Lawrence Grisham

Lawrence joined the Executive Staff of IHDA in October 2021. Prior to IHDA, Lawrence oversaw the City of Chicago’s affordable housing programs and activities which included multifamily rental projects, single-family purchase/rehab assistance, foreclosure prevention/mitigation programs and housing preservation efforts. Financing tools included Low Income Housing Tax Credits, Donations Tax Credits, New Markets Tax Credits, tax exempt bonds, HOME/CDBG funds, TIF Funds and corporate funds. He also oversaw the Chicago Low Income Housing Trust Fund, which administers the largest locally-funded rental subsidy program for very low-income families in the country.

Before working for Chicago, Lawrence was a Senior Vice President at The Habitat Company where he managed the Community Development Group that focused on developing affordable and mixed income housing. Among his duties was the day-to-day management of Habitat’s duties as the court-appointed Gautreaux Development Manager for the development of all new family housing for the Chicago Housing Authority.

Prior to joining The Habitat Company, Lawrence was Senior Vice President for Operations for Bethel New Life, a long-established community development corporation on Chicago’s West Side. Lawrence also worked for the City of Chicago in health planning and served as a Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator Charles H. Percy and Congressman Ralph H. Metcalfe. While with Senator Percy, Lawrence was instrumental in the passage of legislation that created the U.S. Department of Education.

Lawrence received a Master of Science in Human Services Administration from Spertus College and a Bachelor of Arts from Northwestern University.