Annual gathering convenes affordable housing leaders to advance solutions ahead of new Congress
The National Association of Affordable Housing Lenders (NAAHL) and the Center for Affordable Housing Lending (CAHL) welcomed nearly 300 members, partners, policymakers, and advocates to Washington, DC on Thursday, November 5 for the 2026 Policy & Practice Conference — the organization's largest conference to date.
The year's conference theme, "From Policy to Practice: Building What's Next," reflected the network's focus on turning the recent legislative wins into real-world impact looking forward.
The daylong conference at the Hilton Washington DC Capitol Hill brought together banks, CDFIs, and public, private, and nonprofit lenders from across the country to examine the state of affordable housing finance, recognize recent historic legislative progress, and chart a course for the coming months on the heel's of the 2026 midterm election.
A Historic Moment for Housing
This year's conference came two days after the 2026 midterm elections — a moment NAAHL President & CEO Sarah Brundage addressed in her opening remarks.
"Americans delivered a clear message this week: it is time for real solutions to real problems," said Brundage. "Regardless of who holds the gavels in the new Congress, the fundamentals don't change for us. Affordable housing is a nonpartisan priority that benefits from bipartisan champions."
Together, NAAHL member banks and CDFIs delivered more than $96 billion in affordable housing and community development financing across all 50 states in a single year — proof of what NAAHL's network is capable of when policy and partnerships work together.
Conference Highlights
Sessions explored the state of housing policy following the 2026 midterm election, the implementation landscape for the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, how CDFIs are deploying innovative approaches to unlock access to capital in communities, CRA strategies and impact, and a live demonstration of NAAHL and FairPlay AI's recently released interactive CRA mapping tool.
The program also featured messages from key congressional leaders on the House Financial Services Committee and Senate Banking Committee.
NAAHL CEO Reflections
NAAHL President & CEO Sarah Brundage shared post-election reflections during the conference and in the latest edition of her CEO Outlook blog. In it, she highlighted what the midterm results mean for affordable housing and what the NAAHL network is uniquely positioned to do next.