Green Doors Blog > 2014: A Year of Change
Frank Fernandez
Frank joined Green Doors as Executive Director in March 2006. He oversees all core functions and is focused on growing the organization to meet the community's acute need for affordable housing. Prior to joining Green Doors, Frank served as Deputy Director for PeopleFund, a community development financial institution. Frank is very active in advocating for affordable housing and folks who have struggled with homelessness. Co-founder of the housing advocacy organization, HousingWorks, he served as Chair of the affordable housing bond campaign that successfully advocated for the passage of the $55 million City of Austin affordable housing bonds in November 2006. He co-chaired the City of Austin's Affordable Housing Incentives Taskforce from Summer 2006 through Spring 2007. Currently, Frank serves as the Chair of the Texas Supportive Housing Coalition, a statewide coalition of supportive housing providers, and Chair of the Austin CHDO Roundtable, the local non-profit housing coalition. He also serves on the Executive Committees of ECHO, Austin's local homeless coalition, and HousingWorks. Prior to moving to Austin, Frank worked on Wall Street for several years as a financial analyst for Salomon Smith Barney providing technical and quantitative support to municipalities and states across the nation, including the State of Connecticut and the City of Detroit. He holds a B.A. in Philosophy from Harvard University and an M.P.A. from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas.
2014: A Year of Change
Dear Green Doors Supporters:
I hope your holidays were restful, recharging, and relaxing. Here at Green Doors, 2013 was a great year.
We served nearly 400 individuals and families with affordable housing and supportive services. These residents are stably housed, becoming more financially self-sufficient, reuniting with their families, and building new skill sets they never thought possible. Indeed, over 90% of them remained stably housed and maintained or increased their household income this year – an amazing feat when you consider that similar programs nationally average less than 50% success rates.
And, the prospects for 2014 look just as bright.
It is this positive momentum that makes me both happy and sad to announce that at the end of the month, after almost 8 years, I will be leaving Green Doors. I have accepted a position in Atlanta focused on community revitalization efforts in Atlanta’s most distressed low income neighborhoods. This was not an easy decision. I love the work we do here at Green Doors and passionately believe in our mission and the people we serve. However, my decision was made easier knowing that Green Doors will be in good hands.
I want to thank all of you – friends, colleagues, residents, volunteers, funders – for your support of Green Doors and me personally. I have learned a lot over the last 8 years and value the relationships I have developed. Green Doors is more than a job for me. It is part of my identity – a deep foundational belief that we, as individuals and a community, have an obligation to ensure that everyone, especially the most vulnerable, has a fair shot at a decent life. That is at the core of what we do at Green Doors. And, it is something I plan to take with me as the foundation for the work I will be embarking upon soon.
I will miss of all of you, Austin, and….Texas BBQ.
God’s speed and Happy New Year!
Frank Fernandez
Executive Director
Green Doors