Stephanie Sweeney, MCP
Founder
I began in affordable housing in 1993 when I left market rate property management to work for the non-profit housing development corporation Franciscan Home Development in Over-the-Rhine, an inner-city neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio. As the property manager for Franciscan Home Development, I learned to handle Uniform Relocation Act requirements to prevent displacement of the residents during the renovation of historic buildings. I served in this role for two years. When I moved on to become the Executive Director of the organization in 1995, I was instrumental in facilitating the Resident Advisory Council which provided input to the Franciscan Board on development and other neighborhood issues. The Franciscan organization was considered a pioneer in combining low-income and historic tax credits. It is credited for helping to spur the “renaissance of Over-the-Rhine” by re-developing 200 units in 35 buildings.
When I left Franciscan Home Development in 2001, I returned to the University of Cincinnati and earned a Masters Degree in Community Planning (MCP). At the same time, I took a job with Strategic Funding Group (SFG) of Lexington, Kentucky. SFG specialized in grant writing on a variety of topics (Human Services, Education, Healthcare, etc.) and the client base was primarily non-profit organizations. The non-profits worked with me to write proposals for housing development. I was with SFG from 2001 to 2008. During this time, I published an article and a book review in the Journal of Urban Affairs. I provided technical assistance on many aspects of organizational development in addition to the production of units.
Stephanie Sweeney & Associates, LLC was established in 2008, and by 2010 I was working with clients in four states. Initially I continued to specialize in non-profit housing for special needs populations, but by 2010 began participating in more for-profit partnerships, particularly the renovation of multifamily properties originally developed through the United States Department of Agriculture. Since these properties are occupied, old skills in Resident relations continue to be important.
My resume provides the details on the variety and financial scope of the projects I have helped to develop: an estimated 800 plus units in over 20 projects since becoming a consultant.
Jessica Gardner
Consultant
My affordable housing career began when I accepted a position in Kentucky Housing Corporation’s legal department. I started as a Paralegal processing closing documents for the multifamily department. After a year of processing closing documents, I become the Hearing Officer for the Section 8 department and travelled around the state performing hearings. During this time a new Governor was elected and things were changing at Kentucky Housing Corporation. The Governor launched an initiative known as Recovery Kentucky, and a position opened up in the Multifamily Housing department to manage those projects. As I was eager to learn new things, I jumped at the opportunity and finished my career at Kentucky Housing as the project manager for the 10 Recovery Kentucky projects which consisted of numerous funding sources.
In 2007, I left Kentucky Housing for the Housing Developer position with Bluegrass Regional Mental Health-Mental Retardation Board. I was hired to expand their housing opportunities for persons with mental or developmental disabilities. I applied for and successfully obtained the only HUD 811 project in the state of Kentucky that is scattered site. The project was 3 group homes in three different neighborhoods in Lexington. Two of the homes housed persons who were developmentally disabled and the third home housed individuals with the rare Prader Willi syndrome.
When I left Bluegrass Regional Mental Health-Mental Retardation Board in May of 2009, I went to Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati to manage their Affordable Housing Program. I provided technical expertise to developers throughout Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee. During my time there I revamped the underwriting guidelines and overall process and procedures for how applications and disbursements were processed.
In 2011, Wabuck Development Company offered me a position to join their team to expand their footprint into Tennessee and Ohio. My primary goals were to bring new partnerships, new opportunities and complete funding source applications such as tax credits applications, Federal Home Loan Bank applications, and local and state funding applications. During my five years with Wabuck, I was successful in obtaining over $30 million in tax credit and Federal Home Loan Bank funds.
I enjoy working with developers and non-profits to make their visions come to life. The more complex the deal, the more exciting it is to use my skills to see doors being opened. My resume is attached and gives more detail about my roles and responsibilities in my various positions.