Sydney Shivers
The City of Chattanooga announces the hire of its first-ever director of housing policy, a position which will oversee the city’s implementation of its housing objectives and services and work to develop "equitable and innovative" housing solutions. Sydney Shivers will report directly to Nicole Heyman, who was hired last year as the city’s first chief housing officer.
Ms. Shivers joins the City of Chattanooga from New Orleans, La., where she worked as the director of the Mayor’s Office of Community Assets.
There, she led cross-departmental and cross-agency initiatives aimed at creating "equitable, inclusive, amenity-rich neighborhoods."
"Her work led to successful zoning-reforms that increased the diversity of housing opportunities in New Orleans neighborhoods, and she stewarded the Redevelopment Framework, a tool for driving public benefits by leveraging underutilized City-owned properties, to create new housing opportunities in high opportunity neighborhoods," officials said.
“I’m proud of the progress we’ve made so far toward preserving our existing affordable housing units and building new ones, and adding Sydney’s expertise to the effort will accelerate our ability to improve our city’s housing landscape,” said Mayor Tim Kelly. “Our goal is to make Chattanooga a place where anyone who wants to call it home can – regardless of their income level. Sydney has a track record of helping make that happen, and I’m thrilled that she’s joining our team at this pivotal time.”
As director of housing policy, Ms. Shivers will plan, manage and oversee the daily functions of the City of Chattanooga’s housing policy initiatives. Part of the role will also include evaluating the effectiveness of implemented policy through data analysis.
“I am impressed by Mayor Kelly and his administration’s demonstrated commitment to ensuring all
Chattanoogans have safe, quality and affordable housing, and I feel a deep alignment with their racial and economic justice centered vision for Chattanooga’s growth,” said Ms. Shivers.
Ms. Shivers earned her bachelor’s and master's degrees in urban and environmental planning from the University of Virginia, and she is a candidate for a master’s of public administration from the University of Pennsylvania through an executive program.
“This expansion of our team is an incredibly exciting next step in building a stronger housing environment for Chattanoogans,” said Ms. Heyman. “ It has been my pleasure to work alongside Sydney in the past and I am honored that she chose to join me in Chattanooga to continue our partnership in finding solutions to create vibrant, amenity rich communities with housing options that are affordable to working Chattanoogan families.
"Sydney is a collaborative and creative partner who values building relationships in the community and working to fulfill the mission to make housing in Chattanooga attainable for everyone.”
Ms. Shivers will come on board as the Department of Housing prepares to implement its Housing Action Plan, a policy and program roadmap that will be presented to the City Council this coming Tuesday. The plan was prepared in collaboration with HR&A Advisors, a real estate firm built by experts in the field of housing and economic development.
"It is a comprehensive evaluation of our current housing market and a bold action blueprint for how we can make that market more equitable and affordable," officials said.