Dave started in affordable housing right out of college in 1992 when he went to work for a small rural affordable housing developer in Maryland. Over the years, Dave has worked in many parts of the affordable housing industry including development, management, construction, and even a few years as a policymaker managing a Federal housing program. Today, as well as being the Founder and CEO of Affordable Housing Online, he is a founding Principal of Green Street Housing, one of Maryland’s largest affordable housing developers. Dave founded Affordable Housing Online in 2001 when he realized that there was virtually no affordable rental housing information online. At the time, Internet access was low among low-income Americans, but Dave saw a future when web access was cheap and accessible for all. Today, Dave remains the vision behind Affordable Housing Online ensuring that the site continues to assist millions of Americans solve their housing dilemmas. Dave is our resident housing expert. Being an active affordable housing developer who creates hundreds of affordable rental housing units each year keeps in touch with the industry and the renters it serves. He also specializes in web publishing operations including SEO and content creation. Dave and his wife Jay, have four children, Juliana, Ben, Lili, and Charli. As if 4 kids weren’t a workload, Dave and Jay also have 4 dogs and wouldn’t have it any other way. He takes great pride in his family and enjoys travel, history, hiking, fishing, and especially woodworking.
Joshua is a housing advocate and software engineer, working with Affordable Housing Online for more than ten years to curate, analyze, and explain affordable housing information. Growing up in Low-Income Housing Tax Credit rentals just minutes from AHO Headquarters in Salisbury, MD, the stability provided by the housing program allowed Joshua and his mother the financial flexibility to invest in his higher education. Working part-time, Joshua pursued a focused associate's degree, discovering his calling in finding the human meaning in statistics. For Joshua, like many, the economics of college did not work out. Needing a more regular income, he dropped out of college, taking full-time positions in food and retail to help shoulder his family's cost of living. Meeting Dave in 2012, they both saw an opportunity to more effectively advocate and amplify the information needed for struggling households to find affordable housing. While Joshua is always ready to talk housing, he occasionally takes breaks to support live music and host game nights.
Connor Bailey has been with Affordable Housing Online for more than a year, acting as one of the leading researchers for the website. Prior to working for the site, he gained many years of interpersonal experience through various retail and educational positions while also attending college online for his bachelors in psychology. Connor has seen first hand the effects of the economy on the housing market with having to move multiple times throughout childhood due to increases in rent prices and a stagnation of wages for his parents. This came to a head in 2008 when his family lost their first house that they had built due to the market crash. However, this history has led him to understand the hardships that many people go through on a daily basis when trying to attain housing. This knowledge drives him to help those that he can by teaching about those he knows about affordable housing and by ensuring that the data placed on the Affordable Housing Online site is as accurate and up-to-date as possible. When not researching, Connor enjoys creating videos online, playing trading card games, and going to the gym.
Lorena Bentley is a Housing Analyst and Writer Apprentice at Affordable Housing Online with four years of housing research experience helping renters find low-income housing. Specializing in affordable housing waiting list research, Lorena researches and records open waiting list opportunities across the county, and consolidates the information onto the AHO database. These comprehensive details provide our website visitors a trusted source while searching and applying for housing online. Lorena has also written multiple resource articles and how-to guides for AHO as an Apprentice Writer. Prior to this work, Lorena started as a Data Researcher where she was responsible for updating and maintaining AHO's affordable property listings and management companies. She knows how important having a home is for every person, and has invested her career to help point people in the right direction. In her spare time, Lorena enjoys being a mom and wife, supporting the local thrift stores, and creating art.
Nathan Brunet has been with Affordable Housing Online for nine years, becoming a housing expert through almost a decade of experience helping renters save time on their housing search. With a B.A. in Journalism and Media Studies from Rutgers University: New Brunswick, Nathan has been a writer and editor for newspapers and websites for more than 13 years. Since joining AHO, Nathan has had a hand in almost all website operations, including waiting list and apartment updates, guides, news, page design, database management, video and audio production; as well as marketing for emails, social media, and SEO. Today, Nathan serves as the Marketing and Content Director to keep renters informed about the latest in affordable housing. While away from his desk, Nathan enjoys spinning his vinyl records, watching minor league baseball, and going on camping adventures with his wife, Danielle, and their dog, Gracie. Nathan's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanbrunet/
Colleen has been a dedicated member of Affordable Housing Online since 2017, beginning as a researcher and advancing to her current position of Research and Communications Manager. Her expertise lies in maintaining and updating the AHO database with the most accurate and up-to-date information for affordable housing communities nationwide. Beyond her core responsibilities in research, Colleen handles the office management as well as the HR responsibilities. Colleen earned her Bachelor's degree from Salisbury University, majoring in Communications with a concentration in Public Relations and a minor in Marketing Management. Outside of her professional commitments, Colleen enjoys spending quality time with her family, concerts, coffee shops, traveling, and binging tv shows in her queue.
Ayat Elkarib is a Senior Housing Analyst at Affordable Housing Online, her duties consist of publishing program-wide waiting list opportunities across the nation and maintaining and updating the Housing Authority profiles on the database. She has a passion for assisting families in finding affordable homes. During her free time, she loves to spend time with family and friends, traveling, painting, and taking her dog on walks.
Ric has been working as a Web and Database Developer for Affordable Housing Online since 2017. He focuses on obtaining and maintaining the highest quality data for the Affordable Housing Online audience. He has worked in technology, software, and web development for 15 years holding a range of job titles including Web Developer, Product Manager, Project Manager, and Technology Instructor. A graduate of the US Naval Academy and Stanford University, he spent his active duty Navy years as a patrol pilot in the Pacific and Indian Ocean regions. Out of the office, he enjoys surfing Assateague Island, jogging, organic gardening, playing CRPGs and reading science fiction.
Chris Holden has been working for Affordable Housing Online as Senior Housing and Data Analyst since 2017. He has been committed to affordable housing for more than 28 years, with national, state, and local experience. He has served many roles to help low-income renters, including federal policy research, managing a national survey of farmworker housing, developing affordable rental properties in Vermont, and serving three years as a commissioner for the Bremerton Housing Authority in Washington. Chris currently splits his time between Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom and New Hampshire’s Monadnock region, two of the most rural areas in New England. He enjoys the scenic beauty, spending time hiking, fishing, mountain biking and camping.
Nilay, a Web App Developer at Affordable Housing Online since 2021, specializes in creating innovative statistical web applications using technologies like Vue.js. His journey in technology, beginning in the fourth grade, has led to a distinguished career marked by a passion for data-driven solutions. Nilay holds a B.S. in Computer Science from Salisbury University, where he majored in Computer Science and minored in Mathematics and Data Science. When not immersed in the world of programming, he enjoys chess, traveling, volunteering, and expanding his horizons by learning German.
Applying for housing with bad credit.
Some housing assistance programs require a credit check, including Low-Income Housing Tax Credit apartments. Having bad credit may make you ineligible.Francine Harris says:
"I like Affordable Housing Online because it directs you to a variety of housing authorities. I recommend this website to anyone looking for affordable housing."