A Conversation on Sustainable Home Ownership and Economical Housing

Join us for an insider perspective!

5 :00 PM Registration and Welcome Reception

5:45 PM Welcome and Introducctions

6:00 PM Fireside Chat with Michael Liu and Tobias Peter

6:40 PM Q&A with audience

7:00 PM Concluding Reception

7:30 PM Event concludes

About our topic:

Perhaps the most important topic facing Miami today and in the years ahead will be how residents here can achieve sustainable home ownership and find economical housing that is in line with the kind of incomes they are earning. Miami has long been a place where the immigrant can arrive on our shores and find a path of upward mobility to achieve the American Dream -- much of which is intertwined with home ownership and affordable housing. But is that a time that has now passed? Many immigrants now come here and soon leave for other cities where the cost of living is much less. Miami's rise as a global economic center is putting a crunch on the supply of housing and the ability for the average resident to afford to own a home -- or even pay the rent. Join this important conversation with two men who have dedicated their life and careers to understand the challenges of the rising cost of housing and the solutions that Miami might seek.

About our speakers:

Michael Liu has over 40 years of experience in housing policy and finance beginning from his service as a Delegate to the 1978 Hawaii State Constitution Convention. His career has also included service with the federal government as U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Under Secretary for Small Community and Rural Development and U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing. In the private sector, he practiced real estate law for 13 years, and held executive officer positions with the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago, Bank of America (FSB), and Dutko Grayling. Prior to joining Swerdlow Group, Michael served as senior advisor on housing to the City of Miami’s City Manager, which followed a 9-year term as Miami-Dade County’s Public Housing and Community Development (PHCD) Director, the largest housing agency in the State of Florida.

​Among many accomplishments, Michael can point to creation of HUD’s Capital Fund Financing Program (like the Rental Assistance Demonstration Program (RAD)) a financing tool that involves leveraging private sector funds with public housing subsidy) that raised over $2 billion in its first 18 months of private sector funds for investment in public housing; expansion of the Native American home mortgage program 184 to assist with homeownership on non-tribal lands; establishment of RAD as the formal basis for the redevelopment approach for all of public housing in Miami-Dade County; improving PHCD’s 7 year public housing sub-standard designation to standard after 1 year; and establishing the redevelopment of public housing sites “Liberty Square/Lincoln Gardens” and the Senior Campus (now known as River Parc), developments that will involve in over $1 billion in equity, debt, and grants, and upon completion result in over 15,000 new and/or total rehabilitated units.

Michael is a graduate of Stanford University (BA) and the University of Hawaii’s Richardson School Law. He is a member of the Hawaii and Washington, DC bar associations.

Tobias Peter is a senior fellow and the codirector of the American Enterprise Institute’s Housing Center, where he focuses on housing risk and mortgage markets. Working closely with Edward Pinto, codirector of the AEI Housing Center, Mr. Peter has coauthored a variety of reports on housing policy, specifically on the impact of federal policy on housing demand and homeownership, housing finance risks, and first-time home buyers. He has testified before Congress, and his pieces have been published in policy journals and in the popular press, including in the Wall Street Journal, American Banker, and Business Insider.

He has a master’s in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School and a bachelor’s degree in history and applied economics from the College of St. Scholastica.

The Economic Club of Miami fosters meaningful networking among business leaders connected to Miami while providing thought leadership on important issues. Our mission is to host events with leaders in technology, banking, investment management, arts, politics, media and many other industries. We are hosting events on a regular basis both in person in Miami and online (in a hybrid format). These events will feature interviews and speeches from thought leaders in business, politics, and other important fields. For more information on how to join our membership, visit: https://www.econclubmiami.org

American Enterprise Institute is a public policy think tank dedicated to defending human dignity, expanding human potential, and building a freer and safer world. The work of our scholars and staff advances ideas rooted in our belief in democracy, free enterprise, American strength and global leadership, solidarity with those at the periphery of our society, and a pluralistic, entrepreneurial culture. Learn more at: https://www.aei.org