The City of Austin today announced the new members of the Housing Investment Review Committee (HIRC). The group is tasked with quarterly review of affordable housing projects in Austin for the next two years.
The members demonstrate an expanse of housing development knowledge and expertise including housing development, finance, academic-based housing research, legal, providing services to persons exiting homelessness and personal experience with multiple perspectives of housing in Austin or have had a personal account of housing instability (e.g., lived in subsidized housing or experienced homelessness).
Below are all new members including a short bio—
David Sullivan – appointed by Housing and Planning Department
“My credentials for serving on the Housing Investment Review Committee (HIRC) are largely from my past service on the Planning Commission for 16 years and the Bond Oversite Committee (now Commission) for 16 years, my past service the Code Rewrite Advisory Committee for 5 years, my past service on the HousingWorks Board from 2012 to 2014 years, my current service on the HousingWorks Advocacy Committee since 2014, and my 7 years of volunteer work at the St. Louis Church Food Party where I interviewed clients in need of groceries. I continue to push for affordability through better mass transit opportunities on the Austin Transit Partnership Finance and Risk Committee. All these have been part-time volunteer jobs that involved budgeting and public finance or private fundraising. My resume reflects my educational training in engineering and business and lists several other volunteer roles. Not shown in my resume is a short course I took in 2021 from the Urban Land Institute on Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity. Finally, although I have not needed housing assistance myself, I choose to travel around the city by bicycle, bus, train, and foot, giving me a deep understanding of the need for housing close to services and transit.
Fisayo Fadelu - appointed by Community Development Commission
Fisayo is Pecan Street’s CFO and general counsel. Prior to joining the organization, she worked for Smith International (a subsidiary of Schlumberger Ltd.) where she led teams on Sarbanes Oxley compliance projects in U.S. and international locations. Prior to that, Fisayo worked with the Audit and Assurance Services group at the Ernst & Young’s Houston office where she supervised audit projects for public companies. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting from Baylor University, a J.D. from the University of Texas at Austin, and a master’s degree in sustainability and environmental management from Harvard University. She’s a certified public accountant (CPA) and is licensed to practice law in the State of Texas. She also holds certificates in Environmental Policy and International Development and in Green Building and Community Sustainability, both from Harvard University.
Kendra Garrett - appointed by Community Development Commission
Kendra considers herself a “houser” – striving to ensure that everyone has safe, quality, affordable housing. She is a Development Consultant at Betco Housing Lab, where she works with affordable housing developers - assisting them with project planning and management and securing funds for development of affordable housing. Additionally, she is a local housing advocate and sits on the executive committees for the Austin Housing Coalition and Planning Our Communities. Kendra holds a Master’s degree in Public Affairs from the University of Texas’ Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs and a Bachelor’s of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.
Rosa Rios Valdez – appointed by Housing and Planning Department
Rosa Rios Valdez, grew up in workforce housing. A graduate University of Texas, and longtime Austin resident, she co-founded and is CEO of BCL of Texas, a statewide community economic development firm. Rosa serves as Vice President and Loan Committee Chair of NeighborWorks Capital Corporation a national nonprofit that funds affordable housing across America. She was recently appointed to the Travis County Strategic Housing Finance Corporation Board of Directors.
Sarah Weier – appointed by Housing and Planning Department
“I hope to bring front-line, direct care experience into the equation. As the Assistant Director of the Sunrise Homeless Navigation Center, I am in a unique position of helping steer organization policy while still meeting and engaging with clients daily. While the city wrestles with these tremendous challenges, I hope to influence decision-making by keeping the humanity of real people experiencing homelessness at the forefront of discussion. Homelessness is complex because so many variables are at play. I am witness to the catastrophic level of despair and fear our brothers and sisters on the street live with daily. Our navigation team helps clients pulled for permanent supportive housing to obtain documents and complete paperwork needed for housing. Many of our clients have transitioned into housing and we work closely with Continuum of Care partner agencies from across the city. Personally, as a child, my family lived well below the poverty level until I was 14. We had subsidized housing in my early years. I did not experience food or housing security until I was 16. I know the fear of not having enough to eat and fear of ending up on the street. I lived in neighborhoods that were dangerous and in bug-infested, dirty apartment complexes. I know the sting of receiving charity and the stigma of being poor. Having lived in poverty, I will bring my professional and personal experience to advocate that "housing first" must consider safety, dignity, cleanliness, services, and addressing the causes of indigence. If we wish to truly problem-solve, we must address the underlying causes perpetuating the cycle.”
About Austin Housing Finance Corporation
The Austin Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC) was created as a public, non-profit corporation and instrumentality of the City of Austin. The mission of the AHFC is to generate and implement strategic housing solutions for the benefit of low- and moderate-income residents of the City of Austin.
About Housing and Planning Department
The Housing and Planning Department provides resources related to planning, zoning, housing, and community development to enhance the quality of life of all Austinites. Equitable, efficient, and comprehensive planning with displacement prevention as a prioritized focus is the Department’s core charge in delivering housing services to the community.
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