Since 2007, preservation of Delaware’s affordable rental housing has been a priority at DSHA. As a long-term need, it will continue to require creative solutions and partnerships into the future.

This page provides links to resources, best practices and case studies to advance preservation in Delaware:

• Affordable Rental Housing Preservation in Delaware: an overview of recent preservation activity in the state


• Delaware Affordable Rental Housing Preservation Inventory: downloadable database of assisted rental housing in Delaware


• Local and National Resources: links to local and national funders and lenders


• Publications and Online Resources: links to useful publications and archived webinars

Affordable Rental Housing Preservation in Delaware

In 2007, DSHA laid out a multi-year preservation plan to address ten sites with project-based subsidies identified to be at extremely high risk of loss and in very poor physical condition. With support from the General Assembly, from FY 2008 - FY 2011, $19.5 million in additional Housing Development Fund allocations leveraged other federal and private resources to rehabilitate 11 sites (893 units), preserving $225 million in federal subsidies for Delaware.

	FY2008	FY2009	FY2010	FY2011	Total
Sites Assisted	3	4	2	2	11
Units	252	303	90	248	893
Total Subsidy Preserved	$63 M	$90 M	$24 M	$48 M	$225 M

Since 2009, DSHA has continued this work by engaging in an in-depth analysis of the state's long-term affordable rental housing preservation needs, including developing an inventory of all income-restricted and subsidized sites, data collection and risk assessment.

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Delaware Affordable Rental Housing Preservation Inventory

DSHA compiles information on Delaware's inventory of privately-owned, subsidized or income-restricted affordable rental housing to assist in planning to meet the ongoing need to preserve this housing. The catalog includes units funded by the Housing Development Fund, USDA Rural Development, the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program, Project-based Section 8, and HUD 202 programs.

The data in the Delaware preservation catalog was collected from several national and local sources. HUD has released and regularly updates databases on its subsidized, insured, and loan portfolio, as well as on the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program. The catalog was last updated in December, 2010. The links below include a spreadsheet which can be sorted by field and fact sheets with information from the catalog presented by site and county. Please contact Susan Eliason (Susane@destatehousing.com) or Marlena Gibson (Marlena@destatehousing.com) at (302) 739-4263 with questions.

For more information on national preservation catalog initiatives and other case studies, visit the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC)'s Preservation Catalog page.

DISCLAIMER: The Inventory is made available here for informational use only. While the Delaware State Housing Authority has no reason to believe that such information is inaccurate or incomplete, it cannot and does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of this information. In addition, the Delaware State Housing Authority assumes no responsibility to update this information in the future. Accordingly, under no circumstances will the Delaware State Housing Authority be liable for the accuracy of the information published.

• Delaware Preservation Inventory


• Kent County Site Fact Sheets
• New Castle County Site Fact Sheets
• Sussex County Site Fact Sheets

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Local and National Resources

Local Resources:

• Delaware Community Investment Corporation (DCIC)


• DCIC Programs


• Delaware State Housing Authority
• Housing Development Fund and


• Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC)


• Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh


• Affordable Housing Program and


• Community Lending Program


• First State Community Loan Fund


• Housing Programs


• NCALL Loan Fund


• Community Loan Fund


• New Castle County-specific


• New Castle County Department of Community Services: Community Development and Housing


• City of Wilmington


• Department of Real Estate and Housing

National Resources:

• Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)


• National Housing Trust


• Housing Assistance Council


• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)


• USDA Rural Development Multi Family Housing Preservation and Revitalization

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Publications and Online Resources

• Conference materials from Partners in Innovation: Financing the Preservation of Rural and Urban Affordable Rental Housing (May 2010)


• HousingPolicy.org's rental housing preservation forum, Toolbox page, and archived webinars on preservation issues.


• HUD's Affordable Rental Housing: State and Local Partnerships page


• LISC's Affordable Housing Preservation Initiative page


• Housing Assistance Council's guide to best practices in rural rental preservation.


• Presentations from USDA Rural Development's Buyers and Sellers Showcase Buyers and Sellers Conference


• Preservation Case Studies from RECAP Advisors


• John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation's Window of Opportunity preservation initiative


• Materials from Urban Land Institute technical assistance workshop on Responding to Multifamily Foreclosure


• Federal preservation reform: In July 2010, The Housing Preservation and Tenant Protection Act of 2010 (H.R. 4868), which would provide new resources and make a number of changes to advance preservation of existing subsidized housing, was reported by the House Financial Services Committee. It was not brought forward, but national groups continue to work to advance these goals. The archived hearing from the House Financial Services Committee (March 24, 2010) is available online.

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