Background
Samantha DeKoven is a housing consultant with MPC, providing technical assistance to help organizations, companies, and local or regional governments across the nation design and implement customized employer-assisted housing programs.
Prior to her current role providing national technical assistance, Samantha worked with employers in the Chicago region to develop, execute, and evaluate their employer-assisted housing initiatives. She convened a collaborative of nonprofit housing counseling organizations to partner with these employers and administer their housing programs. She engaged these employers as advocates to support housing policy and new production, including testifying before legislative hearings. She also worked with the state housing finance agency to make available state matching funds and pass legislation authorizing state tax credits for employer-assisted housing investments.
Samantha joined MPC in 1999 as project manager of the Regional Rental Market Analysis, which gathered qualitative and quantitative information related to the rental market in northeastern Illinois. Prior to joining MPC, she worked at the Woodstock Institute on community development and community reinvestment issues. She co-authored Small Business Lending for Economic Development, Vol. 2, wrote three chapters in the guidebook Tools for Promoting Community Reinvestment, and managed production and fundraising for the Community Lending Fact Book.
Articles
Minneapolis workforce housing forum highlights innovative housing solutions-
- On July 12, MPC participated in Bring Workers Home Minneapolis, the second of four regional workforce housing events, which brought together a range of housing advocates, realtors, and others in the field to explore housing challenges and hear innovative solutions. The event featured several great…
- Bring Workers Home: a series of national workforce housing forums
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- Through employer-assisted housing initiatives, employers around the country have discovered the advantage of having their workers living in quality, stable homes near jobs and transportation. Employer-assisted housing is a bottom-line benefit that promotes a stable workforce and strong communities.…
'Affordable living' still elusive for many-
- Two reports released in late March by MPC's partners show there's still more work to do before affordable living is truly within reach for most American families.
The Center for Housing Policy's annual Paycheck to Paycheck study estimated the median home price in Chicago fell from $225,000 in 2008…
- REALTORS, National Housing Conference, MPC and partners highlight model housing initiatives and new opportunities
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- In Philadelphia on Nov. 19, 2009, and in Boise, Idaho, on Dec. 3, 2009, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and National Housing Conference hosted events focused on innovative employer-assisted housing (EAH) efforts, model partnerships, and new opportunities to link to the Sustainable…
MPC supports new federal incentives to leverage business investment in workforce housing-
- As the economy and housing market begin to show signs of recovery, strategies proven to encourage homeownership and community stability are smart investments worthy of additional public and private support. Among these is employer-assisted housing, an innovative employer benefit through which…
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Areas of expertise
- Employer-Assisted Housing
- Housing policy
- Housing and transportation connections
Education
B.A., Anthropology, Princeton University
Executive Education in Affordable Workforce Housing, Harvard University
