Behind Affordable Housing Compliance: Jenna Ghisolfo on Stability, Advocacy, and Leadership

Jenna Ghisolfo understands affordable housing from perspectives that few industry professionals share. Before founding Housing Consultants of America, she was a Section 8 resident who relied on a housing voucher while rebuilding her life. She later worked as a fraud investigator inside a housing authority before establishing a national consulting firm that helps owners, managers, developers, nonprofits, and housing agencies navigate affordable housing compliance.

In this episode of The Comms Exchange, hosts Rachel Ledet and Christianne Brunini talk with Jenna about how those experiences shaped her approach to compliance, why stable housing can alter the direction of a family’s life, and what affordable housing professionals can do to address persistent misconceptions about the industry.

From Section 8 Vouchers to Affordable Housing Consultant

After becoming a Section 8 voucher holder in an affordable housing development, Jenna experienced firsthand what stable housing could provide during a difficult period in her life. “I was a domestic violence victim, and one of my ways out was having that Section 8 voucher in my hand,” Jenna said. “I looked at it as a lifeline. It gave me a second chance at life.”

She later accepted a position at the community where she was living and found herself drawn to affordable housing compliance. “Every day, hearing different stories of people whose lives are being changed by a voucher, a unit, a set of keys, it motivated me more and more to want to stay in this industry,” she said.

Years later, a mentor encouraged Jenna to utilize her expertise to start her own company. She operated Housing Consultants of America by herself for the first few years before experiencing rapid growth. Today, the firm has more than 88 team members working across the country.

Why Compliance Deserves Attention Early

Compliance may be one of the less visible parts of an affordable housing development, but Jenna argues that owners and developers cannot afford to treat it as an administrative task to address later.

“Compliance is essential to the success of your property,” she said. She regularly sees new owners underestimate the amount of work required to meet HUD and other program requirements. When compliance planning begins too late, teams may have to correct documentation, redo work, or address issues that could have been avoided.

“I always advise clients: be proactive, be ahead of the game when it comes to compliance,” Jenna said.

For developers, architects, contractors, and other professionals who may not work directly in compliance, understanding its role can help protect a project throughout its operating life. The paperwork may be tedious, but the requirements are tied to the programs that make affordable housing financially possible and help residents remain stably housed.

What a Housing Voucher Can Provide

Jenna’s professional perspective is informed by her own experience receiving housing assistance. She understands the regulations, but she also knows what those programs mean to the person waiting for a safe place to live. “Having a voucher is stability,” she said. “It’s having a permanent roof over your head.”

Housing Choice Vouchers allow eligible households to contribute a portion of their income toward rent while the program subsidizes the remaining eligible amount. For someone experiencing homelessness, leaving an unsafe situation, or struggling financially, that assistance can provide the stability required to begin rebuilding.

“A voucher really does provide a second chance, a stable roof over somebody’s head,” Jenna said. “[Stable housing] is one of the essential needs that we all have. So it provides hope.”

Addressing NIMBYism Through Community Engagement

Jenna also sees public perception as one of the persistent obstacles facing affordable housing development. “The biggest misconception we see in affordable housing is NIMBYism, ‘not in my backyard,’” she said.

Opposition is often based on fears that affordable housing will reduce surrounding property values or negatively affect a neighborhood. Jenna believes developers can respond by thinking more intentionally about how a project connects with the surrounding community. She has seen developers incorporate publicly accessible parks, invite neighbors to participate in murals, and involve local schools in artwork displayed at a property. 

“Involving the community in that process helps prevent NIMBYism,” Jenna said. These efforts give surrounding residents a connection to a development while helping communicate who affordable housing serves and how it can contribute to a community.

Keeping People in Affordable Housing

Jenna’s next goals include expanding Housing Consultants of America into additional states and growing the company to 100 employees. She has also launched a business coaching branch focused on professionals working in affordable housing.

“I really want to help support individuals that are in affordable housing, see what they’re capable of, and help develop them as professionals,” she said.

Retention is particularly important to her because she has watched experienced professionals leave the industry after experiencing burn out. By supporting their professional development, Jenna hopes to keep more of that knowledge and talent working on behalf of affordable housing communities.

Her career offers a perspective on compliance that extends well past files, recertifications, and regulations. The work affects whether properties remain financially sound, whether housing programs function as intended, and whether families have access to the stability those programs were created to provide.

Listen to the newest episode of The Comms Exchange, “From Section 8 to CEO: How Stable Housing Creates Second Chances”, on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.