Episode 88 | Part Two: Grace Ruiz-Stepter Director, Housing and Community Development, City of Anaheim

ChangeMakers with Katie Goar

In part two, Grace provides an in-depth look at some of the most pressing housing issues facing Anaheim right now. Given her over 20 years of experience managing housing programs in LA County, Grace has a unique perspective on the "silver tsunami"—the coming wave of aging Baby Boomers who will require accessible, affordable senior housing options. Grace discusses whether she is observing similar housing affordability challenges and shortages in Anaheim as in LA, two regions facing considerable pressure. Tune in to be inspired by Grace’s seasoned leadership in tackling these urgent housing issues to empower Anaheim’s most vulnerable seniors.
About Grace Ruiz-Stepter: Ms. Ruiz-Stepter has over twenty-eight years of experience managing various housing and community development programs. Currently, she holds the dual roles of Director of Housing and Community Development for the City of Anaheim and Executive Director of the Anaheim Housing Authority.Her responsibilities include overseeing all affordable housing development programs in Anaheim, including the Housing Choice Voucher program, which provides rental subsidies to over 6,800 in Anaheim; oversight of the Workforce Development program; and federal entitlement programs including the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) and the HOME Investment Partnership Program. These programs provide valuable financial resources needed to address varying housing and community needs and can be leveraged with other public and private resources to address community needs.Under her leadership, the Anaheim Housing Authority has produced over 500 new units of affordable housing in the past five years and is on track to produce another 500 to 800 units in the next five years, building on a rich history of affordable housing production in Anaheim. Her work has involved working collaboratively with the Anaheim City Department to adopt creative land use policies and engaging in extensive community revitalization initiatives to address distressed neighborhoods.Ms. Stepter also oversees Anaheim’s Homeless Response System of Care. In this role, she manages a committed team of professionals who work collaboratively with city departments to address individual, business, and community needs. Her team oversees street outreach engagement, shelter operations, and funding for social service providers. With her team, she is engaged in securing new ideas and resources to support the homelessness system of care. She is also actively engaged in regional and state efforts to identify and implement proven best practices.Ms. Stepter began her professional career at the Los Angeles County Housing and Community Development Agency, where she advanced from front-line work into leadership positions. She held the position of Housing Choice Voucher Manager and later Intergovernmental Relations and Public Information for the agency. She joined Quadel Consulting Corporation in 2001. Quadel is a leading consulting agency that provides program management, training, and consulting to the affordable housing industry. At Quadel, she served as the Housing Choice Voucher Director for the Memphis Housing Authority. She is credited with transforming a long-standing, troubled MHA program into a high-performing one in just two years.In addition to her work in Anaheim, Ms. Stepter is involved with and has held leadership positions in various professional associations, including the California Association of Housing Authorities (CAHA), the statewide organization that represents all public agencies in California. She currently serves on the United Way of Orange County, the United to End Homelessness Leadership Council, and is co-chair of the Orange County Continuum of Care Housing Committee. She was also just sworn in (October 2023) as the National Chair for Community and Revitalization for NAHRO, the largest national affordable housing organization, representing more than 17,000 individual members and associates and 2,500 agency members (including housing authorities, CD departments, and redevelopment agencies)