Department of the Navy Housing Privatization and Veterans Affairs Housing Programs

This webinar will present an overview of the Department of the Navy Housing Privatization program and the Department of Veteran's Affairs Enhanced Use Leasing Housing Program. The Navy's program consists of over 62,000 family housing units and over 6,500 rooms for unaccompanied Sailors. This program has dramatically improved the quality of life for Sailors, Marines and their families across the United States. The presentation will review the background, legislative authorities, business approach and how the program has advanced sustainable design, net zero energy, innovative building systems and preservation of historic homes. The Veteran's Affairs section of the presentation will provide an overview of the VA's Enhanced Use Leasing Program, their successful housing projects and how they are looking at expanding authorities to provide supportive housing and services and/or mixed uses. This webinar will be presented by Mr. Bob Harris, AIA, LEED-AP, the Director of Special Venture Acquisition at Naval Facilities Engineering Command Headquarters and Mr. Paul McPherson, the Director of The Investment Enterprise and Development Service at the Department of Veteran's Affairs.

Robert Harris is the Director Special Venture Acquisition (SVA) at Naval Facilities Engineering Command located at the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, DC.  SVA is responsible for development, acquisition, execution, oversight, monitoring and management of Public-Private Venture (PPV) programs, portfolios and projects supporting the Navy and Marine Corps with investment portfolios that currently include approximately $10 billion in assets.He is a licensed professional architect in Maryland and Minnesota and a member of the AIA.

In 2013 Paul Macpherson joined VA as Director of the Investment Enterprise Development Service his primary responsibility is to seek out and consummate public private partnerships with developers that will build housing for disadvantage, homeless, and elderly Veterans at little or no cost to VA.  This is VA’s Enhanced Use Lease (EUL) program.  Since taking over the program his project management team has closed 11 EULs, valued at $156M, providing 599 units of low income housing.

Thomas Burns, Assoc. AIA graduated from Roger Williams University in 2009. While in school he traveled to Haiti to study the challenges of building safe housing. This study sparked his interest in international community development and upon graduating he enrolled in a program with the International Institute of Sustainable Development through Colorado State University. He has since pursued work in public interest design, interning with MASS Design Group in Haiti working on two hospitals and a job training initiative.  Thomas currently serves as Architectural Designer for Davis Square Architects in Somerville, MA.