HOC’s Plan for Building the Future of Affordable Housing

The Housing Opportunities Commission (HOC) has released its 2024-2029 Five-Year Strategic Plan, which will serve as a guide for the agency’s work over the next five years to meet the ever-increasing need for affordable housing and supportive services in Montgomery County. The Strategic Plan is the culmination of 10 months of work, introspection and the input of over 2,400 community members who we heard through interviews, at town halls and other forums.

HOC’s Vision: It is our vision that everyone in Montgomery County has access to the safe, affordable, high-quality housing and attendant services that they need to reach their fullest potential.

HOC’s Mission: HOC exists to provide people with low and moderate incomes the opportunity to live in safe, affordable, high-quality housing in Montgomery County. We strengthen families by offering opportunities for personal and economic growth through partnerships and supportive services.

Those same parents, especially in low-income families, face the added pressure of digging deep to equip their children for a successful new school year. That’s why the Housing Opportunities Commission (HOC) and Housing Opportunities Community Partners, Inc. (HOCP) were thrilled again this year to hold our 25th annual Back-to-School event on Aug. 17. This event is more than just a distribution of backpacks; it’s a community gathering that brings together families, educators, and community leaders to ensure that every child starts the school year with the tools and confidence they need to succeed. In addition to the essential school supplies, children also receive support and encouragement from their community, reinforcing the importance of education and perseverance.

HOC’s Core Values:

People-First with Dignity & Respect: Our Staff
People-First with Dignity & Respect: Our Customers
Innovative and Entrepreneurial
Equity in Everything We Do
Power of Partnerships
People-First with Dignity & Respect: Our Staff
Community-Enhanced Housing
Stewardship

HOC’s Goals:

Expand affordable housing in Montgomery County
Enhance the lives of those we touch through supportive services & partnerships
Excel as a world-class organization

New and Exciting Initiatives:

Creation of a Nonprofit Preservation Fund (NPF), in which HOC will partner with the County government to support the acquisition and preservation of naturally occurring affordable housing.
Expansion of the HOC Volunteer Corps, to provide greater customer service and deepen community engagement.
Establishment of a Direct Rental Assistance program, which would allow subsidies to be paid directly to recipients rather than through a contract with a landlord.
Responsibly employing artificial intelligence solutions to improve operational efficiency and enhance customer service.
Investment in advanced data analysis capabilities to better inform decision making.

Goals in Context

Goal I – Expand Affordable Housing in Montgomery County – will address what is expected to be a continually growing disparity between the availability and cost of housing and families’ ability to afford it. Goal II – Enhance the Lives We Touch Through Supportive Services & Partnerships – goes very much to the heart of the work we fund through the Housing Opportunities Community Partners (HOCP). And Goal III – Excel as a World-Class Organization – ensures that we deliver on our promise as an organization.

Meeting the Affordable Housing Challenge

HOC’s success in meeting the challenges of affordable housing cannot be measured solely by the number of homes we build. That’s why our Strategic Plan focuses intently on increasing the self-sufficiency and housing stability of low- and moderate-income families and individuals living in Montgomery County.

Enhancing Partnerships, Increasing Impact

HOC’s Resident Services Division currently offers a vast array of high-quality programs, services, and resources, many through collaborative partnerships with Montgomery County, the federal government, and various community-based organizations. These programs and robust supportive housing services are available to individuals and families who reside in HOC owned-managed properties or receive HOC housing subsidies, as well as applicants on HOC’s Wait List.

That work is a foundational element of HOC’s mission and helps our customers establish and maintain a healthy, secure home life and build a more secure future. The ultimate objective is to help our customers realize the growth they need to end their reliance on housing assistance.

HOC and HOCP will work together to expand the scope and effectiveness of HOC’s Resident Services Programs by enhancing partnerships with government and non-profit partners. The aim is to provide more services and, by increasing the impact of wealth-creation and homeownership programs, to advance housing equity. Moreover, HOC will enhance opportunities for applicants on HOC’s Wait List.

Thanks to the sponsorships and donations made to HOCP, we will continue to fund programs that inspire HOC youth to pursue exciting careers in STEM. We will enhance the menu of out-of-school programming and activities to expose our youth to robotics, chemistry, physics, and environmental sciences. Summer day camps, field trips and after-school activities will show our youth all the exciting possibilities that they can pursue.

Equally important, HOCP will look to empower adults to increase their vocational skills. We will enhance ways to provide tuition assistance and small business development. We will maintain our focus on helping propel adults into careers that provide livable wages.

Delivering On Our Promises

Achieving excellence as an organization is fundamental to delivering on our promises to expand affordable housing and enhance our customers’ lives. Our Five-Year Strategic Plan commits HOC to recruiting, training and retaining the high-caliber staff needed to achieve world-class status as a housing and customer service organization, just as it has in the finance and development field. We also strive to be a best place to work for employees.

HOC will also ensure that technology is a benefit to our operations, not a barrier. We will implement new technology to help our staff provide more assistance to more customers, enable us to expand assistance for applicants who do not have access to or possess proficiency in technology themselves and make HOC easier to reach.

Tapping Into a Valuable Resource

As previously mentioned, one of our new and exciting initiatives involves expansion of our volunteer corp. HOC has a cohort of dedicated volunteers, particularly those who serve with HOCP. HOC will explore the use of trained volunteers to assist our customers. This would include providing training in how to navigate HOC programs and services, as well as how to assist applicants and customers with paperwork and understanding HOC’s policies.

The Five-Year Strategic Plan provides the framework for what we will do in the 2024-2029 period. The Implementation Plan now being developed will detail how we will accomplish our goals and objectives and provide the publicly available online dashboard that will document our progress for all to see. We will provide the link here when it is available.

These are exciting developments this year as we celebrate HOC’s 50th and HOCP’s 25th anniversaries. We hope you are as inspired as we are by what lies ahead, enough so to financially support our work and mission. Your contribution will be invaluable in helping shape a bright future for the Montgomery County residents who need our help the most.