Administration and Executive Office

Commission Honors Affordable Housing Advocates

Commission Bond Counsel Jay Reich Receives a Friend of Housing Award

Jay Reich, the Washington State Housing Finance Commission’s bond counsel since 1983, was the first recipient of a Friend of Housing Award in 2009. The award was presented on April 23, 2009, during Jay’s last Commission meeting before leaving for Washington, DC, to become Deputy Chief of Staff to Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke. Commission Chair Karen Miller presented Jay his award citing, “his 26 years of dedication, counsel, and passion for affordable housing throughout Washington and his confidence, can-do attitude, and thoughtful approach to solving seemingly insurmountable problems.”

Commission Chair Karen Miller presents Friend of Housing Award to Jay Reich during the board meeting in Seattle on April 23, 2009.

Jay’s relationship with the Commission began in 1982 when he helped draft legislation to create the Commission. Working with then Governor John Spellman and a large committee of lenders, builders, nonprofit organizations, and other housing stakeholders, Jay helped lobby the Commission into existence during the 1983 Legislature. After the Commission was created, Jay successfully argued the test case before the State Supreme Court to uphold the constitutionality of the Commission’s housing programs.

As the Commission’s bond counsel, Jay helped issue more than $8.3 billion in bonds and more than $2 billion in Low-Income Housing Tax Credits to finance approximately 134,000 affordable housing units, 134 nonprofit owned facilities, and 7 new farms and ranches. All total, more than 300,000 Washington residents benefited from a quarter century of Jay’s work with the Commission. Among the housing programs Jay helped develop at the Commission are the House Key Homeownership program, two senior housing programs, the Muni Mae Credit Enhancement program which financed 103 multifamily projects statewide, the Streamlined Tax-Exempt Placement Program, the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program, and the Commission’s Multifamily Compliance Program, among many others.

In addition to his work as the Commission’s bond counsel, between 1988 and 1994 Jay chaired the King County Low-Income Housing Task Force and the Statewide Committee on Preserving Low-Income Housing; as well, he served on the board of directors for the King County Housing Partnership. He has also advised many cities, counties and housing authorities on affordable housing issues over the years and was a featured speaker at national conferences regarding affordable housing finance programs. Jay is a graduate of Amherst College and Harvard Law School and a former White House Fellow. He was a partner practicing public law and finance at K & L Gates in Seattle for most of his career.

Awards Presented in 2008

The Washington State Housing Finance Commission presented seven awards to six individuals and one organization at the 2008 Friend of Housing awards ceremony taking place during Housing Washington, the annual statewide conference on affordable housing. 

Honorees were selected for their leadership and exceptional contribution to creating or supporting affordable housing, implementing housing-related programs, creating innovative financing mechanisms for housing, supporting homebuyer education or technical training efforts within the housing community and helping to solve housing problems. The Commission received nominations for the Friend of Housing awards from people working in the public, private and independent sectors of the affordable housing industry.

Margaret M. Sevy Affordable Housing Lifetime Achievement Award

The Margaret M. Sevy Affordable Housing Lifetime Achievement Award is named after a long time advocate for affordable housing, who was committed to strengthening communities and the quality of life for people in need of affordable housing.

Carla Okigwe Executive Director, Housing Development Consortium of Seattle-King County Media Release (PDF)

Friend of Housing Individual Achievement Awards

	Edwin Petersen Founder, Housing Hope, Everett Media Release (PDF)
	Linda Hugo Executive Director, Community Frameworks, Bremerton Media Release (PDF)
	Lisa Vatske Housing Officer, Washington State Department of Community Trade and Economic Development, Olympia Media Release (PDF)
	Mark Lundgren M.C. Lundgren General Contractor, Inc., Clayton (Spokane area) Media Release (PDF)
	Sue Taoka Executive Vice President, Urban Programs, Shorebank Enterprise Cascadia, Seattle Media Release (PDF)

Friend of Housing Organizational Achievement Award

Housing Authority of Grant County John Poling, executive director, Jeff Mauceri, operations manager and their staff Media Release (PDF)

Take a look at recipients from previous years, since 1994.

For more information about these awards, please contact Bill Wortley at 206-464-7139.

This page was modified 05/01/2009.