State and Local Housing Expert Katie Kitchin Joins Abt Associates


“The national housing crisis is a policy priority for government at every level. I’m excited to be joining Abt at this moment, when we have real opportunities to help states and local government be the innovation labs to pilot the approaches that may become the national models we need.”

Katie Kitchin, a leader in housing and human services policies, has joined Abt Associates as the director of the company’s state and local housing and asset building work. Kitchin’s career spans 25 years of state-level technical assistance and implementation to advance the well-being of people and communities.

As State and Local Director, Housing & Asset Building, Kitchin will bring all of Abt’s capabilities and expertise—from data analysis to program evaluations, in areas ranging from homelessness to guaranteed income—to clients.

“The national housing crisis is a policy priority for government at every level,” said Kitchin. “I’m excited to be joining Abt at this moment, when we have real opportunities to help states and local government be the innovation labs to pilot the approaches that may become the national models we need.”

Kitchin brings a wealth of experience and results working at the state and county level. Prior to joining Abt, she was the Director of the Corporation for Supportive Housing’s (CSH) Ohio office, where she led state and local housing policy and initiatives in Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Before her role at CSH, she served as the executive director of the Community Alliance for the Homeless, the U.S. Department of Housing and Human Development’s Continuum of Care (CoC) program for Memphis/Shelby County, TN. In this key role, she developed and implemented the Memphis and Shelby County Mayors’ Plan to End Homelessness, reducing homelessness by 20 percent and chronic homelessness by 39 percent. As director of the Office to End Homelessness in Norfolk, VA, Kitchin developed and implemented the city’s 10-year plan to end homelessness, resulting in a 25-percent reduction in homelessness. Kitchin also worked in policy/legislative roles for the Governor of Pennsylvania and served as key legislative staff on the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee’s Subcommittee on Human Services, focused on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and child welfare programs.

“Katie’s understanding of beneficiaries’ needs, combined with her extensive state and local experience, make her the prefect partner for Abt’s clients in those spaces,” said Abt’s Vice President of Housing and Asset Building, Eduardo Castellon.

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