Jennifer Murdoch-Martin

Jennifer Murdoch-Martin is the Manager of Housing Programs in Waterloo Region.  She has been in the housing sector for over thirty years.  She started her career at the Metropolitan Toronto Housing Authority and then spent time in the Co-operative sector before joining the Region of Waterloo.

Jennifer has led and made crucial contributions to the Region’s Affordable Housing Strategy, Supportive Housing and Emergency Shelter Policy Frameworks, and her leadership has been instrumental in the development of the Region’s Community Housing Succession Strategy and accompanying supporting framework, policies and engagement strategy to prepare for End of Mortgage.  She has led the Region’s response to all new funding programs (federal/provincial), creating the vision, mission and delivery models to meet and exceed the funding requirements to ensure programs respond to the needs of the community.  In addition, she created and implemented a Housing Services Equity and Inclusion rent assistance program.  Strategic thinking paired with a strong vision has been the cornerstone of success in the development of new housing, the oversight of the sector providers, and the establishment of thoughtful readiness for the subsequent iterations of the housing sector.

Jennifer has a good understanding of the housing system evolution – and what is possible for the next iteration of the affordable and community housing sector.   She appreciates the interconnectedness of housing issues, policies/programs, and the influence of changes within one area affecting another, and she recognizes the foundational role of governance in protecting the viability and sustainability of social housing and the supportive role of the service manager beyond flowing funding.

Her work is from a business lens is creative and grounded in responsible risk in a challenging sector.