A Foundation of Hope
Joe Errigo has been a key part of CommonBond since the beginning. He was hired by founder Ed Flahavan in 1971 and served as President and CEO until 2007 – and continues to be actively involved to this day.
We recently sat down with Joe, and he shared insights into how CommonBond has changed throughout the years, why the mission is so meaningful to him, and his hopes for the future.
Joe grew up on the East coast and went to school in Washington, DC and North Carolina to study architecture and city planning. After working in those fields for a few years, he became a real estate developer.
When CommonBond first began, Joe and his team knew they had to provide more than bricks and mortar. Joe says, “The on-site service programs started out by just asking people what they needed and eventually became our robust wraparound Advantage Services programs.”
Joe was in the unique position of seeing the CommonBond change from an idea on a chalkboard to a mature organization that created more than 4,000 housing units with services in 35 cities by the time he retired.
Over the last 50 years since CommonBond’s start, Joe has seen the affordable housing industry change rapidly. Increasingly complex financing structures make it very expensive to build or rehabilitate affordable housing. While it’s harder to finance, build, and operate affordable housing, those in need of affordable housing have fallen further behind in a rapidly changing social and political landscape.
However, on the flip side, Joe says, “There is more public awareness of the need for affordable housing than there was in the past. I believe organizations like CommonBond must play a key role in creating sustainable financing tools and bringing together all the necessary players.”
Joe was not only instrumental in getting the organization off the ground and flourishing, but he has stayed involved after all these years as a donor and supporter. In fact, Joe recently gave a second gift to our Framing the Future campaign. After spending many years asking people for money to support affordable housing, he is grateful to be able to continue giving back at this stage in his life.
When asked what has kept him interested and involved in CommonBond, he cites that there is still a tremendous amount of work to be done: “Housing has been in crisis for decades – federal support has all but disappeared. States and cities fill some of the gap, but we tend to nibble at the problem, not fix it permanently.” He says, “Organizations like CommonBond can create new and more efficient tools to address this increasingly complex problem.”
Q&A with Joe
What factors will contribute to a strong, stable affordable housing infrastructure?
Political will, sustained investment, smarter regulations, and communication between organizations like CommonBond, policymakers, residents, and advocates of affordable housing. Organizations like CommonBond need to show what works – the right combination of top-quality housing and accessible services for residents.
Is there any particular resident, property, staff member or CommonBond story that stands out to you when you consider your long partnership?
I have more stories that have inspired me than I can count. I watched lives get changed for 35 years , so you could ask me this question every day for the next year and I could tell a different story every day about great board members, committed and resilient staff, dedicated public officials and, of course, residents who helped us learn how to be the best at what we do.
What do you think would inspire more people to get involved in the affordable housing movement?
Personal stories that help policy makers connect the dots. We are bombarded with stats, so it’s easy to forget them. When people hear directly from residents, the stats come to life. And I think the more we can show how housing impacts everything – education, health, opportunity, community – the more people will realize affordable housing is their issue, too. We have to show what works!
What gives you hope for the future? Do you see solutions for the housing challenges we are currently facing?
The talented and committed people working on this issue today give me hope. My generation built a foundation, now the generations to follow are going to take it to the next level. CommonBond’s current leadership is doing just that.
"Rapid-fire" Questions
What is your favorite room in your home?
My den/reading room.
Who are your role models? / Who inspires you?
Ed Flahaven and Frank Mullaney. They both saw an entrepreneurial thread in me I didn’t realize was there, and they nurtured it. That’s exactly what was needed to create one of the best affordable housing providers in the nation. Flahavan, Mullaney, and many others taught me how to address social challenges with a sense of humor and humility.
What does home mean to you?
A warm and welcome support system, not just a roof.
Thank you, Joe, for your incredible impact and support over the years!
