Emmy Ham
Workforce Housing Stakeholder
Executive Director, Workforce Housing Coalition of the Greater Seacoast
Emily (Emmy) is a housing professional with expertise in housing policy, coalition building, and local and state advocacy initiatives. In January 2025, she became the Executive Director of the Workforce Housing Coalition of the Greater Seacoast, an organization that works closely with the Home for All. Prior to moving back to New England in 2023, Emmy spent four years in California working to advance policies, programs, and practices that promoted the supply of affordable housing across the Monterey Bay Region. She also conducted a number of local Fair Housing Assessments to support municipalities in identifying and remedying housing inequities in their communities. More recently, Emmy supported the development of a regional housing initiative at the Greater Portland Council of Governments in Portland, Maine in order to provide municipalities with the tools and understanding necessary to address their local housing shortages. As a UNH alumni, Emmy is thrilled to return to her roots to support healthy and equitable community and economic development in the Greater Seacoast.
Where did you grow up and how did that experience shape you or influence the path you followed in life?
I grew up in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, just outside of Portland. It wasn't until I worked at Avesta Housing that I discovered the immense need for housing in the region. I worked at the front desk and provided intake support as people from all walks of life came through our doors in search of an affordable place to call home - seniors living on fixed incomes, newly arrived refugees and asylum seekers, people experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity, single mothers and fathers, veterans, and so many more. Though the weight of their stories and scale of their need overwhelmed me at times, I was able to witness firsthand the power that affordable housing had in transforming peoples' lives and shaping. This left a lasting impression on me, and now I could not imagine having a career in any other field.
Why do you think affordable housing is important now?
I always say, whether or not you believe that housing is a human right (which it is), there are countless reasons to support affordable housing in your community. Thoughtful, professionally developed housing in the right places can result in revitalized downtowns, cleaner air quality, more sustainable workforces, and overall thriving communities and economies. It is one of the most powerful tools we have in our collective tool belt, and it's time to utilize it as much as we can!