U.S. HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan Talks Housing Reform (Wagner NYU)

Wagner NYU
(4/25/2014 5:07 AM, Wagner NYU)

On Tuesday, April 22, NYU Wagner and the Bipartisan Policy Center hosted Shaun Donovan, U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, to discuss developments in housing finance reform. The event centered on the recently proposed bill by Senators Tim Johnson (D-SD) and Mike Crapo (R-ID) to dissolve the Government Sponsored Enterprises (“GSE”) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Ingrid Gould Ellen, NYU Wagner’s Paulette Goddard Professor of Urban Policy and Director of the Furman Center for Housing and Real Estate Policy, and long-time friend of Secretary Donovan’s, opened the event. Pamela Hughes Patenaude, Director of Housing Policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, introduced the Secretary.

Secretary Donovan pointed out that housing has the unique ability to bring people together, which was in plain sight at NYU Wagner on that day, as housing advocates, financiers, developers, public officials, students, faculty, and relators gathered for the event. The Secretary added that it would be difficult to have more appropriate co-hosts for the discussion about a bipartisan bill, with two organizations that support the discourse of diverse viewpoints on housing issues.