People:

Lawrence (Larry) Swanson

Larry Swanson is nationally-renowned expert in affordable housing development. A recognized, tireless, and selfless leader in community-building, finding common ground, coaching new leaders, and preservation of affordable housing in Pittsburgh and beyond, Larry led the field for more than 45 years to provide mentorship, housing, support, and service-centered programming to low-income and at-risk individuals.

Larry joined ACTION-Housing in 1979 and built a comprehensive regional affordable housing organization with the previous executive director, succeeding him and serving from 2005 to 2024. As ACTION's chief executive, he oversaw three subsidiaries to implement construction, asset management, and tax credit efforts. In prior roles, was in charge of property improvement, housing counseling, energy conservation, special-needs housing initiatives and responsible for real estate development and oversight of property and asset management of more than 1,200 units with a combined value of $100 million. Prior to joining ACTION-Housing, Larry worked with the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs in program and policy development, worked as a land use planning consultant and on job development programs in Ohio, and taught at the undergraduate level at his alma mater, the Pennsylvania State University.

Larry was a founding member of the Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania (formerly the Pennsylvania Low Income Housing Coalition) and served as its board president from 1985 until 1999. He served on the State advisory committee that developed the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program for Pennsylvania. Mr. Swanson also helped develop a mortgage assistance program that at first operated locally and now operates statewide and is the largest publicly funded program of its type in the country. He worked with Housing Partnership Network staff to develop a national insurance initiative that now provides coverage for 100,000 rental homes across the country.