© 2014 The Texas Lawbook.
By Brooks Igo
Staff Writer for The Texas Lawbook
(February 4) — New Orleans-based Jones Walker added affordable housing and real estate expert Antoinette “Toni” Jackson as a partner to its Houston office earlier this month. She was previously an attorney at Coats Rose.
Jackson said she is excited about the commitment her new firm has made to grow its housing practice.
“It is a privilege to work with Rick Lazio, who was a staunch housing advocate during his years in Congress and now bring that energy to lead the Jones Walker housing team,” she said. “We are positioned to serve all of our clients’ needs in all areas of housing and community development while addressing the issues that evolve with this practice.”
The Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law graduate has more than 20 years of experience in both the private and public sectors in commercial and affordable housing transactions. Her current practice focuses on commercial real estate development and affordable housing financing representing both for-profit and non-profit developers and public housing agencies.
A few years ago, Jackson served as lead counsel to a team of lawyers and financial advisors to finance the rehabilitation and conversion of a vacant historic high rise into a mixed-use development, which includes affordable housing units, rental lofts, retail space and commercial space leased for social services.
Fifty of the 114 affordable housing units are set aside for people who have transitioned from homelessness within the last six months prior to moving into the development, she said. The complex deal, which she considers one of the biggest of her career, was financed with the use of low income housing tax credits, new market tax credits, historic tax credits, bonds, Section 8 special use vouchers, CDBG funds and 12 additional grants.
More recently, she just closed the last phase of a HOPE VI grant with the Housing Authority of the City of Texarkana, Texas, which included four multifamily developments and single family homeownership. She said the homeownership phase included the sale of homes to former public housing residents.
“Although the closing of that first home was not the largest financial transaction that I have closed during my career, it was definitely one of the most interesting and rewarding,” said Jackson, who has served as counsel to several housing authorities in redeveloping public housing through multi-phased development.
Jackson said an important issue facing affordable housing experts is the continuance of the tax credit program and other sources that fund community development.
“Every report shows that there is a need for decent affordable housing as housing options decline,” she said. “However, affordable housing professionals continue to be challenged with the threat of declining resources as well as community challenges to building good housing.
“Additionally, obsolete public housing, the increase of disasters and the increasing need for decent housing require us to find solutions.”
Throughout her career, Jackson has remained involved in the community. She has served on the Houston Habitat for Humanity board since 1999 and as its general counsel and volunteers for several organizations and churches as an “on-call” lawyer.
Jackson said she has been able to combine her natural instinct to give back with a real estate and business practice she enjoys.
“My biggest accomplishment has been the ability to have a successful career in a practice area that I was once told I wouldn’t be able to make a
living in,” the new Jones Walker partner said. “It has been incredibly rewarding to see the differences that new housing and other community revitalization developments make in neighborhoods that have otherwise been neglected.”
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