National Housing Bank, Wharton School and Habitat for Humanity India to discuss Finance for Affordable Housing
New Delhi: Habitat for Humanity India in collaboration with the National Housing Bank (NHB) and with the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania is organizing an International Housing Finance Course in New Delhi on the 4th and 5th of July, 2017. This event is a part of the 6th Asia-Pacific Housing Forum, organized by NGO Habitat for Humanity India on the 6th and 7th of July, 2017 in New Delhi. The National Housing Bank (NHB) is associating with the event as a knowledge partner to provide skill development and capacity building in the areas of mortgage origination, securitization, mortgage bonds and hybrid deals. The sessions will be hosted by Drs. Marja Hoek-Smit, Director of the International Housing Finance Program from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and Founder and Executive Director of Housing Finance Information Network (HOFINET). The two-day course will analyze opportunities and challenges in India and also, share the global experience by the Wharton School’s International Housing Finance Program.
Speaking on the need for the course, Sriram Kalyanaraman, MD & CEO, National Housing Bank said, “National Housing Bank (NHB), being the apex housing finance institution in India, the development of human resources in the Housing Finance Sector is a major agenda for us, especially to implement the Housing for All by 2022 Mission of the Government of India. NHB emphasizes cross-pollination of knowledge and adoption of international best practices by the sector.” He also said that such events are quite useful because they provide opportunity for interaction among various stakeholders on a common platform to share their views and insights.
Drs Marja C. Hoek-Smit, Director of the International Housing Finance Program of the Wharton School, Zell/Lurie Real Estate Center of the University of Pennsylvania said, “India’s Housing for All by 2022 initiative is impressive. Though its scale is indeed gigantic, the steely focus by the government, and the enthusiasm demonstrated by corporations and non-governmental organizations will ensure the goal is achievable. Our small contribution is a tailored Wharton-Habitat workshop for the Housing Forum that focuses on the efficiency levels of making housing finance accessible to people in need of affordable options.”
Commenting on the importance of such a workshop, Rajan Samuel, Managing Director, Habitat for Humanity India said, “Increasingly, the financing of affordable housing and creating credit access for affordable housing has become an important agenda for housing finance companies and banks in the country. The need for objective and analytical education in housing finance has thus become increasingly significant. We hope to cater to this need through the well thought of Wharton – Habitat for Humanity International Housing Finance course. To ensure Housing for All, we need to address four important elements of land, finance, technology and community engagement. This training will focus on developing various financial instruments.”
This event is expected to bring together major stakeholders including policy makers and practitioners connected with the housing sector to establish meaningful interactions and outcomes on the issues of relevance to the sector.