South: San Antonio's New Neighborhood and Housing Services Department

HOUSING LUNCHEON: SAN ANTONIO'S NEW NEIGHBORHOOD AND HOUSING SERIVCES DEPARTMENT
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2018
The Barn Door
8400 North New Braunfels, San Antonio, Texas 78209
11:30 AM - 1:00 PM

About this Event
Let's meet the new City Department: Neighborhood and Housing Services and its Director - Veronica Soto. The City has a commitment to supporting and enhancing the quality of life for residents of San Antonio and creating stable and diverse neighborhoods where individuals can thrive is key to a vibrant future for all citizens. The housing department works to strengthen families and reinvigorate communities through the delivery of various programs which will be discussed during the luncheon. The Neighborhood and Housing Services Department was created in February 2017 to focus on neighborhood engagement, implementation of the Neighborhood Improvement Bond Program, housing policies and programs, administration of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) Program grants and the Tax Increment Finance programs. The Department has an operating budget of over $20M and staff complement of 46.

About Veronica Soto
Verónica (Vero) R. Soto, AICP, is the Director of the Neighborhood and Housing Services Department at the City of San Antonio. Previously she served as Director of the Community and Human Development Department at the City of El Paso, Texas, where she worked to revitalize low-income neighborhoods, enhance human services and expand housing opportunities through administration of over $13M in federal and state grants. Her career in planning and community development has included positions with the U.S. Department of Commerce, the City of New York, NY, the City of Sunland Park, NM and the El Paso Downtown Management District.

Ms. Soto is a graduate of Harvard College and of the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University, where she earned dual masters degrees in public affairs and urban and regional planning. Soto was the first Hispanic elected to serve as President of the Texas Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA). She is a member of the Latinos and Planning Division of AP. In 2012 Soto was selected as the first honorable mention recipient of the Edward J. Blakely Award from the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning for her social justice work, her promotion of equitable development and for mentoring women of color in the planning profession, and advancing diversity within APA and AICP in New Mexico, Texas, and at the national level. Soto is a first generation American and a first generation college graduate and is bilingual (English, Spanish).