results-based support And advice
Expertise in Affordable Housing and Community Development
Oculus brings extensive experience in assembling the financing, resources and programs necessary to achieve success. With a bias toward action and a transactional focus, Oculus supports its clients in adapting and moving forward in a timely and responsible manner.
Oculus enables its clients to benefit from best practices from all segments of the industry. By maintaining a national network of engaged professionals and organizations, Oculus establishes connections that can quickly drive innovation and change.
Oculus provides support in implementation at the operational / "on the ground" level to ensure that plans and proposals become a reality. Success is driven by the willingness of all parties to do the hard work of implementation, and Oculus has the expertise and experience to add value in all operating phases.
Oculus targets its services to local and state governments, Community Development Financial Institutions, public housing authorities, non-profit and for-profit real estate developers and community service providers.
Oculus was founded by John Maneval and is based in Annapolis, Maryland. Mr. Maneval has over 25 years of professional experience in a variety of capacities within the housing and community development arena, including as a senior executive within a State Housing Finance Agency, the lending director for a national Community Development Financial Institution, director of affordable housing development for a nationally-focused non-profit developer, and as an affordable housing and fundraising consultant.
Why Oculus?
Participants in the affordable housing and community development arena face significant, long-standing trends that impact their business models.
· Federal “Devolution”: continued reduction of direct engagement and investment by the federal government in affordable housing and community development programs is driving local and State level innovations.
· Financial Sophistication: increasingly complicated financing structures are needed to achieve community development goals, which creates a need for industry participants to possess the capacity to engage at a high level with multiple sources of private, public and philanthropic support.
· Public / Private Partnerships: collaboration and coordination across disciplines is increasingly critical to successfully deliver results. Additionally, stakeholders in the government, for-profit and non-profit sectors must be able to adequately communicate their needs and represent their constituencies.
· Regulatory and Compliance Complexity: as affordable housing and community development projects and programs rely on multiple sources of financing and are subject to expanded expectations of impact, it is critical that participants possess the skills and insight needed to address regulatory and compliance requirements for the entire lifecycle of the undertaking.
Oculus supports clients in navigating these inter-related trends and the associated cross currents.