Brad Padden

Brad Padden is the CEO and founder of Housing Diversity Corporation (HDC), pioneering a revolutionary model for private capital investment in affordable housing. Under his leadership, HDC manages over $1.15 billion in development projects and 1,223 occupied apartments and has raised more than $214 million in equity, ranking in Novogradac’s top 5% of tracked Opportunity Zone funds.

Brad has developed a groundbreaking approach that creates affordable and permanent supportive housing without traditional public funding sources. This model rapidly delivered 374 units of permanent supportive housing in downtown Los Angeles through innovative partnerships with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Agency (LAHSA) and People Assisting the Homeless (PATH) while maintaining market-rate returns for investors. HDC’s success relies on creative financing structures combining institutional partnerships with impact-driven capital sources, including the United Way of Greater Los Angeles’ Affordable Housing Initiative Fund II, the Amazon Housing Equity Fund, and Qualified Opportunity Zone funds.

Beyond development, Brad has successfully advocated for and helped craft multiple pieces of enacted housing legislation. His community impact extends to co-founding the Chinatown-International District Coalition for Safety and Security and establishing the Alliance for Safety, Affordability and Preservation (ASAP!). As a member of ULI’s Affordable/Workforce Housing Council, he continues to share expertise on innovative solutions for affordable housing development.