Date: April 15th, 2026

Time: 1pmET | 12pm CT | 11am MT | 10am PT

Duration: 90 Minutes

Description:

Are your Affirmative Fair Housing Marketing Plans (AFHMPs) fully approvable—or stuck in limbo? Have you faced MOR findings for not having an approved plan on file, or struggled with which race and ethnicity data to use? With the Administration’s proposal to eliminate the AFHMP requirement, many owners and agents are asking: Do we still need an AFHMP, and what does compliance look like today?

This session cuts through the confusion. Even amid proposed regulatory changes, many properties continue to be cited for AFHMP deficiencies, and the underlying obligations of the Fair Housing Act remain. Designed for real-world application, this session provides plain-English guidance on how to remain compliant, defensible, and prepared during this period of uncertainty.

Drawing on experience reviewing and preparing 500+ AFHMPs nationwide for HUD, RD, and state agencies, Gwen Volk walks participants through the full process of developing an approvable AFHMP. Participants will learn how to select and interpret demographic data, craft effective outreach strategies, navigate agency requirements, and document compliance—even when formal approvals are delayed or agency reviews are limited.

Major Topics:

• Current legal and regulatory landscape for AFHMPs, including interaction with the Fair Housing Act.

• Differentiating proposed changes from enforceable requirements.

• Step-by-step guidance for preparing an approvable AFHMP under current HUD, RD, and state expectations.

• Using Census Bureau tools to select and analyze accurate race and ethnicity data.

• Developing effective marketing strategies and community outreach contacts.

• Conducting and documenting 5-year AFHMP reviews when agency oversight is limited.

• Responding to common MOR findings related to AFHMPs.

• Building a defensible AFHMP file that demonstrates good-faith compliance.

Learning Objectives

• Explain the current legal and regulatory status of AFHMP requirements, including their relationship to the Fair Housing Act and existing HUD program obligations.

• Distinguish between the Administration’s proposal to eliminate AFHMPs and the requirements that remain in effect unless formally rescinded.

• Respond accurately to compliance questions about AFHMP necessity, approval timelines, and PBCA treatment during MORs.

• Identify why properties continue to be cited for lacking an approved AFHMP despite proposed regulatory changes.

• Prepare an approvable AFHMP using correct demographic data, effective marketing strategies, and agency-specific expectations.

• Navigate Census Bureau tools to obtain, analyze, and document race and ethnicity data for the marketing area.

• Conduct and document a 5-year AFHMP review to maintain compliance when agency review or approval is delayed.

• Assemble a defensible AFHMP file demonstrating good-faith compliance during regulatory uncertainty.

Who Will Benefit:

• Property owners and multifamily operators
• Property managers, regional managers, and on-site management teams
• Asset managers and portfolio supervisors
• Compliance officers and fair housing coordinators
• In-house counsel and outside attorneys representing housing providers
• Public housing authority staff and affordable housing administrators
• Leasing professionals and marketing teams

About Our Speaker

Gwen Volk

Gwen Volk has worked in the affordable housing industry since 1983. She has been president and CEO of a Midwest property management company and chief compliance officer over a Dallas firm’s national portfolio. She has a Master’s degree in Business and is a Certified Property Manager through the Institute of Real Estate Management. Gwen holds certifications as a National Affordable Housing Professional – Executive Level, Specialist in Housing Credit Management, Housing Credit Certified Professional, Certified Professional of Occupancy, and in Fair Housing Compliance and has been a servant leader in the AHMAs, NAHMA and IREM throughout her career. Gwen is a nationally recognized expert in the tax credit, bond, HOME, and Section 8 programs and enjoys helping agents, owners, and managers make sense of it all