Sorenson Impact Institute Virtual Convening Series
Bridging the Affordable Housing Gap With Impact Real Estate
A Sorenson Impact Institute Virtual Convening
Thursday, December 7, 2023 from 4-5:00 p.m. ET
A conversation with:
- Kate Murray, Director of Impact Strategy & Measurement at TAS Impact
- Jeremy Keele, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Catalyst Opportunity Funds
- Alan Lo, Manager, Impact Finance at Sorenson Impact Institute
Overview
The United States and Canada face a severe shortage of affordable housing. Over the last 20 years, the U.s. developed a gap of 5.5 million housing units, while in Canada, the gap amounts to 3.5 million. The staggering number continues to rise, compounded by soaring construction costs, inflation, and steadily increasing interest rates. Both renters and buyers feel the burden — nearly 50% of renters in the U.S. and over 43% of recent renter households in Canada spend more than 30% of their income on housing.
How can we allocate capital to alleviate the burden of housing costs felt by so many and create affordable, sustainable living situations for millions of people?
On Thursday, December 7 at 4:00 p.m. ET, Sorenson Impact Institute will host an insightful conversation with impact leaders who are forging innovative solutions to bridge the housing gap. Sorenson’s Alan Lo will be joined by experts in real estate impact investing: Kate Murray, Director of Impact Strategy and Measurement at TAS, a Canadian impact company that uses real estate as a tool to drive profit and purpose; and Jeremy Keele, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Catalyst Opportunity Funds, a real estate impact investment firm focused on transformative investments in historically underserved markets.
Attendees of this convening can look forward to:
- Taking a deep dive into the current state of the affordable housing crisis.
- Learning about one of the most comprehensive, rigorous approaches to impact management practice in real estate.
- Exploring impact fund structures to achieve real estate goals, as demonstrated by Sorenson’s collaboration with TAS.
Join the conversation to hear how experts in the field are helping to address the affordable housing crisis. They will offer actionable insights, first-hand experiences, and case studies, identifying creative opportunities to build thriving communities and economic stability.
Meet the Speakers
Kate Murray is the Director of Impact Strategy & Measurement at TAS. She focuses on operationalizing the Impact Framework, which covers eliminating harmful impacts such as GHG emissions and fostering positive outcomes for beneficiaries.
Jeremy Keele is a recognized leader in impact investing with a diverse range of professional experiences in the private and public sectors. Jeremy is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Catalyst Opportunity Funds, a real estate impact investment firm with ~$300 M under management and dozens of assets in strategic secondary/tertiary markets nationwide. Jeremy is also a Partner and co-founder at Sorenson Impact Group.
Alan Lo oversees the management of impact finance projects, the structuring of innovative social finance vehicles, and the account management and business development at Sorenson Impact Institute. Before joining the organization, Alan had more than 10 years of private capital market experience, specializing in management consulting, strategic partnerships, and business development.He holds an MBA through the completion of the Executive MBA program at Ivey Business School and a bachelor’s degree from York University.
View Our Past Virtual Convenings
Accelerating Social Change with Pay For Success Financing
A Summit Ascent Series Virtual Convening
September 28, 2023
Pay for Success (PFS) is an outcomes-based financial model used to fund effective solutions to social challenges. The Impact Finance team at the Sorenson Impact Institute helps partners fund and execute evidence-based PFS projects, driving measurable results and lasting impact for underserved communities.
At this virtual convening, attendees learned how to successfully implement the PFS financing tools that build community resilience by allocating resources to results. The Institute’s Director of Impact Finance, Janis Dubno, was joined by representatives from The Institute for Child Success (ICS) and Maycomb Capital, both leaders in outcomes-based financing.
Attendees of this convening:
- Gained valuable insights into the strategy of organizing, modeling, and implementing a large, evidence-based, multi-partner PFS project;
- Learned about the challenges this team experienced and the solutions they developed; and
- Discovered the impact that this project is making in its South Carolina community, as well as the overall benefits of improving early childhood health and education outcomes in underserved communities.
Community-Engaged Impact Measurement
June 20, 2023
This conversation was hosted by Sorenson Impact Institute Chief Operating Officer Katie Macc, Dr. Tiana Rogers, the Institute’s Senior Director of Impact Strategy, and Paul Kuttner, Associate Director at University Neighborhood Partners (UNP). UNP builds partnerships with the University of Utah and west side Salt Lake County neighborhoods, uplifting historically underrepresented voices to advance reciprocal learning, action, and benefit.
Dr. Rogers and Kuttner shared how the Institute recently helped UNP identify approaches to better demonstrate their impact and ensure community priorities remain at the core of their impact measurement efforts.
Attendees of this convening:
- Developed a clear understanding of social impact measurement: what it is, how to apply it, and how it can advance your work
- Learned how to identify existing data and apply it to impact measurement
- Learned how to engage a community in evidence-based decision making
About Sorenson Impact Institute’s Virtual Convenings
Sorenson’s Virtual Convening Series features solutions-oriented discussions with members of the Institute and its community of impact leaders. Together we take a deep dive into the most pressing issues of our time, exploring challenges, opportunities, and learnings to scale actionable solutions.
See our past convenings below and be the first to know when a new convening has been scheduled by joining our mailing list.