HDF’s mission is to facilitate the development of affordable rental and homeownership opportunities. HDF accomplishes this mission through assisting households in becoming and remaining owners of affordable homes, and through financing affordable rental opportunities for low and moderate income households.
With help from HDF, first time homebuyers become homeowners through free counseling and unique lending products, developers build affordable housing units with competitive financing, and homeowners are encouraged and supported through innovative programs.
Public and private investment through HDF is making sustainable homeownership a reality, one #HDFHome at a time. HDF leverages private investment to make public subsidy dollars work harder to create affordable housing, offering lenders the opportunity to invest in the sustainable ownership of our communities. We work with state and local governments to develop innovative housing solutions and to identify qualified homebuyers for affordable housing and homebuyer assistance programs.
HDF is a HUD-Certified counseling and lending agency. We are certified by the US Treasury Department as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), a Chartered Member of NeighborWorks America, a CARS rated agency (AA +2), and a member of the Opportunity Finance Network and the Housing Partnership Network. HDF is an equal opportunity lender.
History
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The Housing Development Fund, Inc was established in 1989 as a nonprofit organization to finance the development of affordable housing in Stamford, CT.
Early on, we provided financing for developers of affordable housing, downpayment assistance loans for first time homebuyers, and were instrumental in establishing inclusionary zoning in both Stamford and Norwalk. In 1999, we merged with Adopt-a-House and began to provide free homeownership counseling services to homebuyers. Since then, through a series of strong local partnerships, HDF’s services have become available to an increasing number of homebuyers.
Today we have offices in Stamford, Bridgeport, and Danbury providing unique lending products and free homeownership counseling. With more than $120 million in funds under management, our programs include the pre-development, acquisition, rehabilitation, and construction of affordable housing, as well as downpayment and closing cost assistance loan programs for low and moderate income families.
Our service area includes the entire state of Connecticut as well as the counties of Nassau, Suffolk, Rockland, Putnam, and Westchester counties in New York state, the five boroughs of New York City, and a recent expansion into Massachusetts.
Staff
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Joan Carty
President & Chief Executive Officer
BIO
Joan Carty
President & Chief Executive Officer
Since taking the helm at HDF in 1994, Ms. Carty has grown its funding pools from $8.5 million to more than $140 million. Throughout her career she has established relationships with private lenders, government funding sources and corporate and foundation donors. Ms. Carty holds her Bachelor’s degree from the College of New Rochelle, an M.S. in urban affairs from Hunter College, and a law degree from Fordham University School of Law. Joan is currently serving her third term on the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston’s (FHLBB) Board of Directors and is Chair of the Housing and Community Development Committee for the FHLBB. She is also a member of the Executive Committee and Human Resources and Compensation Committee. As a board member of the Housing Partnership Network and a Loan Committee member of the National Neighborworks Association (NNA), Joan is involved in current and critical housing policy issues on a national level. Joan served as a member of the Transportation Finance Panel for the Governor’s office in Connecticut in 2015.
Gina Delano
Chief Financial Officer
BIO
Gina Delano
Chief Financial Officer
Ms. Delano joined HDF in June 2014 and as CFO of HDF, she has responsibility for accounting and data functions within the organization. Prior to joining HDF, Ms. Delano spent 7 years as VP/Controller for Fieldpoint Private Bank & Trust, and has extensive board and consulting experience in the nonprofit sector. Ms. Delano came to HDF with extensive experience in accounting, technology and finance, and is CPA qualified with a Masters in Accounting from Fairfield University and a degree in Business from Indiana University.
Kelly Almanzar
Director of Residential Lending
BIO
Kelly Almanzar
Director of Residential Lending
Mr. Almanzar has over a decade of experience in residential lending. Having worked at large banks and community banks Mr. Almanzar has specialized in low to moderate income and first time homebuyers. He has held positions as a Residential Lending Manager and most recently as Consumer Lending Product Manager. He holds his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from City University of New York.
Deborah MacKenzie
Director of Homebuyer Development
BIO
Deborah MacKenzie
Director of Homebuyer Development
Ms. MacKenzie joined HDF in 2007. She has been the Director of Counseling since September 2009 responsible for pre-purchase counseling and education activities and compliance. Ms. MacKenzie has more than 25 years of cumulative prior experience with the United Way of Northern Fairfield County as a project manager and the City of Danbury as the Director of Welfare and Social Services. She holds a B.S. in Criminal Justice and Administration from the University of New Haven. Currently she holds the necessary NCHEC certifications required to supervise and provide Housing Counseling Services.
