The Louisiana housing-finance ecosystem
Louisiana's housing pipeline draws on a mix of state agencies, federal pass-through programs, and local frameworks. Programs span the full spectrum: low-income rental, supportive housing for special-needs populations, workforce / missing-middle housing, homelessness prevention, first-time homebuyer assistance, mixed-use redevelopment, and disaster recovery. Below is a directory of every currently-active state-level and major-local program, organized by administering agency.
Louisiana Housing Corporation (LHC)
LHC is Louisiana's state housing finance corporation, allocating federal LIHTC, issuing multifamily and single-family bonds, administering federal HOME and NHTF, and operating state-funded housing programs. LHC has significant disaster recovery activity given Louisiana's exposure to hurricanes — Hurricane Ida CDBG-DR remains an active program area.
Federal 9% LIHTC
Competitive · RentalLHC allocates Louisiana's federal 9% LIHTC ceiling — approximately $15.7 million in 2026 following OBBBA's 12% increase. Annual competitive QAP process.
4% LIHTC + Multifamily Bonds
Non-competitive · BondsNon-competitive 4% LIHTC paired with LHC-issued multifamily revenue bonds.
Permanent Jobs Credit Loan
Capital subsidy · MultifamilyLHC's gap-financing program for affordable multifamily rental developments. Pairs with LIHTC for new construction and preservation deals.
Louisiana Housing Trust Fund
State capital subsidyLouisiana's state-funded housing trust fund administered by LHC. Supports affordable rental and homeownership development.
HOME Investment Partnerships
Federal pass-throughLHC administers Louisiana's HOME allocation, primarily for multifamily rental development paired with LIHTC.
National Housing Trust Fund (NHTF)
Federal pass-through · ELILHC administers Louisiana's NHTF allocation for housing serving extremely-low-income households.
Section 811 Project Rental Assistance
Operating subsidy · DisabilityLHC administers Louisiana's HUD Section 811 PRA allocation for extremely-low-income persons with disabilities.
Permanent Supportive Housing
Supportive housing · CoordinatedLHC financing for permanent supportive housing combined with operating subsidies from Louisiana Department of Health for chronically homeless and special-needs populations.
LHC Mortgage Programs
Homeownership · Below-market mortgageLHC's flagship single-family first-mortgage products with below-market rates plus DPA options. Includes Market Rate GNMA and conventional product lines.
LHC Down Payment Assistance
Homeownership · DPALHC's down-payment assistance programs combining grants and forgivable second-mortgage products with LHC first mortgages.
LHC Mortgage Credit Certificate
Homeownership · Federal tax creditFederal income-tax credit for eligible first-time buyers equal to a percentage of mortgage interest paid annually.
Louisiana Office of Community Development (OCD)
OCD administers Louisiana's substantial federal CDBG and CDBG-DR portfolio. Louisiana has had major CDBG-DR activity following Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Rita, Hurricane Gustav, and most recently Hurricane Ida (2021). The Restore Louisiana Homeowner Assistance Program is the state's primary post-disaster homeowner recovery vehicle.
CDBG (state-administered)
Federal pass-through · Non-entitlementOCD administers federal CDBG for non-entitlement Louisiana communities.
CDBG Disaster Recovery
Federal disaster recoveryLouisiana CDBG-DR allocations for hurricane and flood recovery — most recently Hurricane Ida (~$1.27B), supplementing earlier Katrina and Rita-era recovery programs that continue in legacy operations.
Restore Louisiana Homeowner Assistance Program
Disaster recovery · HomeownerLouisiana's homeowner recovery program funded by CDBG-DR providing rebuilding assistance, reimbursement, and elevation assistance for households affected by hurricanes and floods.
CDBG Mitigation
Disaster mitigationCDBG-MIT funds for mitigation projects reducing future disaster risk. Deployed on infrastructure hardening, resilient housing, and watershed protection.
New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Louisiana tax credit programs
New Orleans and Baton Rouge operate substantial local affordable housing programs. Louisiana's State Historic Tax Credit is one of the country's more generous and is heavily used for adaptive-reuse housing.
Louisiana State Historic Tax Credit
State tax credit · 25% rateLouisiana's state historic rehabilitation tax credit, extended through January 1, 2029 with a 25% credit rate as of January 1, 2023. Pairs with federal HTC and 4% LIHTC for adaptive-reuse housing development — heavily used in New Orleans and Baton Rouge.
City of New Orleans Affordable Housing
Local subsidyNew Orleans operates affordable housing programs through the Office of Community Development supporting multifamily and homeownership development. Hurricane Katrina recovery shaped much of New Orleans's current affordable housing infrastructure.
Baton Rouge Affordable Housing
Local subsidyEast Baton Rouge Parish's affordable housing programs through the Office of Community Development supporting affordable housing development across the parish.
Jefferson Parish Affordable Housing
Local subsidyJefferson Parish's affordable housing programs supplementing New Orleans-area regional housing supply.
How Louisiana programs typically combine
Programs combine differently depending on what you're building. A short reference of representative stacks across the program-type spectrum:
- Statewide 9% LIHTC: 9% LIHTC + Louisiana Housing Trust Fund + HOME.
- 4% LIHTC + bonds: 4% LIHTC + LHC bonds + state HTF.
- Historic adaptive reuse (New Orleans/BR): Federal HTC + Louisiana State HTC (25%) + 4% LIHTC + LHC bonds.
- Disaster recovery rental: CDBG-DR + 4% LIHTC + LHC bonds + Restore Louisiana programs.
- Permanent supportive housing: 9% LIHTC + Section 811 PRA + LDH operating subsidy + Louisiana HTF.
- First-time homebuyer: LHC mortgage + DPA + MCC.
Post-OBBBA implications
- Permanent 12% LIHTC increase: Louisiana's annual 9% LIHTC ceiling is permanently larger starting 2026.
- 25% PAB financed-by test: for bonds issued after December 31, 2025, materially expanding the pipeline of 4% LIHTC deals that can be supported per dollar of bond volume cap.
- Permanent OZ designations: Qualified Opportunity Zone designations gain permanence; Rural OZ provisions may apply in qualifying portions of the state.
- Section 45L / 179D termination (June 30, 2026): Developers pursuing energy-efficient construction should accelerate placed-in-service dates.
This is educational reference material for affordable-housing practitioners, not legal, tax, financial, or investment advice. State program details, funding levels, and rules change frequently — consult the relevant state agencies and qualified counsel before structuring any transaction. See Disclaimer.