The San Diego Business Journal (SDBJ) recently nominated Housing on Merit’s Executive Director, Jennifer Litwak, for the 2018 Business Women of the Year award. The annual event is SDBJ’s largest annual reception and awards program, honoring successful women business leaders who have made significant impacts in their industries.  The event will include a keynote address from the former Chief of Police for the City of San Diego, Shelley Zimmerman, and a Lifetime Achievement Award presentation for Nyda Jones-Church, President and COO of Sotheby’s International Realty.  The event will be held at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront on December 13.

For over 40 years the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) has advocated for changing the business culture and providing women leaders more opportunities in the economic, social and political environments.  Recently, the national organization named Housing on Merit’s Executive Director, Jennifer Litwak, as a finalist for Woman Business Owner of the Year and Women’s Advocate of the Year for the 2018 Bravo! Awards.  Ms. Litwak joined a list of 10 women entrepreneurs chosen from all industries to recognize their significant contributions and accomplishments made within their professions.

San Diego is one of the most expensive cities to live in the country and like many large cities faces a critical shortage of affordable housing.  On November 15 Bisnow held the State of San Diego Multifamily networking event to bring together stakeholders to discuss innovative solutions to the escalating housing shortage.  The local event covered topics on investment, development, design trends and the future of the Costa–Hawkins Rental Housing Act.  Housing on Merit’s Executive Director, Jennifer Litwak, was invited to speak about investment activity in the San Diego multifamily market.  Multifamily is a key asset class that attracts large institutional investors, real estate investment trusts (REITS) and private family-owned shops, all wanting a part of this growing market.

The Pillars of Freedom Grant was awarded to Housing on Merit on the deck of the USS Midway in San Diego on November 8.

Housing on Merit is dedicated to reducing the number of women veterans experiencing homelessness.  As a result of our efforts, the USS Midway Foundation awarded HOM with the Pillars of Freedom Grant during a ceremony held on the deck of the USS Midway in San Diego on November 8.  The USS Midway Foundation was developed to model the mission of the USS Midway Museum and assist service organizations supporting current military, veterans and first responders.  The Pillars of Freedom Grant will be used to help fund HOM’s Awards of Merit for Housing Assistance program, which provides funds to women veterans facing homelessness in order to remove barriers to permanent housing.

Housing on Merit is continually working to gain knowledge on how to best address the ongoing challenges of housing supply and affordability.  Recently, HOM attended Innovate Housing, an event administered by the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley and Fannie Mae, held in San Francisco on November 8.  The networking event brought together various entities attracted to the affordable housing development industry including leading innovators, journalists, policymakers, builders, designers and investors.  Topics included tackling the high cost of new housing construction, innovative techniques to address increased density in urban areas and how technology could revolutionize real estate finance.

Housing on Merit’s Executive Director, Jennifer Litwak, was honored to speak at the 2018 National Development Finance Summit, which took place in Dallas, Texas, from November 7-9.  The event invited 75 industry leaders from 20 different states and Washington, D.C., to network and collaborate on best practices and solutions in development finance.  The National Summit is administered by the Council of Development Finance Agencies and provides individualized learning for both public and private sector participants from across the country.  Ms. Litwak gave presentations on housing investment tax credits, and financing programs sponsored by state and local governments.

Housing on Merit recently received the Generosity Offer from the First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego.  The church supports local organizations making an impact in their communities and designates a portion of their monthly offerings to one organization each month.  The donation will be applied to HOM’s Awards of Merit for Housing Assistance program, which assists women veterans in San Diego transition from homelessness to permanent housing.  The monetary gift will allow HOM to reach its goal of housing twice the number of women veterans in 2019 compared to previous years.

Housing on Merit is always in search of opportunities to network and collaborate with affordable housing experts.  Recently, HOM’s Executive Director Jennifer Litwak attended City First Foundation’s 2018 Affordable Housing Impact Forum in Washington, D.C., on October 24.  The workshop-style event was focused on solutions to better serve distressed neighborhoods through sustainable and responsible community development.  Topics discussed included technical information in nonprofit development, policy development and government.  Breakout sessions targeted private finance, Community Land Trusts and optimizing Opportunity Zones, which focus on providing sustainable economic development in low- to moderate-income neighborhoods.

The Coalition for Nonprofit Housing & Economic Development (CNHED) supports and advocates for nonprofit housing and economic development in Washington, D.C.  As a member, Housing on Merit recently participated in the agency’s Community Development Week from October 15-19.  Topics addressed through panel discussions and roundtables included the role of affordable housing in intergenerational communities, and how the current development trends are impacting vulnerable communities.  Subjects also included ways to better leverage public and private financing for affordable housing.  A highlight of this event was the annual “A Community of Leaders” special gathering, which acknowledged the activities and impact of member organizations like HOM.

Housing on Merit’s Executive Director, Jennifer Litwak, serves on Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) San Diego’s Board of Directors as the Director of Education + Programs and as an appointed member of CREW Network’s Industry Research Committee and Member Education Committee.  The 2018 CREW Network Convention and Marketplace was held in San Diego on October 17-19.  The annual CREW Network convention is one of the top real estate networking events, focused on advancing the achievements of women in the commercial real estate industry.  Each year some of the best educators and leaders in the business present at this event, which also includes breakout sessions and networking opportunities.  CREW Network membership has grown to 11,000 worldwide and in more than 70 major markets, and is one way that Housing on Merit continues to expand its nationwide exposure and share its impact in the affordable housing marketplace.  Ms. Litwak has been selected to serve on CREW San Diego’s 2019 Board of Directors in the role of Foundation Delegate.