Elyse Pitts
Director of Innovation
BIO
Elyse Pitts
Director of Innovation
Ms. Pitts has been with HDF in various ways since 2003. She has been the Director of Innovation since September 2012 responsible for launching new programs, streamlining process workflows, and upgrading and streamlining HDF’s technology infrastructure. Elyse took 2008 to 2012 off to be a full time parent, but prior to that, she served as HDF’s Director of Lending from 2003 to 2008. Before her time with HDF, Ms. Pitts worked almost 10 years in the national commercial real estate finance arena, working with companies like AIG Global Real Estate Investment Corporation, Nomura Securities, and Coopers and Lybrand. She holds a B.S. in Business and Economics with a concentration in Finance from Lehigh University. She also is a Master of City and Regional and Urban Planning from the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University.
Elizabeth Frost
Director of Development and Communications
BIO
Elizabeth Frost
Director of Development and Communications
Mrs. Frost joined HDF in 2016 as the Grants Manager and has held the position of Director of Development and Communications since August of 2018. Mrs. Frost came to HDF with over ten years of experience in various aspects of Nonprofit management including grants management and compliance, fundraising, event planning, marketing, and communications. Before her time at HDF, Mrs. Frost managed grants at Boston’s Children’s Hospital and provided fundraising support to the Major Gifts Department at Harvard University’s Development Office. Mrs. Frost holds a B.A. from Franklin and Marshall College where she majored in Government.
Ali Robinson
Director of Commercial Lending
BIO
Ali Robinson
Director of Commercial Lending
Ali Robinson has worked in the social/environmental impact field for over a decade, 8 years of which have been focused in community development finance. After working for the U.S. Green Building Council's Northern California chapter, Ali obtained an MBA in Sustainable Management from Presidio Graduate School before joining California FarmLink, where she collaboratively built an impact loan fund focused on supporting sustainable agricultural entrepreneurs. Ali joined HDF in 2018 and has focused on growing the Commercial Lending department, which finances affordable multifamily commercial real estate. Ali is Spanish/American, loves music, learning, and healthy food, and enjoys outdoor activities and adventures with her husband, son, and dog.
Jaclynn Marie Alves
Assistant Lending Manager
Jaclynn Marie Alves
Assistant Lending Manager
Winifred Bailey
Closing and Syndication Manager
Winifred Bailey
Closing and Syndication Manager
Anne Conners
Operations Associate, Commercial Lending
Anne Conners
Operations Associate, Commercial Lending
Mary Alice Dinho
Homeownership Advisor / Danbury Program Manager
Mary Alice Dinho
Homeownership Advisor / Danbury Program Manager
Kayte Graveline
Junior Underwriter
Kayte Graveline
Junior Underwriter
Shweta Khairnar
Data Analyst
Shweta Khairnar
Data Analyst
Ana Martinez
Accounting Assistant
Ana Martinez
Accounting Assistant
Amaryllis Marquez
Counseling Support Specialist
Amaryllis Marquez
Counseling Support Specialist
Myriam Mena-Polk
Senior Loan Officer & Bridgeport Program Coordinator
Myriam Mena-Polk
Senior Loan Officer & Bridgeport Program Coordinator
Jerry Morgan
Homeownership Advisor
Jerry Morgan
Homeownership Advisor
Eliot Pacheco
Controller
Daisy Pavon
Office Manager
Daisy Pavon
Office Manager
India Rogers-Shepp
Development Assistant
India Rogers-Shepp
Development Assistant
Maria Sanchez
Servicing Coordinator
Maria Sanchez
Servicing Coordinator
Mairin Sheridan
Marketing Intern
Mairin Sheridan
Marketing Intern
Wanda Smiling
Counseling Support Specialist
Wanda Smiling
Counseling Support Specialist
Roxana Ubillus
Senior Homeownership Advisor
Roxana Ubillus
Senior Homeownership Advisor
Richard Zelinsky
IT Business Line Data Analyst
Richard Zelinsky
IT Business Line Data Analyst
Board
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Clay Fowler
Spinnaker Companies
Clay Fowler
Spinnaker Companies
Robin Gallagher
Webster Bank
Robin Gallagher
Webster Bank
Scott Gerard
Shipman and Goodwin LLP
Scott Gerard
Shipman and Goodwin LLP
Charles F. Howell
Attorney
Charles F. Howell
Attorney
Bert Hunter
Connecticut Green Bank
Bert Hunter
Connecticut Green Bank
Barbara Kelly
Citibank
E. Phillip McKain
Community Member
E. Phillip McKain
Community Member
Willard Miley
First County Bank
Willard Miley
First County Bank
Marjan Murray
People's United Bank
Marjan Murray
People's United Bank
Margaret Powers
Newtown Savings Bank
Margaret Powers
Newtown Savings Bank
Matthew Quinones
Stamford Public Education Foundation
Matthew Quinones
Stamford Public Education Foundation
Kathleen Romagnano
Nexos National Bank
Kathleen Romagnano
Nexos National Bank
Lisa Sanders
TD Bank
Al Shehadi
Shehadi Advisory
Al Shehadi
Shehadi Advisory
Michael Weinstock
M&T Bank
Michael Weinstock
M&T Bank