People of Housing Security:
Deborah Myerson

Deborah Myerson founded Myerson Consulting in 2003 when she moved to Bloomington from Washington DC. Since then, Deborah has provided housing consulting to communities across the United States. 

“Housing is about who lives there,” Deborah said. 

Being able to analyze and look at housing policy, but convey it to the public in a way that shows how it affects people, is an essential part of the work Deborah does. 

However, Deborah has also served in a variety of roles in the local community to help increase advocacy opportunities for affordable housing. In 2015, she joined the nonprofit South Central Indiana Housing Opportunity (SCIHO) as a board member. Deborah felt inspired to become more involved with the local community and provide guidance on housing opportunities and advocacy. Deborah feels that it is extremely important to be plugged into the local community because housing needs exist all over. Shortly after joining the board, Deborah became the executive director of SCIHO. 

While serving as the SCIHO executive director, Deborah kept her consulting business, but scaled it back considerably. She continued to be involved with the local community by becoming the South Central Housing Network (SCHN) Advocacy co-chair in 2017. In this role, Deborah sought to amplify advocacy opportunities and even developed an advocacy agenda for the network. 

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and SCIHO shut down, Deborah maintained her involvement with the SCHN by being a member of its advocacy committee. Now, Deborah pursues her career as a urban planner full time with Myerson Consulting. 

In this role, Deborah works with communities all over the country to look at housing strategy and how communities can best improve their current housing options. This often includes producing different publications and research on housing policy. Most recently, Deborah authored Aligned for Affordability: A Roadmap for Local Government and Practice in Northwest Arkansas. Essentially, this is a policy tool kit for housing affordability in Northwest Arkansas.

And under contract with Heading Home, she created the Heading Home Guide, a housing navigation resource.

Deborah wishes people understood how complicated housing is. She says there is a gap between what it costs to build housing and what people can afford. Being able to deeply understand that relationship is necessary in order to fill this gap and provide more housing opportunities. 

“Housing is about who lives there.”

– Deborah Myerson

When she is not working, Deborah enjoys bicycling. She typically uses her bike to commute around Bloomington. She enjoys how Bloomington is gradually improving its bike infrastructure and hopes the city continues to do so in the coming years. Deborah also enjoys traveling. When visiting new places, she likes to walk around neighborhoods to observe the housing opportunities in different communities. 

Deborah is a mom of three boys, ages 13, 16, and 20. Her free time is often filled with their baseball games and track meets. 

Equity is something that is extremely important to Deborah. She feels that she has been really fortunate with her experiences and opportunities and is continually working to better understand how to make these same resources possible for others who may not have been as fortunate. 

Deborah has not only made big impacts in affordable housing policy but also continues to advocate for more housing opportunities through her position on the advocacy committee at SCHN. Her dedication and resilient efforts in the field of housing policy and advocacy are making a big difference in the community and beyond. 

About the People of Housing Security: This series highlights the work of those committed to improving the lives of residents in South Central Indiana. Find all the articles in this series here.