Bruce Rauner spoke at the event and stressed the important role housing plays in the economy and said Illinois should be a state with abundant opportunities for safe, decent and affordable housing.

IHDA Executive Director Mary R. Kenney said housing advocacy is becoming more important as many funding portals are diminishing or simply disappearing. She stressed her concern about the expiration of tax credits and the cut in federal HOME funds as a few examples of shrinking resources for projects that have growing cost. She asked for collaboration between the groups to advocate on policies of shared interest that result in increased affordable options for Illinois residents.

Hybl and Gorrell attended informational sessions on a variety of topics that included housing finance, land banking, supportive housing and assisted living.