This session examines how communities can build more responsive housing systems when traditional pathways—including vouchers and permanent housing development—cannot meet the scale or urgency of need. Speakers will explore how interim housing, permanent supportive housing, locally funded subsidies, and cross-sector collaboration can work together as part of a connected system rather than as isolated programs.
The discussion will focus on the distinct role of interim housing: private, service-rich places where people can stabilize, build community, and prepare for longer-term housing—not simply short-stay shelter beds. Panelists will share lessons from Homekey-era innovation, including what emergency conditions made possible, what should not be lost in a return to business as usual, and how communities can expand housing options while preserving dignity, choice, and practical pathways to permanence.
Moderator
Elizabeth Funk, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Dignity Moves
Elizabeth Funk is the Founder and CEO of DignityMoves, where she brings together decades of experience in entrepreneurship, impact investing, affordable housing, and homelessness. An early pioneer in impact investing, she founded the Dignity Fund and later served as a senior partner at Dev Equity, investing in businesses and housing initiatives focused on poverty alleviation. Earlier in her career, Elizabeth was part of the founding teams behind Microsoft Office and Yahoo!, where she helped launch several major consumer products. She has also served on the boards of Glide Memorial and LifeMoves and has been actively involved in addressing homelessness in California for nearly two decades. Elizabeth holds a degree in International Relations and Economics from Stanford University and an MBA from Harvard Business School, where she was a Baker Scholar.
Speakers
David Amaral, Director of Research and Evaluation, All Home
David is the director of research and evaluation at All Home where he leads research and technical assistance efforts supporting the organization’s goals of reducing homelessness and disrupting cycles of poverty in the Bay Area. He previously worked at California’s Department of Housing and Community Development and with the Blum Center for Poverty at UC Santa Cruz, where he conducted community-engaged research on food insecurity and assistance programs. Prior to research and policy work, David worked in theater and arts education in Chicago.
Rose Cade, Deputy Director of Programs, San Mateo County DOH
Rose Cade joined the San Mateo County Department of Housing in 2015 initially as a Housing and Community Development (HCD) Specialist III and subsequently an HCD Supervisor. She currently serves as Deputy Director for the Department helping to oversee both County Housing and Community Development (HCD) and the Housing Authority of the County of San Mateo (HACSM). As Deputy Director, Rose works closely with senior managers and supervisors to administer programs including HUD-funded rental assistance programs, CDBG, HOME, ESG as well as state and local funded programs including Measure K, the Affordable Housing Fund and more recently State of California Homekey Program, Housing for Healthy California, No Place Like Home, Mental Health Services Act (MHSA), Local Housing Trust Fund (LHTF) and Permanent Local Housing Allocation (PLHA). Rose has an MBA from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, and has worked in the field of affordable housing in many capacities for 30 years.