Jan Breidenbach has produced what she calls "A morality power point on the role of housing in our lives, the history of u.s. housing, the financial crisis of capitalism…. And the possible politics of sustainability." Her starting point is that housing is "the physical space where we become who we are, where our psychological lives take place. It is often the site of our greatest loves, happiness, hatreds and losses. It is the determinant of other opportunities or barriers in our lives" And she goes from there to fundamental questions about the system that has produces a continual criris in housing.

Jan Breidenbach
Former Executive Director, Southern California Association of Non-Profit Housing (SCANPH)

Jan Breidenbach has over twenty-five years experience in the field of community development and organizing. Since 1991, she has been the Executive Director of the Southern California Association of Non-Profit Housing (SCANPH) where she is responsible for the policy, direction and programs of a 550+ member association. In this position, she has overseen SCANPH’s growth in terms of membership, staff and responsibilities.

As part of her work at SCANPH, Ms. Breidenbach conceived and led Housing LA, a citywide campaign calling for establishment of a Housing Trust Fund in Los Angeles. The campaign—the largest and most diverse of any such campaign in the nation—incorporated representation from all sectors of Los Angeles and resulted in the establishment of a $100 million annual housing fund.

Prior to taking the helm of SCANPH, Ms. Breidenbach was the founding executive director of the Coalition for Women’s Economic Development (CWED), a non-profit micro-enterprise organization providing training, technical assistance and peer lending to low-income self-employed women. CWED was second organization in the United States to institute peer lending as a community development strategy.