Laura Abernathy

Laura currently serves as the Senior Director of State and Local Policy and joined the National Housing Trust in 2010. In this role, Laura oversees NHT’s work on state and local public policy initiatives in all 50 states, working with elected officials, government employees, and advocates from around the country to shape public policy that promotes housing stability.In addition to being a national expert in the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program, Laura works with communities who want to create and preserve affordable housing, providing tailored policy recommendations based on best practices from around the country. She has worked in Denver to update and pass a preservation ordinance that grants the City a right-of-first-refusal; created Preservation Collaboratives in Colorado and Miami; and developed a policy framework designed to preserve existing subsidized and NOAH housing in San Diego. Currently, Laura is part of a team building capacity and increasing coordination in Syracuse, NY as the city undergoes a complete transformation to both its transportation infrastructure and housing options for low-income families and individuals to ensure that decisions about both projects are centered on residents’ needs.