NACCED Attends 2026 NACo Annual Conference

Last week, NACCED took part in the 2026 National Association of Counties (NACo) Annual Conference held in Orleans Parish, LA in the city of New Orleans. NACCED leadership participated in educational sessions, committee meetings, and networking events throughout the 2026 NACo Annual Conference. The conference provided valuable opportunities to engage with county officials from across the country on the evolving challenges and opportunities facing housing, community and economic development. Throughout the conference, NACCED representatives exchanged innovative ideas and proven practices, advanced federal policy priorities in collaboration with NACo leadership, and connected with local leaders to discuss strategies for expanding affordable housing, strengthening community development programs, and fostering economic resilience. These conversations reinforced NACCED's commitment to ensuring counties have the tools, resources, and partnerships needed to serve their communities effectively.

Osmium Data: Introducing the Bridgeway Platform

Public sector leaders know the frustration: Your agency is tasked with implementing a critical program, but your team first has to spend valuable time wrestling with fragmented legacy databases, chasing down paper approvals, and manually entering data into isolated spreadsheets.

Across the country, counties are experiencing a structural shift. Housing instability and unsheltered homelessness are no longer confined to human services, behavioral health, or housing departments alone. Community and economic development teams—traditionally focused on land use, infrastructure, workforce, and growth—are increasingly being asked to engage directly in homelessness-related decisions.

This shift is not the result of counties expanding their mission. It reflects the reality that housing instability now intersects with core county responsibilities in ways that cannot be separated from economic vitality, infrastructure planning, and fiscal management.