One of our staff members, Alex Lin, recently completed the Housing Development Consortium’s Leadership Development Course. Below are his reflections on the experience:
During the first half of 2023, I had the opportunity to take part in the Housing Development Consortium’s Leadership Development Course. The course is a “6-month 65-hour program is designed for HDC member agency staff who are interested in deepening their knowledge about the built environment, developing skills to promote cross sector collaboration and systemic change, and working to advance racial equity in the creation and maintenance of sustainable housing solutions. The LDSC program provides a broad overview of affordable housing and leadership competencies, and creates space and opportunities for peer learning, sharing, testing ideas, and building lasting relationships” (Housing Development Consortium).
Reflecting back on my experience, it’s hard to pinpoint a single element that made it so compelling, but the people involved, the knowledge shared, and the passion represented were all a genuine source of inspiration. From tenants’ rights and architectural innovation to leadership and financing, the course elevated our diverse cohort of participants engaged in the affordable housing sector to a mutual understanding of the constraints and opportunities of the sector. At the same time, the program highlighted local leaders who are leading the charge and operating on the cutting edge to solve the housing crisis. Weaved throughout the program, we also considered the affordable housing sector through a racial equity diversity and inclusion lens. We asked profound questions and while often not having the answers, we made sincere efforts to identify incremental steps we could each take as emerging professionals to advance equity not only in the work we do, but also the environments and organizations in which we work. I am deeply grateful for the time we spent as a cohort together, for Dani Turk’s incredible management of the program, and for Grace Kim first mentioning and recommending the program to me.
If you are be interested in taking part in the program, you can learn more about it here: https://www.housingconsortium.org/leadership-development-survey-course/.