Policy, Equity, and Advocacy 101 — Season 2, Episode 3
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Season 2 — Episode 3
On this week’s episode of the EmpowHER Podcast, hosts Nicole Graham and Tanya Dempsey sit down with Jennifer Schwartz, Director of Tax and Housing Advocacy at the National Council of State Housing Agencies.
Jennifer leads federal policy and legislative advocacy on Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, tax-exempt bonds, HUD funding, and key housing initiatives that shape affordable housing production nationwide. With a career that began in direct service supporting survivors of domestic violence, she brings a deeply personal understanding of how policy decisions impact real families.
From expanding the Housing Credit to navigating bipartisan negotiations in a divided Congress, Jennifer shares what advocacy looks like behind the scenes. The strategy. The relationships. The persistence. And the belief that housing should never be partisan.
They Discuss:
- How housing policy decisions translate from Capitol Hill to families on the ground
- The expansion of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit and what it means for production
- The cost and implementation challenges of Build America, Buy America
- Balancing compliance, accountability, and affordability
- Playing both offense and defense in federal housing advocacy
- Why affordable housing must remain bipartisan
- Advice for emerging advocates who want to influence housing systems
Jennifer reminds us that policy is always about people, and that even the most technical legislative changes can ripple through communities in powerful ways.
Have a topic or theme you’d like us to explore this season? We’d love to hear from you: info@csgadvisors.com
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CSG Advisors Incorporated is a national, full service, independent financial advisor that assists public finance clients in the design, financing and implementation of affordable housing, urban redevelopment and economic development initiatives. Over the past 20 years, CSG has advised on more housing bonds than any other municipal advisor, as reported by Thompson Reuters.* CSG Advisors is entirely employee-owned and independent. Employee owners include minorities and women.
*Source: Securities Data. Volume amount in $ mill. Market share is % of all housing issues with or without advisors 2002-2024