Flora Arabo is the national director for state and local policy at Enterprise Community Partners. In collaboration with Market leaders and regional policy directors, Flora leads Enterprise’s state and local policy strategy across the organization. She advises Markets on developing a comprehensive approach, including devising and implementing tactics, to achieve policies that expand local resources for affordable housing, promote inclusive development practices and reverse decades-old patterns of residential segregation. Flora also leads the High-Cost Cities Housing Forum, a peer-to-peer network comprised of the local housing commissioners from nine of the most expensive cities in the United States.

Flora brings 18 years of experience in the housing and health sectors. Prior to joining Enterprise, Flora worked for the National Governors Association where she provided technical assistance to states to craft policies that implement housing interventions as a best practice for improved health outcomes. Her work culminated in the publication of Housing as Health Care: A Roadmap for States, a guide for governors in driving health and housing policies.

Previously, Flora worked on housing policy as a special appointee in Maryland’s Department of Housing and Community Development and an analyst for the Maryland General Assembly. Her experience in state government included: collaborative efforts with federal, state and local officials to end homelessness; leading projects designed to revitalize the health and well-being of communities and reach underserved populations; preparing communications for the governor’s staff on the state of the housing market and related measures of economic health; and drafting testimony and presenting before legislative budget committees.

Prior to working in state housing policy, Flora spent eight years as a hospital administrator in several large academic medical centers including the Johns Hopkins Health System. Her experience working with clinicians and executives led her to understand the difficulties in achieving value in the health industry without access to safe, decent and affordable housing for vulnerable populations.

Flora holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree from the Johns Hopkins University.