Graham Kilvert

Graham Kilvert has been on the SWAP board since 2007 serving as a Professional Advisory Member. His banking expertise and his skill with helping families buy homes has been invaluable. He was especially interested in SWAP’s  commitment to home buyer education - something he said was lacking in other organizations. “I had become disenfranchised with the process because little or no home buyer education was required as a condition of purchasing a home. As a result, many of the homes fell into disrepair in a very short time. I truly believe SWAP's education program is a major part of the organizations long term success.  SWAP’s well planned and  multi-layered training and support services for both buyers and renters helps navigate the complexities of owning or renting properties.”

Graham says SWAP, in its 50-year history, has helped to change the lives of hundreds of families. But it hasn’t been easy.  It’s been complicated by inconsistency in state and federal programs, difficulty in finding financing and increasingly complex regulations. “Despite these many hurdles, under Carla's leadership, SWAP has been able to find qualifying properties, obtain permitting, cobble together multiple funding sources  and continue to deliver high quality rental and for-sale properties.”

SWAP will be critical in the future, Graham says.  ”This process will not get any easier in the coming years. Navigating the tedious task of developing and delivering affordable properties requires organizations like SWAP with strong  management and a deep pool of support personnel.  SWAP  properties have always stood out as beacons in the various neighborhood  where they are developed, in terms of both quality and  maintained condition."

Q and A

How did you first become involved with the housing crisis and SWAP?

I had been on the board of other affordable housing organizations during my banking career and had become disenfranchised with the process because little or no home buyer education was required as a condition of purchasing a home. As a result, many of the homes that were bought experienced disrepair in a very short period. There was push back on any effort to rectify this process.  I eventually resigned from these organizations.

A good friend of mine was on the board of SWAP and over lunch I explained my frustration. He suggested I should talk to the people at SWAP. After a meeting with Carla, I ended up on the board. I truly believe SWAP's education program is a major part of the organizations long term success and has helped to maintain SWAP properties throughout the portfolio.

What are your thoughts on how SWAP has made a difference in housing and revitalizing neighborhoods over the past 50 years?

Throughout the years, the support for affordable housing has gone through many renditions, complicated by continued changes in administrations at both state and federal levels. Good people and programs disappeared. Trying to comply with the regulations required by new programs made the entire process increasingly complex.  These overwhelming changes have made the process of permitting and funding development of affordable housing much more difficult.  However, despite these many hurdles, under Carla's leadership, SWAP has been able to find qualifying properties, obtain permitting, cobble together multiple funding sources and continue to deliver high quality rental and for- sale properties.  

SWAP properties have always stood out as beacons in the various neighborhoods where they are developed, in terms of both quality and maintained condition.  Furthermore, SWAP’s well planned and multi-layered training and support services for both buyers and renters, has helped many families navigate the complexities of owning or renting properties.

Over its 50-year history, through hard work, ingenuity and a vision of helping people, SWAP has been able to develop housing throughout the state, that has helped to change the lives of hundreds of families.

Community housing development has evolved over the past 50 years – but we find ourselves in a housing crisis.  What do you see as the role for SWAP and other CDC’s in finding solutions to create more housing in RI?

As we know, the need for affordable housing only continues to grow, while the funding sources continue to shrink and those programs that remain have become extremely complex. This process will not get any easier in the coming years. Navigating the tedious process of developing and delivering affordable properties requires organizations with strong management and a deep pool of support personnel.   Only well positioned organizations like SWAP will be able to handle the growing complexity of process that will only become more complex.

SWAP has consistently demonstrated its ability to manage the permitting process, been able to structure multilayered financing packages, and delivered a time-tested history of successful projects.

With the growing demand for affordable housing, programs like SWAP, will be critical in the struggle to provide quality affordable housing throughout the State.