She has a background in health care, an expertise in public finance and a passion for achieving community improvement through funding strategies, but the metaphor that best illustrates Bernadette Austin's current role comes from a children's fable.

The growing demand for affordable homes, coupled with the increasing local opposition known as NIMBYism (“Not in My Back Yard”), signals a need to put a face to affordable housing.

When the U.S. Fair Housing Act was enacted in 1968, the goal was clear: protect home buyers and renters from unjust discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Yet, now, nearly 50 years later, racial and economic segregation remain entrenched at the local, regional, state, and national level.