1. Graduate Student Helps Find Affordable Housing
Following in the footsteps of Applied Community and Economic Development Fellow in
political science Nay Petrucelli, Ryan Hebert is working with Housing Action Illinois, a
statewide housing coalition, to help protect and expand the availability of quality, affordable
housing throughout Illinois.
After a year of rigorous
coursework through the
Stevenson Center for Community
and Economic Development,
Hebert was placed with Housing
Action in Chicago for his 11
months of professional practice.
He works with Director of
Training & Technical Assistance
David Young in navigating
Housing Action’s new role as a
Housing and Urban Development
(HUD) Housing Counseling
Intermediary. As a HUD
Intermediary, Housing Action oversees 12 affiliate organizations, 10 in Illinois and two in
Indiana.
“I personally have been involved in every step of the grant reporting process for all 12
affiliates for the past fiscal year and have gone on numerous site visits at current and prospective
affiliate organizations,” Hebert commented. “Housing Action is looking to expand its affiliate
network to 23 organizations in its application to the 2016 HUD Comprehensive Housing
Counseling Notice of Funding Availability, and I have been involved in the vetting process for
the additional affiliates. These trips have taken me to Peoria, Illinois; Fort Wayne, Indiana;
Indianapolis; and all around Chicagoland.”

2. As a Fellow, Hebert is tasked with helping
his host organization apply for housing
counseling funds from HUD and then
disbursing these funds among sub-grantees,
as well as provide training and technical
assistance. HUD housing counseling funds
are only available to HUD-certified housing
counseling agencies and even after attaining
that HUD certification there is no guarantee
of receiving HUD funds.
Outside of the HUD Intermediary, Hebert
has helped write a request for proposals for a
$500,000 housing counseling grant
administered by Housing Action on behalf of CitiBank. Hebert also aided in drafting a scoring
rubric and collecting data for all of the applicant organizations. With Hebert’s assistance, the
organization awarded 12 grants of $37,500 each to support housing counseling services. This
CitiBank funding came at a crucial time as the Illinois state budget crisis has suspended certain
sources of housing funds.
“I was finally able to mail out requisitions of over $80,000 in checks to five
organizations,” said Hebert. “That money will directly support housing counselors and allow
them to keep providing their much-needed services. That’s a good feeling.”
Hebert also planned a session on sustainable housing development for Housing Action’s
annual conference in Bloomington in November. He recruited four speakers specializing in green
building practices, alternative energy, climate change politics, and energy efficiency.
“It was an incredibly challenging and satisfying experience coordinating the needs and
logistics of four speakers within the greater needs of the conference to make it all come together
to one meaningful workshop,” Hebert said. “Being a part of this recruitment process was one of
the most fun and personally satisfying things I’ve done in my time here at Housing Action. The
opportunity to connect green building and climate change professionals with housing developers
from all over the state got me excited. Finally, I had an opportunity in my professional life to
directly contribute to an issue that I am passionate about.”
Hebert attributes his love for community development to the dedicated faculty and staff
at the Stevenson Center.
“Dr. Beck’s community development seminar in the first semester of on-campus study
opened my mind to the vast range of activities involved in comprehensive community
development,” Hebert said regarding Stevenson Center Director Frank Beck’s course. “Through
coursework and coordinating my placement with Housing Action Illinois, the Stevenson Center

3. has helped me realize that a career in community and economic development will make good use
of my ability to adapt quickly, operate independently and as a member of a team, and to
continuously learn new systems and industry jargon.”
If you know of organizations interested in moving special projects forward, seeking
skills or expertise unavailable within the organization, or hoping to advance the established
mission of the organization in new ways, a Fellow might be the perfect fit. Visit the Stevenson
Center to learn more!