What happens when housing authorities stop pushing paper and start moving people into homes faster?

In this episode of ChangeMakers with Katie Goar, Shaina Fite, Public Housing Manager at Yardi, breaks down how outdated systems are slowing down affordable housing and how technology is starting to change that. Shaina shares her journey from growing up in public housing to helping distribute over $200 million in rental assistance, offering a perspective shaped by both lived experience and industry expertise.

The conversation explores why paper-based systems create delays and risk, how automation speeds up housing placement, and what artificial intelligence will change in the next 12 to 24 months. You will also hear how transparency improves trust for residents and agencies, and why the demand for affordable housing continues to rise.

This episode moves beyond policy and gets into the real systems behind housing access and what needs to change to serve people faster and more effectively.

⏱️ Chapters / Timestamps 00:00 Intro
00:13 Meet Shaina Fite
01:25 How she got into affordable housing
03:31 Growing up in public housing
06:01 How lived experience shapes leadership
10:49 What Yardi does and why it matters
12:29 Why paper systems slow everything down
14:49 How automation speeds up housing
16:36 Transparency for residents and agencies
19:13 Real-time data and decision making
19:57 The role of AI in housing
22:45 How AI frees up human work
24:30 Why agencies resist technology
26:10 The “bootcamp” of software implementation
27:39 Getting teams to adopt new systems
30:22 Why “we’ve always done it this way” is dangerous
32:28 The real cost of outdated systems
34:00 What Yardi does better
36:17 The future of AI in housing
37:41 Will AI replace jobs?
39:31 The growing need for affordable housing
42:18 Final thoughts