Hemalata C. (Hema) Dandekar, PhD, Department Head of City and Regional Planning at California Polytechnic State University, has become the newest member of the San Luis Obispo County Housing Trust Fund’s Board of Directors.
“This opportunity to help guide the HTF, which plays a critical role in helping increase the stock of housing in our communities and broadens the range of income groups that have access to it, is exciting and challenging,” states Hema. “The diverse group of people on the HTF Board is of one mind in their dedication to facilitating housing for all. It will be a privilege and an honor to serve, contribute and learn.”
Prior to coming to San Luis Obispo, Hema was the Director of the School of Planning and Landscape Architecture at Arizona State University (Tempe). Earlier in her career, she was a Professor of Urban Planning at the University of Michigan. Hema received her PhD in Urban Planning from UCLA. She also holds two degrees in Architecture and is a licensed architect in California.
Hema has interests in housing, and rural planning and development. She is currently working on a study of unsubsidized workforce housing for the State of California. She also teaches the “Housing and Planning” course at Cal Poly and advises the school’s award-winning BofA Low-Income Housing Challenge team. Hema lives in San Luis Obispo and is active in the community. She currently serves as a City Planning Commissioner and was previously on the Cultural Heritage Committee and Land Use and Circulation Task Force.
“We are honored to have Dr. Dandekar join our board,” states Marianne Kennedy, HTF Board Secretary. “Her insights and experience in the areas of housing, architecture and urban planning will be very valuable to our organization.”
The mission of the HTF is to increase the supply of affordable housing in San Luis Obispo County. It provides financing and technical assistance to help create and preserve homes that working families, seniors on fixed incomes and persons with disabilities can afford to rent and buy. The HTF has provided over $16 million in financing to assist 572 affordable rental and for-sale homes throughout the county. Funds are currently available to finance additional affordable housing. Additional information is available online at www.slochtf.org.