World Changers Panel

On August 24-26, the Arizona Department of Housing hosted their 13th Annual Arizona Housing Forum in Tucson at the JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort. The Arizona Housing Forum continues to be the only statewide housing conference in Arizona and has become a venue for elected officials, policymakers, industry professionals, advocates, and community leaders from across the state and nation to address the significant challenges facing Arizona’s housing market.

Once again, we put together a fantastic program filled with a great lineup of speakers and guests. The theme of this year’s Housing Forum was “World Changers,” to highlight some of the accomplishments in our state to end homelessness, create location efficient, healthy affordable housing, providing services that enrich people’s lives, and community revitalization that strengthens our rural communities.

Keynote Speaker Liz Murray

Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild kicked off the Forum by welcoming everyone to his great city. Following the Mayor Mark Stapp moderated a panel discussion with Congresswoman Martha McSally, Mayor Rothschild, Director Trailor, John Bernard and Shannon Scutari.

This year’s keynote speaker, Liz Murray, author of breaking night, shared her life story as she has triumphed over adversity and became a stunning example of the importance of dreaming big. She was born in the Bronx to cocaine-addicted parents but manage to overcome her grim prospects and make it from Homeless to Harvard, which became the title of a Lifetime Television produced movie.

Boston Capital’s David Gasson provided attendees with an in-depth Capitol Hill briefing on federal housing legislation and possible changes to the federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program.

Jim Rounds, President of Rounds Consulting Group, delivered a very informative and enjoyable economic forecast briefing during the Friday morning breakfast plenary.

For a full list of the 2016 Arizona Housing Forum speakers, copies of their presentations, and photos from the Forum, please visit the Training and Events page on our website.

To view Director Trailor’s videos from the Forum, please visit the Housing Success Stories page on our website at: https://test-az2-adoh-housing.pantheonsite.io/