NH&RA’s Fall Intern Matt Buchanan, a masters candidate in environmental policy at The George Washington University, completed his internship this week. Below are some of his thoughts and reflections:
Throughout this internship I learned how federal and state housing policy is developed, and the importance of outside agencies/developers in the process. Additionally, I learned how to communicate within a real-world policy and advocacy environment, and gained a new perspective on a industry I knew little about beforehand.
I gained a number of transferrable skills that I can take with me into future roles. These include my skills in policy research, synthesizing complex information into deliverable reports, and learning to coordinate meetings and communications with legislative offices.
My favorite parts of this internship were the opportunities to visit the Capitol to speak with Congressional staffers and to learn more about the innerworkings of federal housing policy. I also enjoyed attending housing conferences and hearing perspectives from a variety of thought leaders in the affordable housing landscape.
Some areas I want to learn more about would be the importance of sustainability within housing developments, as well as to deepen my understanding of the finance mechanisms for affordable housing and how budgeting decisions are made.
