Webinar: What Does A Good Housing "Impact Investment" Look Like?

Impact investing promises to generate social benefits alongside financial returns—but not every impact investment provides the kind of patient, affordable financing communities need. In this Shelterforce webinar, community-based lenders, affordable housing practitioners, and an investigative reporter examine what effective housing impact investment looks like in practice—and why many investments fall short of their stated goals. The discussion explores: ✔️ What impact investing is and what it can offer affordable housing ✔️ How non-extractive finance can support community-based projects ✔️ Ways lenders can “de-risk” investments without shifting the burden onto communities ✔️ How much subsidy housing impact investments may require ✔️ The challenges of scaling community-centered financing models ✔️ Local policy tools that can change who carries financial risk ✔️ Steps housing advocates and investors can take to make impact investing more effective Featured Panelists: Betty Francisco: CEO, Boston Impact Initiative Kate Khatib: Co-Executive Director, Seed Commons Shelby King: Investigative Reporter, Shelterforce Meridith Levy: Executive Director, Boston Neighborhood Community Land Trust David Lidz: Asset Manager, Rising Housing Steve Dubb: Strategic Initiatives Editor, Shelterforce This conversation offers a practical look at how impact investing can better support affordable housing, community ownership, worker power, and long-term neighborhood stability. Learn more from Shelterforce: https://shelterforce.org