Tempe gets national recognition for much vaunted program

Tempe, Arizona: The City of Tempe’s Hometown for All initiative has been honored nationally for its work expanding affordable housing in Tempe.

Hometown for All received a 2024 Award of Merit from the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) at the organization’s annual conference. NAHRO’s awards program recognizes achievement and innovation and showcases best efforts in housing and community development.

Tempe’s initiative will be included in NAHRO’s Best Practices Database, offered as a resource bank on significant, innovative activities. 

The Hometown for All initiative is designed to create more affordable housing in Tempe through a dedicated funding source and developer donations and is the driving force behind Tempe’s broader Affordable Housing Strategy.

“Hometown for All began with a bold vision to give anyone the opportunity to call Tempe home. To do that, we put ourselves in the driver’s seat to innovate around funding, collaborate with development partners and accelerate the pace of building," said Mayor Corey Woods. “I am grateful to the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials for highlighting our work.”

Established in 2021, Hometown for All creates a dedicated funding stream to expand affordable housing opportunities in Tempe. For every new development built in Tempe, an amount equivalent to 50% of certain permitting fees paid to the city’s General Fund goes to support the nonprofit Tempe Coalition for Affordable Housing (TCAH). Those funds are used to purchase properties and land and to re-imagine city-owned parcels. Hometown for All has also spurred new donations from developers to support the city’s work.

To date, the initiative has resulted in $9.4 million in city investments, $3.7 million in donations received and $18.6 million in pledged funds.