The Housing Collective Announces CEO David Rich’s Retirement After 20 Years of Leadership
BRIDGEPORT, CONN. (April 28, 2026) – Today, The Housing Collective, a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening Connecticut’s housing systems through regional collaboration, announced that its President and Chief Executive Officer David Rich will retire, effective 2027, after 20 years of leadership and service.
Rich has been a driving force in advancing housing efforts across the state for decades. Prior to his role at The Housing Collective, David worked to create market-based solutions for addressing poverty across North and Central America, Africa and Asia. In 2006, he helped found The Housing Collective, where he has played a leadership role in developing and implementing local and regional campaigns to end homelessness and provide safe, affordable housing for residents in Connecticut.
Under his guidance, The Housing Collective has become a critical backbone organization supporting regional homelessness and housing affordability initiatives across the state and uniting more than 200 partners to provide a coordinated response to homelessness and housing affordability.
This leadership change is taking place as the organization reaches a critical milestone: The Housing Collective is marking its 20th anniversary in 2026 with the Build a Better Housing Future campaign. The campaign encourages residents to invest in the systems that make housing possible in Connecticut, while reflecting on the achievements of the organization and its partner network.
Over the last two decades, The Housing Collective has spearheaded efforts that have fundamentally transformed Connecticut’s housing and homelessness sector: ending chronic veteran homelessness in Fairfield County in 2016; increasing federal funding for homelessness response in Fairfield County by 160%; helping increase annual development of affordable homes in Litchfield County by 100%; and supporting the launch of six tenant unions in Eastern Connecticut.
“As The Housing Collective marks its 20th anniversary, it’s clear how much of its impact across Connecticut reflects David’s leadership and commitment to building strong housing and homelessness response systems,” said Alison Cunningham, Chair of the Housing Collective’s Board of Directors. “The Board is deeply grateful for his service and confident in the organization’s leadership and momentum as we begin this transition.”
“The Housing Collective’s impact today is a direct result of David’s unwavering commitment to building an organization capable of driving lasting, systemic change,” said Jessica Kubicki, Chief Initiative Officer of the Housing Collective’s Opening Doors Initiative. “Because of his leadership, we have a strong, prepared team ready to meet today’s challenges and continue advancing solutions to address housing instability and homelessness across Connecticut.”
“Serving as the Chief Executive Officer of The Housing Collective has been the honor of my professional life,” said Rich. “Over the past 20 years, I’ve had the privilege of helping build an organization that has delivered meaningful impact, even in the face of significant challenges, to communities across Connecticut. I’m deeply confident in the strength of our team to continue this important work and I look forward to the next chapter of The Housing Collective.”
