ChangeMakers with Katie Goar Katie Goar

Part Two of Katie's conversation with Carmen Romero dives deeper into APAH's innovative partnerships with local churches to create affordable housing opportunities. Carmen shares details on their recently opened Central United Methodist Church project, co-locating 144 affordable homes with a new church facility, daycare center, and commercial kitchen. You'll hear the powerful story of how this church partnership extended beyond just the real estate transaction, providing critical support like rent relief for residents impacted by the pandemic. Carmen emphasizes the incredible mission alignment and community impact when affordable housing nonprofits collaborate with congregations. The discussion then turns to APAH's bold new strategic plan goals, including tripling their portfolio to 7,500 units within four years to meet the region's daunting affordable housing deficit. Carmen outlines their focus on scaling resident services, piloting programs to break cycles of poverty through savings matches and college funds, and advocating for policies addressing the true scope of need. You'll gain insight into APAH's priorities around being an "employer of choice" by supporting their team's mental health and compensation in this high-stress field. Throughout, Carmen shares her candid perspective on the urgency required and on innovating sustainable solutions as the affordable housing crisis deepens across the region. Tune in for this inspiring example of a nonprofit taking an expansive, holistic approach to the affordable housing challenge.

In this episode, Katie is joined by ChangeMaker Carmen Romero, President and CEO of the Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing (APAH). Carmen shares her inspiring journey from corporate finance at major companies like Marriott to finding her true calling in affordable housing development. Carmen provides an inside look at the monumental challenges APAH has faced in creating affordable housing in the supply-constrained DC metro area. Despite adding over 1,000 new units under her leadership, the region still faces a staggering deficit of 375,000 homes needed, with 75% requiring affordable pricing. You'll hear about APAH's innovative approaches, like maximizing density through rezoning, leveraging financing tools like housing trust funds, and unique partnerships with churches, veterans groups, and major employers like Amazon. Carmen spotlights award-winning APAH properties co-locating affordable housing with amenities like daycare centers, and kitchens for culinary entrepreneurship while prioritizing quality design that is indistinguishable from market rates. This candid discussion explores the urgent need for affordable workforce housing options to sustain economic growth and the holistic community benefits when all residents have access to housing in areas of opportunity. Tune in for this inspiring conversation on building an affordable housing ecosystem for the future.

In the second part of the interview, Bryan Greene discusses his transition from enforcing fair housing laws at HUD to joining the National Association of Realtors (NAR) as its first Director of Fair Housing Policy in 2019. He provides eye-opening details about the Newsday exposé on housing discrimination on Long Island that motivated him to quickly develop NAR's "ACT" initiative - focusing on accountability, culture change, and improved training. Bryan expands on the components like effective interactive training, self-testing for brokerages, and strengthening state licensing laws. The conversation explores emerging focus areas like the tragic loss of generational wealth through "heir property" exploitation targeting black landowners. Bryan credits the 2020 racial reckoning after George Floyd's murder for accelerating NAR's fair housing priorities. Looking at closing the persistent homeownership gap between white and minority households, Bryan outlines multi-pronged strategies - increasing housing supply, down payment assistance, alternative credit evaluation for renters, and innovative "special purpose credit programs" by private lenders. He advocates for private employers to institute down payment benefits and partner across industries to promote the workforce and attainable housing developments. Throughout, Bryan provides candid insights into the public's need for more education on how recent housing policies shaped today's racial wealth disparities. The episode showcases NAR's evolution into championing fair housing under Bryan's leadership after initially opposing the 1968 Fair Housing Act. His passion for true inclusivity shines through as he maps the road ahead.

In this episode, Katie speaks with Bryan Greene, the Vice President of Policy Advocacy at the National Association of Realtors. Bryan has spent over two decades at the forefront of fair housing policy, serving as the highest-ranking official in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. Bryan shares his powerful personal story of growing up in the highly segregated borough of Queens, New York, and how those experiences shaped his commitment to fighting housing discrimination. He provides sobering insights into the cascading harms caused by discriminatory housing practices, from limiting choice and opportunity to suppressing wealth accumulation in minority communities The conversation dives deep into the historical policies and systemic racism that created residential segregation patterns still evident today. Bryan advocates for greater public education on how recent housing policies are the most likely cause of the racial wealth gap in America. Looking ahead, Bryan outlines potential solutions like increasing housing supply, down payment assistance, rental credit in mortgage lending, and even mounting a "Marshall Plan" to address the nationwide housing shortage. He has written extensively on these issues for publications like the Smithsonian and Washington Post. This insightful discussion showcases Bryan's decades of experience and passion for dismantling discriminatory housing practices and creating truly inclusive communities.

In part two, the conversation shifts gears as Ned weighs in on how local governments can foster or hinder the growth of affordable housing developments through policies, zoning, and public-private partnerships, sharing his perspectives on what municipalities can do to incentivize critically-needed affordable projects. Katie also taps Ned's expertise on military housing, asking "How does The Michaels Organization envision its military housing projects contributing to the broader wellbeing and stability of military families and communities?" Ned discusses Michaels' approach to creating living communities that support and enrich the lives of servicemembers, veterans, and their families. Whether workforce, senior, or military housing, Ned underscores Michaels' commitment to building not just homes, but vibrant communities that uplift residents and strengthen neighborhoods, making for an insightful discussion on attainable housing solutions.

Katie sits down with Ned Williams, Executive Vice President at The Michaels Organization. Under Ned's visionary leadership, Michaels has emerged as an innovator in developing attainable housing solutions to meet the needs of the workforce. Ned brings decades of experience and a profound passion for creating inclusive communities where people across the income spectrum can afford to live. The conversation spotlights Michaels' groundbreaking partnership with Disney to build an attainable housing development in Florida – a pioneering project aiming to set a new standard for addressing the housing crunch facing middle-income families who earn too much for subsidized housing yet struggle to find affordable options near major job centers. Tune in as Ned shares insights into this game-changing initiative and Michaels' broader mission to ensure attainable housing opportunities for all.E