Candidate for NAHRO Senior Vice President: George Guy
George Guy
CEO/Executive Director
Fort Wayne Housing Authority
Why am I running?
I am running for Senior Vice President of NAHRO because public housing agencies throughout our country are underfunded and we are working tirelessly to lobby for adequate resources that will effectively address the needs of our stakeholders. To compound matters, as our programs yield results we continuously struggle to address the systemic inequities that our residents and participants face. As your senior vice president my number one priority will be to implement a dual strategy with an emphasis on funding and the need for policy reforms required to address the underlying disparities within the housing community. Together, we will build coalitions and collaboratives that focus on adequate resources, while also creating innovative policy reforms that are transformational and support all residents in our communities.This is why I have chosen to run to serve as your Senior Vice President of NAHRO.
Bio
George Guy is a proven housing leader. As CEO and Executive Director of the Fort Wayne (IN) Housing Authority, George knows the difference housing and community development programs make to low-income families. He knows it because he’s lived it — growing up in public housing. He has a proven track record within the affordable housing industry having spent the past 25 years developing solutions to improve the quality of life for families in underserved communities.
George’s commitment to servant leadership has helped Fort Wayne Housing Authority, positioning the organization as one of the top performing housing authorities in the nation. Under his leadership, the organization oversees a portfolio of over 4000 public housing, vouchers, and affordable housing units. This includes a small housing agency, Decatur Housing Authority. George has remained steadfast in his commitment to build programs that will lift all families from poverty.
He has been able to expand the conversation about housing equity while serving as the president of the Indiana Chapter of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) and regional president of the North Central Regional Council of NAHRO (NCRC). He also elevated the ethical standards within the housing industry serving as a trustee member of the Board of Ethics by leading the effort in developing the NAHRO Code of Conduct. He also is the co-founder of the Housing and Education Task Force and serves as a Public Housing Authorities Directors Association (PHADA) trustee. Additionally, George is Vice Chair of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis (FHLBI) Affordable Housing Advisory Council.
Understanding the link between civil rights, human rights, and combating systemic inequities, George has adopted this philosophy to guide his work within the affordable housing industry and has assisted in the development of numerous affordable housing projects within the states of Indiana and Illinois, totaling over $200 million dollars. These developments include mixed-finance and permanent supportive housing developments that provide critical support for families dealing with unique needs such as AIDS, aging out of foster care, homelessness and victims of domestic violence. Additionally, he has created innovative partnerships with local and national agencies with the goal of expanding affordable housing choices and wrap-around services for homeless veterans, youth, and other vulnerable members of the community.
In his spare time, George serves as a member of the board of directors of United Way of Allen County, Boys and Girls Club Fort Wayne and Fort Wayne Urban League. He is also president of the Quad City Youth Build, the Fort Wayne Area Planning Council on Homelessness and the Indiana Balance of State Continuum of Care. He is also a volunteer coach for the YMCA youth sports programs and has been a Little League Baseball coach for over 25 years.
Vision
I am a colleague who fundamentally understands the significance of adequate housing, equity and community. As a child, growing up in low income housing I saw first-hand the disparities and inequities within my community. Raised by a mother whose commitment to servant leadership provided the framework for his understanding of my role and his responsibility to pay it forward through effective leadership, strategic planning, advocacy and collaboration. I have direct experience in developing partnerships in job training, education, and health care to build thriving communities.
As your Senior Vice President, my vision will be founded in 3 fundamental principles – advancing our work in Housing, Equity and Community.
So let’s talk about each:
HOUSING. We understand that Public and affordable housing transforms lives. Yet year after year, our programs are under siege from budget cuts, federal red tape, and officials who do not understand our programs or their impact. Together, we will fight for greater federal funding and local flexibilities for public housing authorities and community development agencies. As your Senior Vice President, I will work to protect and ensure smaller agencies are fully represented and work to strengthen the finance tools and programs to better meet local needs.
EQUITY. We can all agree NAHRO has an obligation to convene and assist us in empowering people and our communities which have been marginalized. This includes those impacted by racism and systemic inequalities, small and rural communities, homelessness, foster youth, victims of the global pandemic, and many others. We must continue to challenge ourselves to engage in critical conversations that will empower all NAHRO members, because Equity Matters for all.
