HPD Commissioner Mathew Wambua
NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Mathew Wambua.
By his own account, Mathew Wambua knew little about supportive housing when he became Commissioner of the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) in 2011. But oh, the difference a year can make. By 2012, Commissioner Wambua unveiled an ambitious plan to double HPD’s production of supportive housing, from 500 to 1,000 units a year.
“There’s no more compelling need than the need for supportive housing,” he said at the Network’s 12th Annual New York State Supportive Housing Conference in June. Thunderous applause ensued.
A veteran of the Bloomberg Administration, Commissioner Wambua has used his influence and the considerable resources at HPD to champion the transformative powers of supportive housing. His department -- the largest of its kind in the nation -- has continued to expand the financing and development of supportive housing despite severe cuts to federal HOME funding, a major source of capital for supportive housing.
Under Commissioner Wambua’s watch, HPD has also spearheaded a new collaboration with the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). Thanks to the work of Commissioner Wambua and NYCHA Chairman John Rhea, NYCHA will soon make both land and rental subsidies available to facilitate increased supportive housing development.
Commissioner Wambua oversees a host of programs at HPD, including all of the development under Mayor Bloomberg’s New Housing Marketplace Plan. This initiative will create or preserve 165,000 units of low-, moderate- and middle-income housing in New York City by the close of the 2014 fiscal year.
At the Network’s conference in June, Commissioner Wambua spoke with remarkable candor about his 13-year-old son, who is non-verbal and autistic. Although Commissioner Wambua has learned not to underestimate the amazing things his son can do, he is also aware that if his son chooses to live independently, he will need support.
“I see my son in every one of your clients,” he told the rapt crowd.
For his newfound and extraordinary commitment to supportive housing, the Network is honored to bestow its Government Partner of the Year award to HPD Commissioner Mathew Wambua.