The local Council for the Homeless is shaking up its top leadership to help grow a subsidiary aimed at building affordable housing.
Andy Silver will step down as the nonprofit’s executive director to assume a role as CEO of Housing Initiative LLC, which was launched more than a year ago by the Council for the Homeless using seed money from the Community Foundation for Southwest Washington. Sierk Braam, who is CEO of the initiative, will become its COO. Kate Budd, currently the council’s deputy director, will become the executive director effective Feb. 9, the board of directors announced Tuesday.
“It just seemed like a win-win,” said Silver, who’s worked six years at the Council for the Homeless.
He’s been juggling his time between the two entities. As CEO, he’ll get to focus on Housing Initiative’s primary mission: finding creative new ways to finance housing that is affordable to low-income households. Silver will report to Budd and the Council for the Homeless’ 15-member board of directors.
Silver said the Council for the Homeless is as healthy as it’s ever been at a time when it’s most needed in our community. By switching his focus to Housing Initiative, he’ll get to work on developing housing and making the initiative sustainable.
“One of the main things we need is just more housing that’s affordable to people who are getting hurt in this housing market and that is mission driven,” he said.
Housing Initiative will mimic private sector development but focus on removing barriers to housing. Silver said they may close on a loan by the end of October for The Pacific, an 18-unit apartment complex slated to be built in central Vancouver, though construction wouldn’t begin until spring. The project sought $250,000 in funding from Vancouver’s Affordable Housing Fund. Another, larger project is on the way that Silver will help develop.
“I am excited that together, Andy and Sierk will realize the full potential of this work and have a transformative impact on our community,” Jennifer Rhoads, president of the Community Foundation for Southwest Washington, said in a news release.
Budd, in her current role as deputy director of the Council for the Homeless, oversees the Housing Solutions Center and Coalition of Service Providers. She’s worked in that role for nearly nine months and previously worked for Clark County Department of Community Services, Oregon Volunteers and was the clearing house director for the council between 2005 and 2008.
“Andy has done an incredible job leading this agency,” Budd said.
She aims to build the nonprofit’s partnerships with other groups. For the past several months, Budd has been part of a city-led homeless ideas group and another group that is planning for severe weather. Serving and sheltering people as temperatures drop is the council’s most pressing issue, she said.
The future of the deputy director role has not been decided. Budd said she will retain her role as co-chair of the statewide Homeless Advisory Committee and plans to continue doing homeless advocacy at the state level.
