Public Policy Principles

Our Strategic Public Policy Framework

National Church Residences is committed to advancing public policy that strengthens communities and improves the lives of seniors across the nation. Each public policy initiative we champion is strategically aligned with our mission and grounded in our core values.

Through direct engagement with elected officials, collaboration with industry associations, and strategic partnerships, we work to protect vital funding programs, expand housing and healthcare opportunities, and advance innovative solutions for older adults. Our public policy priorities are designed to create lasting positive change while supporting the seniors we serve.

Our Guiding Principles of Public Policy

National Church Residences’ public policy priorities are strategically aligned with our mission to provide high-quality care, services, and communities for seniors. All public policy initiatives are grounded in our core values of Purposeful Service, Compassion, Inclusion, Excellence, and Servant Leadership.

Our public policy priorities must advance our strategic plan, as adopted annually by our board of directors. These priorities, their progress, and return on investment are presented annually for comprehensive review and assessment.

Consistent with our best-in-class standards, each public policy initiative is implemented with the highest level of integrity and operational excellence, supporting innovative leadership and effective collaboration with partners. Our public policy work advances societal improvements for older adults, housing, and healthcare, while educating the public on the importance of creating positive outcomes for others.

In today’s rapidly changing financial landscape, our public policy initiatives support preservation and expansion of housing and healthcare opportunities, and advancing housing as a platform for healthcare.

Public Policy Priorities

National Church Residences provides high-quality care, services, and communities for more than 70,000 seniors in 24 states. Our continuum of communities and services work with governmental programs at federal, state, and local levels. Through a combination of engagement with our industry associations and direct relationship-building with elected officials and regulators, we advocate on policy issues in three overarching categories:

• Affordable Older Adult Housing Expansion & Preservation
• Providing Services that Allow Older Adults to Age-in-Place
• Senior Health Care Sustainability & Expansion

Affordable Service Enriched Housing Expansion & Preservation

1. Protect the Low Income Housing Tax Credit in federal tax reform and advance efforts to strengthen the Federal Tax Credit and State Tax Credit Programs.
2. Advance preservation solutions for aging HUD 202 portfolios (“RAD for PRAC”), restore funding for new HUD 202 production, and renew the Preservation Rent Increase (PRI).
3. Protect rental assistance funding (i.e. Section 8, PBRA, PRAC).
4. Advocate for increased federal, state, and local resources for affordable housing and address policy-related barriers inhibiting affordable housing development.

Providing Services that Allow Older Adults to Age-in-Place

• Protect and expand Service Coordinator funding. Service Coordinators engage with our residents and connect them to public benefits, healthcare professionals, and social activities to ensure they are able to age-in-place safely.
• Increase broadband adoption in affordable housing through modernization of the Lifeline program and HUD regulations to improve access to telehealth.

Senior Health Care Sustainability & Expansion

1. Protect and expand home and community-based service programs, both in National Church Residences’ housing and in the community.
2. Protect and increase Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rates to provide quality care to clients and to support living wages for our workforce.
3. Expand innovative care opportunities for older adults and vulnerable populations within the managed care environment.
4. Allow Advanced Practice Practitioners, such as Nurse Practitioners, to work within their full scope of practice without burdensome and unnecessary collaborative agreements, improving healthcare access for Medicare and Medicaid participants.

National Church Residences continues to proudly serve seniors and vulnerable populations. Recent Executive Orders relating to HUD have created short-term uncertainty, but we’re working closely with advocacy groups to ensure our lawmakers understand the critical importance federal funding and benefits programs have for our seniors, their families, and staff.