Sarah Kirsch manages the affordable housing investment portfolios for the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, both social impact and philanthropic funds. The funds are designed to provide gap funding and deeper and longer-term affordability for rental and ownership homes. Prior to joining the Foundation, Sarah spent ten years with the Urban Land Institute and served as Executive Director of the Atlanta District Council. Her work at ULI focused on advancing inclusive walkable urban places with a specific focus on housing affordability and the connections between transportation and land use. She spent the first part of her career at RCLCO. Sarah's civic leadership is deeply rooted in housing affordability and community development, serving as vice-chair of Atlanta Housing, on the board of Atlanta Urban Development Corporation, co-founder of HouseATL, and the LISC local advisory board. Kirsch is a native of Atlanta and continues to live in the city where she and her husband are raising their three sons. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy from Duke University's Terry Sanford School of Public Policy.
Speaking at
Tue May 13
2:30 PM — 3:30 PM (GMT-07:00) Mountain Time
Workforce Housing Social Impact Funds
Category
Housing/Residential
In Fall 2020, Madison Development Corporation, along with the United Way and local Madison area Employers -financial institutions, health care systems & foundations, launched a Fund to fill gaps in affordable workforce housing projects in WI. The Dane Workforce Housing Fund (DWHF) raised over $11 million and helped create 747 new units, with a subsequent Fund II raising $13 million which has 230 units under construction. The Atlanta Affordable Housing Fund (AAHF), launched in early 2020, raised $15 million from local real estate leaders, which helped create over 800 affordable homes. The AAHF is now housed at the Community Foundation, which helped them attract an additional $150 million from diverse investors - financial institutions, foundations and individuals, to help create more affordable housing projects in Atlanta's core counties. This session will cover the Fund structures, the impact on their regions, and why investors stepped up.