LISC appoints Valerie White to lead national housing strategy

Published in House and Home on Tuesday, August 26th 2025 at 18:45 GMT by HousingWire
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LISC Names Valerie White as Director of National Housing Strategy

Washington, D.C. – August 2025 – The Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), the nation’s largest philanthropic organization for community development, announced today that Valerie White will assume the role of Director of National Housing Strategy. Effective September 1, White will oversee a portfolio of policy, advocacy, and technical‑assistance initiatives designed to accelerate the delivery of affordable, quality homes for low‑income families, seniors, and people of color across the United States.

A Proven Leader in Affordable Housing

Valerie White brings more than two decades of experience at the forefront of housing equity. Prior to joining LISC, White served as Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy at the National Low‑Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), where she championed federal funding mechanisms that helped construct and preserve 4 million affordable units nationwide. She has also held senior positions with the New York City Housing Authority and the Center for Housing Policy, developing data‑driven tools that identify communities most in need of investment.

White’s career has been marked by a commitment to partnership‑based solutions. “The scale of the crisis—rising rents, stagnant wages, and the lingering effects of the pandemic—demands collaborative approaches that bridge public, private, and nonprofit sectors,” she said. “I’m excited to bring that experience to LISC, where I’ll work with local partners, state governments, and federal agencies to create scalable policy frameworks.”

LISC’s Vision for the Next Decade

LISC’s new national housing strategy builds on the organization’s long‑standing “Housing for All” pledge, which calls for $20 billion in new affordable‑housing capital over five years. The strategy outlines three core pillars:

Scale Delivery – Leveraging LISC’s $3.7 billion in capital, the organization will expand its “Affordable Housing Delivery Fund,” providing financing and technical assistance to local community development corporations (CDCs). The fund will target underserved urban and rural neighborhoods, focusing on preservation of existing units and the construction of new affordable homes.
Policy Innovation – White will lead a team of policy analysts tasked with advocating for federal and state reforms that lower the regulatory burden on developers. This includes streamlining zoning approvals, expanding the Low‑Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program, and championing inclusionary zoning mandates in high‑growth states.
Climate and Resilience – Recognizing that affordable housing must also be climate‑resilient, LISC will integrate green‑building standards into its financing models. White’s team will collaborate with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Climate Resilience Fund to embed energy‑efficient upgrades into both new construction and retrofits.

LISC’s leadership, including CEO John O. Jones, emphasized that White’s appointment is a “strategic investment in the future of community development.” Jones added, “Valerie’s deep policy expertise and her track record of partnership building align perfectly with our goal of creating durable, inclusive communities.”

Responding to a Nationwide Housing Crisis

The context for LISC’s renewed focus is stark. Housing affordability has deteriorated in recent years, with median rent exceeding 30 % of the average household income in over 40 metropolitan areas. In 2024, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development reported that 16 million households were “cost‑burdened,” paying more than 30 % of income on housing costs. The COVID‑19 pandemic exacerbated these challenges, pushing many low‑income families into homelessness and forcing local governments to scramble for emergency housing solutions.

White’s role will be to translate this urgent reality into actionable policy. She plans to collaborate with federal agencies, including HUD and the Department of Treasury, to secure expanded LIHTC allocations and federal tax incentives for green housing. Simultaneously, she will partner with state legislatures to adopt “housing first” ordinances that prioritize immediate shelter for the chronically homeless.

“We can’t afford to wait for market forces alone,” White said. “Affordable housing must be a deliberate policy outcome, and we’ll use data and coalition‑building to make that a reality.”

A Broader Ecosystem of Collaboration

LISC’s national housing strategy will also engage a growing network of community partners. White’s team will work closely with the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) and the Urban Institute’s Housing Policy Center to develop best‑practice guidelines. In addition, LISC will maintain its “Housing Innovation Lab,” an interdisciplinary hub that applies analytics to track the performance of affordable‑housing projects and to disseminate findings to policymakers.

LISC’s recent partnership with the Climate Resilience Fund exemplifies the kind of cross‑sector collaboration White will champion. Together, they are piloting a “Resilient Home” initiative that offers low‑interest loans for flood‑proofing retrofits in coastal communities.

Looking Ahead

Valerie White’s appointment signals a decisive push for national leadership in the affordable‑housing space. Her first priority will be to convene a summit of CDCs, state housing agencies, and federal policymakers in early September, with the goal of crafting a “Housing Blueprint” that outlines concrete policy pathways for 2026‑2030.

As LISC scales its capital and amplifies its policy reach, the organization’s new national housing strategy positions it to play a pivotal role in reshaping the U.S. housing landscape. If successful, the initiative could deliver millions of new affordable units, reduce housing cost burdens for tens of millions of families, and ensure that resilience to climate change is baked into the very fabric of new homes.

The next months will reveal whether LISC, under White’s direction, can transform its vision into nationwide action—and whether the nation can finally close the widening gap between housing supply and the urgent need for safe, affordable shelter.

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