Nebraska Housing Finance Authority Housing Innovation Marketplace Conference

Conducted annually, Nebraska Housing Finance Authority (NIFA) hosts Nebraska's largest housing-centric conference. This year's event was conducted March 21-22 at the La Vista Conference Center in La Vista (NE), a suburb of Omaha. Several HUD employees attended including Region VII Deputy Regional Administrator, Bruce Ladd; Region VII Public Affairs Officer Aggie Gutierrez; Field Policy and Management (FPM) Omaha Reggie Robinson and FPM Omaha Andrew Burgin-Anton who exhibited at the event.

The Housing Innovation Marketplace conference brings together community leaders and housing partners from across Nebraska and the country to discuss affordable housing and community development best practices and policies. The conference expanded its platform a few years back to incorporate a track for how best to address housing for the state's most vulnerable - the homeless or near homeless.

419 housing industry professionals were represented at the conference from 15 states and 39 cities in Nebraska. Conference attendees donated hygiene products for "Bridges to Hope", a 501(c)(3) organization in Lincoln, Nebraska, serving re-entry men and women. Mr. Bret Culp, an acclaimed filmmaker who created the inspiring documentary "Legends of the Knight" was the keynote speaker, discussing community building and relationship-driven engagement.

• More information on NIFA (http://nifa.org/).
• More information on "Legends of the Knight" (http://www.wearebatman.com/).

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