Why Marketing Is a Risk Management Tool in Affordable Housing Construction

Emily Cadik on LIHTC, Advocacy, and What Builders Need to Understand

Affordable housing construction projects depend on layered financing, public approvals, political support, and community trust, often years before construction crews mobilize. For builders and developers working in this space, opposition, misinformation, or a stalled entitlement process can derail schedules long before ground is broken.

In this episode of The Comms Exchange, hosts Rachel Ledet and Christianne Brunini talk with Emily Cadik, Executive Director of the Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition, about why communication, advocacy, and marketing are not “nice-to-haves” in affordable housing. They are risk management tools that directly affect whether projects get built.

Emily’s message is clear: strong policy alone is not enough.

“Policy can be technically sound and politically supported,” Emily said, “and still face resistance if people don’t understand what’s actually being built.”

The Persistent Myth That Slows Projects Down

One of the most damaging misconceptions surrounding LIHTC developments is the idea that only developers or investors benefit. Emily explained that this myth has had real consequences at the local level, especially during zoning hearings, community meetings, and entitlement processes.

“That myth bothered me so much we commissioned our own research to dispute it,” she said. “The data shows residents are saving close to six or seven thousand dollars a year compared to market rents. That’s real money in people’s pockets.”

For construction teams, this misunderstanding matters. When neighbors oppose projects based on false assumptions, schedules slip, carrying costs rise, and political pressure mounts. Marketing and education done early can prevent those delays.

Advocacy Does Not Stop in Washington

While Emily leads national advocacy efforts, she is clear that federal wins only hold if they are reinforced locally.

“I don’t build affordable housing,” she said. “Developers and owners do. You have the product. You’re the ones who can show members of Congress what this actually looks like in their district.”

For builders and contractors, this means site visits, ribbon cuttings, and community engagement are advocacy moments that protect the project pipeline. When elected officials walk a completed development, meet residents, and see high-quality construction firsthand, opposition softens, support grows, and future projects face fewer barriers.

Marketing as Construction Risk Mitigation

Emily and the hosts returned repeatedly to the idea that marketing belongs in the pro forma. Not as branding fluff, but as infrastructure.

Marketing done early can:

• reduce neighborhood resistance before public meetings

• clarify design, management, and safety concerns

• humanize residents instead of abstracting them

• build political goodwill that carries through construction

• protect timelines and budgets from unnecessary friction

From a construction perspective, this is about certainty, as in fewer surprises, delays, and costly pivots caused by misinformation.

As Emily put it, “People only support what they understand.”

Why Marketing Is Often the First Line Item Cut

Despite its value, marketing is frequently removed when affordable housing budgets tighten. Legal, architectural, and engineering fees are treated as fixed. Communication is treated as optional.

That decision often proves expensive later.

Without proactive outreach, projects become defensive. Construction teams inherit tension created months or years earlier. Marketing, when treated as part of project infrastructure, supports every other discipline involved in delivery.

What Builders Should Take Away

This episode reframes advocacy as a shared responsibility across the affordable housing ecosystem. For construction companies, it reinforces a critical truth: building trust is as important as building structures.

Emily’s advice to the industry is simple and direct.

“Bring your member of Congress out,” she said. “Say thank you. Show them what the housing credit did in your community. That’s how we protect this program.”

Marketing is about permission to build, deliver, and keep projects moving forward.

Listen to this week’s episode of The Comms Exchange, From Policy to People: Emily Cadik on the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, featuring Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition Chief Executive Officer, Emily Cadik.

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