The Housing Finance Agency (HFA) was established in 1979 as a corporate body with a legal existence separate from the Government of the District of Columbia to stimulate and expand homeownership and rental housing opportunities for low-and moderate-income families in the District.

The Housing Financing Agency issues taxable and tax-exempt mortgage revenue bonds to lower the costs of financing single-family housing and of acquiring, constructing, and rehabilitating rental housing. In addition, HFA administers the issuance of four percent low-income housing tax credits to achieve its affordable housing preservation, rehabilitation, and development objectives on behalf of the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD).