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Though the New York City Acquisition Fund, Enterprise and its partners are helping to keep homes affordable for families like the Gonzalezes. Photo: Harry Connolly. |
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Welcome to the home of Innovation at Enterprise. Although we have embraced innovation as a business tool since our inception in 1982, we recently formalized the process internally by creating an Innovation Unit to stimulate the development and implementation of new ideas that support our mission, whether they are generated internally or externally.
Enterprise was created in 1982 thanks to the innovative thinking of Jim and Patty Rouse, and the executive team that coalesced around the idea of creating a new organization for financing and supporting affordable housing in unconventional ways. Today, as we face equally, if not greater, challenges with regard to how to ensure that all Americans have access to fit and affordable housing, innovation as a key driver of progress is more essential than ever to the lifeblood of Enterprise and the problems we are trying to solve.
Currently, we are exploring new ideas that will support the work that our local offices do in delivering technical assistance, new financial products to provide short-term and long-term debt and equity, and new policies that will advance the cause of ensuring that every American has access to fit and affordable housing.
As we work to improve Enterprise and its ability to achieve its mission, we have defined six “Big Challenges” where we think innovation can make a big difference:
- How can we produce or influence the production of more units of affordable housing to overcome the current 3 million unit deficit?
- What new subsidies can be created to support affordable housing and community development in general?
- How can we build/preserve more units that are closer to jobs and mass transit?
- How can we bring our older inventory of units into compliance with the Green Communities Criteria?
- How can we turn the foreclosure crisis and the availability of thousands of vacant, bank-owned or government-owned homes into an opportunity to add to the affordable housing inventory?
- How can Enterprise do more without increasing its contingent liabilities?
Enterprise has always relied on its partners, customers, and the broader housing community for support in many ways. We hope you will engage with us in our effort to continue to innovate for the betterment of those who need fit and affordable housing.
If you have ideas (whether or not you think they might be half-baked, “crazy,” out-of–the-box, off-the-wall, etc.), we are eager to hear them. Please contact our Innovation Team, and hopefully we can engage in a creative and constructive process that will lead to your idea having a home at Enterprise.
Enterprise Community Partners
10 G Street, NE
Suite 450
Washington, DC 20002
Matt Hoffman
Deputy Director Innovation
202.649.3919
Email Matt
Ellen Wickham
Director New Business
410.772.3088
Email Ellen
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