Judy Saunders is a housing and homelessness services professional who has dedicated her career to advancing long-term solutions to homelessness and expanding access to affordable housing through policy, planning, and systems coordination. Most recently, she served as a David Bohnett Fellow in the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office of Housing and Homelessness Solutions, where she supported regional housing efforts through policy implementation and initiatives to streamline affordable housing production. She also conducted research with the Southern California Association of Nonprofit Housing (SCANPH), analyzing the loss of Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO) units in Los Angeles, focusing on how redevelopment and policy incentives influence displacement and affordability outcomes.

Judy began her career at the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), where she worked on procurement and performance evaluation to inform equitable, data-driven funding strategies for homeless services programs. Across roles in government and the nonprofit sector, she has contributed to initiatives that center on equitable community development without displacement. She is passionate about building pathways to permanent housing that are community-driven, prevention-focused, and rooted in equity. Judy holds a Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from UCLA.