Title: Vice President, Housing
Organization: RiseBoro Community Partnership
Location: Brooklyn, NY

Emily Kurtz is Vice President, Housing at RiseBoro Community Partnership, where her primary responsibilities are the day to day oversight of ongoing development projects and management of the 2000+ unit affordable housing portfolio. Since joining the agency in 2004, Ms. Kurtz has been involved in the new construction or preservation of over 1000 units of affordable housing, totaling over $350M in investment, and the asset and property management of a 2000+ unit affordable housing portfolio with over $125M.

RiseBoro is a leader in construction practices aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of our housing stock, and providing comfortable and healthy living spaces for residents. An early adopter of green building and energy efficiency technologies in residential construction, RiseBoro completed the first 100% affordable multi-family passive house in the country. Ms. Kurtz and her team are currently working to bring over 260 occupied units in the RiseBoro portfolio to the passive house standard.

Why are you motivated to participate in the Health Leaders Network? How will your participation enhance your current and future work?

Working at a Community Based Organization affords me the opportunity to work with my colleagues providing services designed to support every generation and meet the needs of communities. Our programs span across housing, senior services, health care, youth development, education, empowerment, community development, arts programming, skills training, homelessness prevention and access to healthy food. Participation in ULI’s Health Leaders Network will provide me access to national strategies for significant integration of these services into wider health systems. Community Based Organizations are working on the front line of the health disparity crisis facing low income urban communities, and there is untapped opportunity to integrate tenant and community public health engagement through housing, case management, food access, youth, and senior programs.

I am also excited about the opportunity to further research the connection between the Passive House standard and improvements in health outcomes. The apartment compartmentilization, continuous and individual ventilation systems, integrated pest management and moisture management that are required to meet the passive housing standard ensure that our residents are living in conditions ideal for improved health outcomes. Through this group I hope to explore opportunities to harness the potential health care savings of the families living in apartment buildings built to these standards for reinvestment into the development of affordable housing.