Deborah DeSantis

Deborah DeSantis is an American nonprofit executive and a leading national advocate for supportive housing. She is best known for her transformative, multi-decade tenure as President and CEO of the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH), a national organization that finances and advocates for housing solutions integrating services for vulnerable populations. Under her leadership, CSH became a pivotal force in shaping federal policy and financing models, helping to create hundreds of thousands of supportive housing units across the United States.

Early life and education

DeSantis was raised in New York City, where early exposure to urban challenges influenced her career trajectory. She pursued her undergraduate education at St. John's University in Queens, graduating with a degree in government and politics. Her commitment to social justice and community development led her to earn a Master of Public Administration from the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University. This academic foundation in public policy and administration provided the critical framework for her future work in systemic change within the housing sector.

Career

DeSantis began her career in the public and nonprofit sectors, focusing on community development and housing issues in New York State. She held several key positions that honed her expertise in program development and finance, including roles with the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development and the New York State Housing Finance Agency. Her early work involved developing affordable housing and revitalization projects, which laid the groundwork for her understanding of the intricate connections between stable housing, health, and economic opportunity. This experience positioned her to take on a leadership role at the then-fledgling Corporation for Supportive Housing.

Leadership at Corporation for Supportive Housing

Appointed President and CEO of the Corporation for Supportive Housing in 1997, DeSantis guided the organization from a small New York City-based initiative to a nationally influential intermediary with offices across the United States. She pioneered innovative financing tools, such as the Supportive Housing Institute model, which brought together cross-sector teams from cities and states to accelerate project development. Under her direction, CSH played a crucial role in advancing major federal initiatives, including the Housing First approach endorsed by the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness and the creation of the National Housing Trust Fund. Her advocacy was instrumental in securing billions of dollars through programs like the Medicaid waiver authority for services and the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit for supportive housing projects, influencing policy during multiple presidential administrations.

Awards and recognition

In 2016, DeSantis's groundbreaking work was recognized with a prestigious fellowship from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, commonly known as a "Genius Grant." She has also received numerous other honors, including the Nonprofit Times Power & Influence Top 50 award multiple times. Her leadership has been acknowledged by various institutions, such as the Ford Foundation and the Urban Land Institute, for demonstrating how supportive housing can effectively and cost-efficiently address chronic homelessness, improve public health outcomes, and strengthen communities.

Personal life

DeSantis maintains a relatively private personal life while being a prominent voice in national policy discussions. She is known to reside in the New York metropolitan area and is frequently cited as an expert in publications like The New York Times and The Washington Post, as well as in congressional testimony. Her dedication to the field is described as a lifelong vocation, driven by a conviction that housing is a fundamental platform for human dignity and recovery.

Category:American housing activists Category:MacArthur Fellows Category:St. John's University (New York) alumni Category:New York University alumni