Industry Spotlight: AHTCC's Emily Cadik

Emily Cadik speaking at the 2023 Affordable Housing Symposium. Photo by AHTCC.

If you’ve ever attended a low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) industry conference, you’ve likely heard from Emily Cadik. As a frequent speaker and panelist, she provides valuable insights on Washington updates and policy-related topics. Emily is a strong advocate for The Housing Credit and works tirelessly to support and enhance policies that create a meaningful impact in communities nationwide. Read more from Emily below.

What laid the foundation for your advocacy work in affordable housing?

When I finished school, I knew I wanted to work in a policy area that I felt had a meaningful impact. But like many people in the affordable housing industry, I didn’t know I wanted to work in affordable housing and ultimately fell into it. When I finished graduate school, I applied for the Presidential Management Fellowship and got a placement at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, having no prior experience with housing. But it was an amazing first job and introduction to housing – I got to visit public housing authorities all over the country and see how different the housing landscape was in completely different cities, from Baltimore to Seattle to Boulder. After that experience, I was totally bought in on housing policy but realized that I really wanted to be part of the effort to advocate for more resources and better policies.

Why Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition (AHTCC)? What drew you to your early engagement with the organization and ultimately lead to your position as CEO? 

When I worked at Enterprise Community Partners after I left HUD, I began leading their tax policy advocacy and getting involved in industry groups supporting programs like The Housing Credit.. I joined the Board of the Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition, and had the opportunity to help lead the advocacy efforts during one of the most important times for tax policy during The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. I got to know the AHTCC’s Board and its members through my time on the Board and also get ideas for how we could make the organization even stronger. It’s such a privilege to lead the organization now.

Having been involved in housing and urban development for nearly 16 years, what has been the most rewarding part of your experience?

The best part about working in policy is getting something signed into law that has a real impact on so many peoples’ lives. Getting the minimum 4 percent rate set, and the first expansion of the Housing Credit in ten years – together, these have financed over 150,000 more affordable homes than otherwise possible. Beyond that, it has been rewarding to grow the Coalition and our team. We have nearly doubled membership over the past ten years and have grown our staff, both of which make our advocacy efforts that much more powerful.

Are there any campaigns or policy work that you're particularly proud of? If so, tell us about them.

The Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act (AHCIA) was just reintroduced in the House this April with more than double the support we had at the start of the last Congress. That’s a huge testament to the advocacy of our members and partners, and we hope it paves the way for some long overdue action on affordable housing this year.

What are the most effective ways for people and organizations to support The Housing Credit?

Everyone in this industry has a role to play in telling the story about The Housing Credit. Even building a relationship with one member of Congress makes a huge difference. The gold standard for advocacy is getting members of Congress out to see Housing Credit properties and meet with residents firsthand. But even sending an email or making a call to support a piece of legislation like the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act helps.

How do you hope your work makes an impact?

My ultimate goal is to see legislation expanding and strengthening the Housing Credit signed into law. More broadly, I hope that the coalition we are building and the advocates we are bringing into the fold will help position the program to be successful in any political environment, beyond any specific legislative effort.

What do you wish people knew about the LIHTC?

I wish people better understood the direct benefits to residents. The misperception that the program mostly benefits developers or investors was coming up often enough that the AHTCC commissioned research to quantify the savings to residents.

We found that households living in a Housing Credit property pay an average of $7,800 less per year compared to market – savings that are transformative for low-income families. But we still have more work to do to get the word out about our findings.

Learn more about how you can join in the advocacy efforts taking place today via AHTCC advocacy resources.

---

GET TO KNOW EMILY:

What’s your favorite national monument or landmark and why? I love Zion National Park – absolutely breathtaking. I’m also looking forward to visiting Mount Rainier and North Cascades National Parks this summer.

How do you enjoy your time outside of work? Any hobbies? I love to cook, go running in Rock Creek Park in DC, and travel. I’m currently working on visiting 40 countries before I turn 40, and I’m almost there! (Both in terms of countries, and years.)

What is your favorite place that you have traveled to? I loved Portugal and would happily go back any day – it has such a great mix of beautiful cities, scenery, food and wine. I also really loved visiting some of the more adventurous but less relaxing places I’ve traveled, like Morocco, Vietnam, Cambodia, and South Africa.

What’s on your travel bucket list? This summer I’m visiting Croatia, Slovenia and Montenegro, and can’t wait. I’ve also always wanted to visit New Zealand.