Cooper Family Forms National Nonprofit Housing Foundation

Cooper Housing Institute to fund research and programs to address growing housing crises

IRVINE, Calif. (Nov. 16, 2018) – WNC, a leading provider of investment, asset management and development services in the affordable housing industry, announced today the formation of the Cooper Housing Institute (CHI) by company leaders Will N. Cooper Sr. and Will N. Cooper Jr. A private 501(c)(3) foundation, CHI’s mission is to make housing a priority in the United States by supporting research and programs that address the nation’s lack of affordable housing and chronic homelessness.

“In what is regularly a highly politicized issue area, the Cooper Housing Institute aims to fund research that brings often-divergent groups to the same table to work together and implement common sense solutions that address the nation’s ongoing need for affordable housing,” said co-founder Wilfred N. Cooper Sr.

“The time has come to make housing a priority in this country, and the Cooper Housing Institute seeks to do just that. Homelessness is a growing challenge, but it is a symptom of a much deeper problem of housing affordability across the country.”

We look forward to working with top research institutions and housing providers to get to the root of this national crisis,” said CHI President and Co-Founder Wilfred N. Cooper Jr.,

The Cooper family’s commitment to affordable housing spans nearly 50 years, dating back to 1971 when Cooper Sr. founded WNC & Associates, Inc. His son, Will Cooper Jr., joined the company in 1988 and together they have built an enterprise specializing in affordable housing that has acquired more than $10 billion of assets totaling in excess of 1,400 properties in 47 states, Washington D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. WNC’s investor base exceeds 19,500 institutional and retail clients, including Fortune 500 companies, multinational banks, and insurance companies.