COMMUNITY. Community comes in many forms. We live in community. We work in community. We worship in community. And we work together to help our communities thrive. As housing and community development professionals, NAHRO is where we come together as a community. Serving as your Senior Vice President, I will work to grow the NAHRO community through expanded professional development, networking, and advocacy.
Expanding the NAHRO Footprint
Most recently, George led a statewide effort to develop a legislative white paper and presented the findings to state and federal elected officials. His efforts help guide the public policy conversation regarding legislative needs for affordable housing agencies and address the issue of stigma which serves as a barrier for residents. Over the years, George has been tapped to represent NAHRO in an array of roles, most recently, the organization awarded Senator Todd Young with the Indiana Legislator of the Year recognition and requested George present the award on their behalf.
The selection of George was due to his ongoing support and advocacy of the Senator’s co- sponsoring andintroduction of Task Force on the Impact of the Affordable Housing Crisis Act of 2019 and Yes In My Backyard (YIMBY) legislation which was created to shed light on discriminatory land use policies, encouraging localities to cut burdensome regulations, and bring a new level of transparency to the community development process. The legislation also examines housing and land use decisions that negatively affect and sometimes discriminate against low- and middle-income Americans. George also was selected to be a part of Senator Young’s roundtable discussion on the topic of eviction with author of the book Evicted by Matthew Desmond.
River’s Edge was just one of the accomplishments George achieved during the pandemic. Understanding the importance of aligning resources, he created a statewide and region collaborative to continue to administer effective housing programs to address inequities, deploy PPE, and effectively administer CARES Act funding. Affordable housing agencies throughout the state of Indiana participated providing best practices and an unprecedented access to resources. This effort included HUD local and regional offices.
Housing for All
George’s achievements within the affordable housing sector position him as a Servant Leader of affordable housing, residents, families and communities. And to grow the next generation of housing leaders and activists, George has created a Leadership Academy, focused on building skills, promoting professional development and creating opportunities for positioning employees for leadership roles at affordable housing agencies throughout the country.
Understanding that education is a key component for ending the cycle of poverty, George has committed to early childhood education centers as a part of all FWHA’s family developments. He has developed partnerships with the Fort Wayne Community School District and East Allen County School District to offer tutoring and resources that will ensure that every child living in any FWHA development will be able to read at grade level. To support this effort, he has also forged national partnerships with national coalitions such as Book Enrichment Environments and the Campaign for Grade Level Reading to address inequities that will ensure he achieves this goal. These partnerships provide a pathway for children to achieve academic success and pursue academic success both inside and outside of the classroom.
Additional examples of George’s commitment to housing rights include his involvement in the development of Rivers Edge, designed to address the local homeless crisis. Located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the development opened in the midst of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic and serves as the city’s first permanent supportive housing development dedicated to the disabled and chronically homeless.
Additionally, George partnered with the City of Fort Wayne to administer local Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) during the pandemic and tenant based rental assistance to prevent evictions. This led to his being tapped to advise Public Housing Authorities across the country on why and how to implement these programs in their local communities. He also supported the Allen County Health Department by providing the agency as a location for drive-thru coronavirus testing. He also participates in a local housing collaborative with METRO Human Relations to address local housing inequity initiatives. Also, under his leadership, agencies have been the recipient of more than 150 industry awards locally, regionally and nationally. The awards recognize George and the entire FWHA team for their innovation, advocacy and excellence in the affordable housing industry.
Message to the Membership
Endorsements
George Guy Campaign Video
Monthly Message to the Candidates
July Question: If there was one top post-COVID-19 opportunity for NAHRO to seize upon, what would that opportunity be?
June Question: Please share from your viewpoint what makes NAHRO Professional Development (PD) and Certification unique and how will you prioritize it during your term?
May Question: What responsibility do NAHRO members have in advocating the importance of affordable housing and HUD programs to their members of Congress?
Answer
Contact Information
George Guy
CEO/Executive Director
Fort Wayne Housing Authority
7315 Hanna Street
Fort Wayne, IN 46816
- Phone: 260-276-9300
- Email: gguy@fwha.org
Professional Code of Conduct
Every NAHRO individual member or associate, allied individual member, and those certified through one of NAHRO’s Credentialing programs, must live and work by NAHRO’s Code of Professional Conduct.