Now is the Moment

James Rouse founded Enterprise Community Partners more than 40 years ago to help communities build opportunity and prosperity. Now, Enterprise is beginning a bold strategic chapter in response to a housing affordability crisis that has reached every corner of the country.

Enterprise CEO Shaun Donovan is inspired by a nationwide focus on housing, and, like Enterprise's late founder, he is optimistic the organization can use its deep reach, expertise, and collaborative spirit to make a real difference.

Housing is the number one economic issue in the country. What excites me is the opportunity to work with our partners to help lead a dramatic expansion of our work - and our field's work - at this moment when it's most needed.

shaun donovan

We spoke with Donovan recently about Enterprise's unique strengths and a new strategic plan - Key into Housing - that aims to expand housing opportunity for five million people by the end of 2031.

Housing sits at the center of so many challenges, from economic mobility and workforce development, to health, and climate resilience. Where can Enterprise make the biggest difference over the next five years?

Housing is foundational to opportunity and health and so many other challenges we face in all parts of the country. In many ways, Enterprise is the great translator - we understand the full range of ways that housing can unlock opportunity, and we're able to draw those connections with community leaders, public officials, and engaged citizens.

Fundamentally, we don't have a shortage of ideas in this country around housing. We have a shortage of pathways to scale those ideas to address the magnitude of the crisis. We are uniquely positioned to take what's working around the country, spread the word, and provide technical assistance, policy expertise, and capital to turn those ideas into solutions at scale.

The new strategic plan sets an ambitious goal of reaching 5 million people by scaling innovative solutions. What excites you most about the opportunity ahead?

In building this strategic plan we talked to Enterprisers, our partners, and thought leaders around the country. One of the most powerful messages that came back was this: now is the moment for an ambitious effort for Enterprise to step up and accelerate its work.

That vote of confidence from our partners comes at a time when housing tops the agenda at the federal level and in just about every region of the country. And what excites me is the opportunity to work with our partners to help lead a dramatic expansion of our work and our field's work, at this moment when it's most needed.

Could you talk a little bit more about what is unique about Enterprise's end-to-end platform and how it positions the organization to pursue these ambitious goals?

Fundamentally, we walk the walk. Whether it's through our development, management, or capital tools, we are in communities working on the ground every day. I remember a mayor saying to me, "You know what? The advocates come and share their ideas and concerns. And when they leave my office, I pick up the phone and call Enterprise and ask, how do we solve this?"

Our end-to-end platform gives us a unique ability to be both a problem solver and an impact multiplier for our partners. What I mean by "impact multiplier" is this: we have our eye on how to make a solution work in one place, but we're also focused on how it can be designed so that many more communities can take advantage of it. We're also looking at the legislative, policy, and regulatory changes needed to multiply impact across the country.

Through the years, Enterprise has built a reputation on its ability to both lead and partner. How are you thinking about those roles as we enter this new chapter?

For me, it all starts with listening. Enterprise began over 40 years ago when Jim Rouse listened to three women who started Jubilee Housing in Washington, D.C., and to many other local leaders and community organizations, from Cleveland to Chattanooga to Portland, Oregon.

It's so critical that we get this balance right of when to lead, where we partner, and how we can support others' leadership. And that means starting with listening and understanding what people and communities need and envision. And we must make sure we're listening to voices that too often aren't heard or get drowned out. Listening needs to remain at the core of who we are as Enterprise.

What are you finding most promising right now regarding innovations that can advance affordable housing?

People across the country in all different kinds of communities are crying out for innovation that can lower costs. I'm excited about the way that Enterprisers are working across the spectrum to do just that. A key example: Construction innovation and new technology that can lower the cost of building or preserving housing.

We're also doing innovative work on climate. Utilities have skyrocketed around the country and finding new ways to bring renewable energy to help communities generate their own power shows potential.

Our work around economic mobility is crucial. The Renter Wealth Creation Fund is a great example. We're showing how housing provides a platform for closing the wealth gap. Through resident services, cash back for rent paid on time, and shared appreciation, residents can build their assets and pursue long-term goals.

In your three years now as CEO, you've visited communities across the country. What have you seen that most influences how you think about Enterprise's work moving forward?

I've seen amazing efforts and impact, with so many partners doing remarkable work. It's also striking that in so many places, the housing crisis and wealth inequality have grown to the point where so many kids won't have a chance of doing better than their parents. I worry a lot about the erosion of our sense of hope and optimism for the future.

That's why it's enormously important for Enterprise to be that problem solver, that impact multiplier. Fundamentally, we have to show that there are ideas and solutions out there, and that together with our partners, we know how to solve this crisis, and we can do it at scale. That's a powerful antidote to some of the cynicism that I see too often in too many communities.

What else that makes you optimistic as Enterprise embarks on this bold strategic plan?

In my 30 years of working in housing, I've never seen the depth and breadth of focus and support for housing that I see right now in every region of the country. There is the will to make real change, to take on ambitious new solutions, to scale the things that work, unlike anytime that I've seen. And Enterprise's job is to match that will with the way forward.

Enterprise's founder Jim Rouse created a symbol of hope and optimism that we need to amplify and leverage with our partners so that together we can actually solve this crisis.

Speaking of Jim Rouse. If he were here today, what do you think he would see in this moment? What advice might offer Enterprise as it begins this new trajectory?

Jim would see a moment today that echoes the time when he started Enterprise. What inspired Jim and called him to action was the urban crisis of the '60s and '70s. And I think he would be deeply saddened by the current affordability crisis.

I also think he would see it as a moment of opportunity. And his advice would be to be bold, to rise to this moment, and show that Enterprise can lead.

What's different about today is that Enterprise has more than 40 years of strength, capacity, and so many more tools that we can bring to this fight. I think Jim would be excited about the potential that we have to make a real difference at this moment.