<body><div>Evergreen's Jewell Watson, an affordable housing developer with a background in housing and social justice advocacy, talks opportunities and challenges with MHN's Laura Calugar.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=20XPnX_0wAqBBWd00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=20XPnX_0wAqBBWd00" width="900" height="675" ><figcaption>Jewell Walton shares her story with MHN’s Laura Calugar.&nbsp; Image by Cecilie_Arcurs/iStockphoto.com</figcaption></figure>While doing an urban studies program as an undergrad in Chicago in 1999, Jewell Walton used to commute to the city from the suburbs. One day, she saw a public housing building being torn down, an image that stuck with her forever. Later, she went to grad school to study urban planning and development, and after spending a decade managing affordable housing projects at a consulting company, she ultimately landed a director role at Chicago Housing Authority. That experience is proving extremely valuable in her current role as vice president of public partnerships with Evergreen Real Estate Group. In this Mission Success: Women in Multifamily podcast episode, Walton talks to Multi-Housing News Senior Editor Laura Calugar about her 20-year career, how she learned to deal with stigma surrounding affordable housing and where opportunities lie in the sector. Tune in now!Here’s a snip of what Walton and Calugar discuss:<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4JU1ON_0wAqBBWd00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4JU1ON_0wAqBBWd00" width="1200" height="900" ><figcaption>My hope is that, with the rise in housing costs and insurance, people will ultimately soften to the idea of affordable housing (in their communities) because it really is a growing need for all Americans, said Walton in the podcast. Image courtesy of Evergreen Real Estate Group</figcaption></figure><ul><li>Why Walton chose to work in affordable housing (0:49)</li><li>Her role at Evergreen (3:18)</li><li>The most difficult part of her job (6:04)</li><li>Cutting through red tape (7:43)</li><li>What’s key to a successful affordable housing cross-sector collaboration? (11:15)</li><li>Where do opportunities lie in the affordable housing sector? (13:08)</li><li>Overcoming NIMBYism (16:25)</li><li>What’s at stake for the affordable housing sector in the upcoming elections (19:27)</li><li>Walton’s view on how to quickly provide viable housing alternatives (21:43)</li><li>Maintaining a good work-life balance when working in affordable housing (24:11)</li></ul>Follow, rate and review MHN’s podcasts on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!</div></body>

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Mission Success: Combining Passion With the Need to Improve Communities

Evergreen's Jewell Watson, an affordable housing developer with a background in housing and social justice advocacy, talks opportunities and challenges with MHN's Laura Calugar. While doing an urban studies program as an undergrad in Chicago in 1999, Jewell Walton used to commute to the city from the suburbs. One day,...