Contact: Nell Callahan

Build Your Nest program will enable residents at three affordable housing properties to earn up to $1,200 per year in savings — marking the first implementation of a new framework for wealth building in Low-Income Housing Tax Credit communities.

Chicago, IL — Today, Compass Working Capital and Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH) announced the launch of Build Your Nest, a savings and asset-building program for residents living in Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) properties in Chicago.

Under this pilot, eligible residents at three POAH multifamily properties in Chicago will be automatically enrolled and receive a $250 seed deposit. Each month that they pay rent on time and in full, $50 is deposited into a savings account — up to $600 per year. Residents who maintain on-time payments for 10 or more months in a year earn an additional $200 stability bonus. Those who opt into financial coaching with a Compass coach can earn a further $400 savings boost, bringing the annual maximum to $1,200 per household.

The pilot’s opt-out enrollment model ensures that all eligible households begin building savings from day one, with no applications or sign-ups required. Compass serves as a single point of contact for residents, providing account support, disbursement guidance, and optional one-on-one coaching. The three participating properties are Fifth City Commons (43 units), Renaissance Apartments (115 units), and The Ave, a new construction property with 52 units expected to open in 2027.

"For more than a decade, Compass has shown that when you pair affordable housing with the opportunity to build savings, families thrive. Until now, that opportunity has only been available through one federal program. This pilot with POAH changes that. Build Your Nest is the first time we’re bringing our asset-building model to LIHTC residents — and it’s a direct result of the research and coalition-building we undertook through the Asset Builders Alliance. We believe every family paying rent deserves to build a financial future at the same time, and this pilot is proof that the tools to make that happen already exist," said Compass Working Capital CEO Markita Morris-Louis.

"At POAH, we’ve always believed that affordable housing should be more than a roof over someone’s head — it should be a platform for economic opportunity. Partnering with Compass on Build Your Nest allows us to put that belief into action for our residents in Chicago. This program recognizes something simple but powerful: families who are showing up every month and paying their rent on time are already demonstrating financial discipline. They deserve to see that effort reflected in real savings. We’re proud to be the first affordable housing provider to pilot this model, and we hope it becomes a blueprint for the industry,” said POAH President and CEO Aaron Gornstein.

The three-year pilot is the first program of its kind to put into practice the framework outlined in Building Financial Assets for Residents in LIHTC Communities, a white paper released in March 2026 by the Asset Builders Alliance — a cross-sector partnership of Compass, Housing Partnership Network (HPN), National Council of State Housing Agencies (NCSHA), and Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future (SAHF). The paper showed concrete evidence that meaningful savings are achievable for LIHTC residents using existing tools and infrastructure.

The research, informed by interviews with more than 30 stakeholders across the Housing Credit ecosystem, found that LIHTC residents can accumulate $2,000 to $6,000 in savings over five years through practical, scalable program designs that require no edits to existing tax credit legislation. The white paper identified a clear business case for property owners: with eviction costs exceeding $5,000 per unit, even modest savings programs can generate net financial benefits for properties while creating life-changing opportunities for residents. The POAH pilot puts these findings into practice, testing a model that can be replicated at LIHTC properties nationwide.

The pilot also represents a significant milestone for Compass, which has partnered with affordable housing providers for more than a decade to expand the scope and impact of HUD’s Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program — the largest federal asset-building program for families with low incomes. The pilot with POAH marks the first asset-building program that Compass has designed outside of FSS — extending the organization’s proven approach to a different population of renters with low incomes, who have historically lacked access to structured savings opportunities.

Read more about Building Financial Assets for Residents in LIHTC Communities here.