CENTER CITY HOUSING ANNOUNCES NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Center City Housing Corporation (CCHC) is proud to announce the appointment of Dustin Rietsema as its next Executive Director.

Rietsema is a dynamic, results-driven nonprofit affordable housing leader and advocate,  most recently leading the asset management team at Beyond Shelter, Inc. implementing the long-term vision and overall ownership strategy across its affordable housing developments.  He brings unique expertise and partnerships in the affordable housing industry spanning development and asset management, and property management.

Throughout his leadership career, Rietsema has specialized in long-term capital planning, strict compliance, and rigorous financial oversight and modeling.  A strategic navigator of complex housing models, he excels at building high-trust partnerships throughout the industry.

Rietsema stated, “My passion is affordable housing and making it accessible to all.  I’m incredibly grateful and humbled to join the CCHC team as the Executive Director and serve this mission with purpose.  Providing housing opportunities is challenging, yet very exciting. I’m looking forward to walking alongside our partners and making housing more available across our communities.”

Rietsema holds a M.S. in Accounting and Finance, a B.S. in Operations Management from Minnesota State University Moorhead, and an A.A.S. in Architectural Technologies.

“As our outstanding Executive Director, Nancy Cashman, prepares to retire from CCHC, we are pleased to welcome Dustin Rietsema to the organization,” said Board Chair Karen Olesen.  “After an extensive search, the Board is confident Dustin will be an excellent Executive Director.  We will miss Nancy and look forward to welcoming Dustin to CCHC and the Duluth community.”

About CCHC

Center City Housing Corporation (CCHC) provides access to affordable, quality housing for individuals and families; stability for those suffering from chronic chemical dependency; case management and supportive services; assistance with and access to community resources; and other services that keep people stably housed.

CCHC excels in developing environments where housing and community stability can thrive.  It utilizes community feedback to improve service delivery and housing options.  Most importantly, CCHC meets their tenants where they are to surround their housing journey with caring services that change lives.

In 1973, 10 Duluth Central Hillside Neighborhood congregations joined to form CHUM, an ecumenical coalition to address homelessness and the growing number of adults needing chemical dependency assistance.  Part of that original group’s mission was to pave pathways to stable housing…And so, CCHC was formed.

Fast-forward to 1986, CCHC became its own 501(c)3 nonprofit charitable corporation with a mission that endures today.  CCHC grew from three buildings and about 90 affordable housing units in Duluth in its first year, to 27 buildings and over 1,000 units across Minnesota.  CCHC serves roughly 3,000 tenants with an annual budget of approximately $15 million.  As the need for housing persists, CCHC is still expanding throughout the state, focusing on delivering integrated, on-site services that restore dignity and creates a pathway to life.