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Linn Warren, Director of the Department of Housing and Community Development

Linn Warren serves as Director of the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) which operates under the aegis of the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency (Agency) in Sacramento.

Director Warren’s position includes oversight for administration of the Department’s housing finance, rehabilitation, and community development programs; the State’s housing policy, planning and code-setting processes, and regulating manufactured housing and mobilehome parks.  The Director leads the administration of $2.1 billion in Proposition 46 and $2.85 billion in Proposition 1C bond funds for affordable housing.

Prior to joining HCD, Linn held various positions at the California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA).  From 1995 to 2005, he was the Director of Multifamily Programs and led numerous program and policy initiatives.  During his tenure, the Multifamily Division developed a groundbreaking special needs lending program with subsidized financing targeted specifically to projects housing homeless and developmentally disabled residents.  The Division also developed a preservation program utilizing non-profit related bond issues leveraging locality based rental assistance.  Both of these programs were awarded recognition for excellence from the National Council of Housing Finance Agencies.

Also while at CalHFA, Linn developed an innovative program for preservation of federally assisted projects.  In 1996, in conjunction with HUD, he developed the first 236 decoupling in the country.  In 2000, Linn again led an effort with HUD, private developers and the City of San Jose, to recapitalize a large LIHPRHA assisted project.  This program included advanced financing structures, new regulatory agreements and, at the time, was the largest tax credit project in the country.  Linn also directed preservation efforts aimed at revitalizing the aging portfolio at CalHFA, by recapitalizing of numerous projects to ensure long term affordability.  These efforts included some of the earliest debt leveraging of project based housing voucher assistance, a lending technique replicated by other affordable housing lenders.  With the introduction of the MHP Program at HCD, Linn and his staff developed the first construction lending program at CalHFA in 20 years.  During his 10 years as CalHFA's Multifamily Programs Director, the Division funded 270 projects with loans totaling $1.7 billion.

While on leave from CalHFA, Linn worked as an advisor to local governments, including San Jose and Sacramento.  While working at these cities, Linn developed new asset management evaluation and monitoring systems, led efforts to reposition public housing assets, developed NSP plans and amendments and developed debt restructuring programs for homeless assistance providers.

More recently, Linn was Program Director for the Keep Your Home California Program, a two billion dollar initiative, funded by the U.S. Treasury aimed at preventing California home mortgage foreclosures to keep distressed borrowers in their homes.

Prior to joining State service, Linn was a senior manager in the private sector with several financial institutions and commercial real estate development firms.  He was active in the resolution of the thrift crisis in the 1980’s as an asset and loan workout manager for both commercial and single-family loans.

Linn received a BA from the University of California, Santa Barbara in Business Economics and holds the Mortgage Bankers Association designation as a Commercial Certified Mortgage Banker.