This May, LISC kicked off the 2022-2023 Housing Development Training Institute (HDTI) cohort, generously funded by Merritt Community Capital. As the participants begin their curriculum, we wanted to take the opportunity to highlight some of our past participants in the program, and draw attention to how the program has supported affordable housers in the Bay Area over the last 30 years.
In 2019, LISC commissioned a retrospective about HDTI, its impact on professionals in the affordable housing industry, and the state of affordable housing across the Bay Area. We invite you to read the full report here. For this story, we went back and reconnected with 2007 HDTI alum and retrospective interviewees, Karoleen Feng. Karoleen Feng is now the Director of Community Real Estate with Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA) in San Francisco.
We asked Karoleen how the HDTI program supported her professional development in affordable housing. And Karoleen shared, “I was in LISC HDTI in the 2nd/3rd year of my career. At the time I had been assistant project manager for two closings and with LISC HDTI, I was exposed to the theory behind affordable housing financing and how to position myself with lenders and government funders. As importantly, I gained a network of like-minded affordable housing professionals who I could ask the dumb questions and that I could bump into at Housing California and share experiences. I further expanded my relationships through Advanced LISC HDTI and the LISC Community Development Leadership Institute. For those who stayed in the industry, I've continued to criss-cross in my paths with them and reach out to them if I needed support (and also where I've found future staff to hire!)”
We also asked if she would recommend the program to up and coming affordable housers?
“Absolutely yes!” Said Karoleen. “I've made sure that whenever I can, both when I was at EBALDC and now at MEDA, that whenever there is a LISC training institute and we have an up and coming staff, to recommend they attend. It's a significant investment in their growth and their future in our work. And also an investment in their longevity in community development, whether they stay in the industry or leave. Those who have attended gain a strong knowledge base that ensures that goes beyond our on the job training.”
Read our full report here for even more testimonials!