Connie Lassandro, an innovative and visionary leader, has more than thirty years of diverse experience working in the non-profit and government sectors administering housing programs for low and moderate income persons. Appointed in 2002 Director of Nassau County’s Office of Housing & Homeless Services; she was a leader in the preservation of affordable rental units and in the rehabilitation and construction of additional affordable rental units in Nassau County. She implemented the first Section 8 program on Long Island in 1974 for the City of Glen Cove and, prior to becoming Director of Nassau of Housing, she was Director of Homeless Services for the Community Development Corporation of Long Island (CDCLI) in Suffolk County. She administered the largest Housing Choice Voucher Program and ancillary housing initiatives in Nassau County. She introduced Section 8 Project-Based Vouchers to promote new construction and substantial rehabilitation on existing housing stock; leveraged Low Income Housing Tax Credits, HOME and IDA funding to expand affordable housing throughout Nassau County.
Under her leadership Nassau County OHHS was certified in 2005 as a HUD Certified Housing Counseling Agency, and created the Nassau County Homeownership providing housing counseling to first time homebuyers and foreclosure/loss mitigation. Additionally, Nassau County in 2003 was awarded a Five Year Homelessness Intervention Program Grant of $1.1 million dollars from the NYS Office of Temporary & Disability Assistance and in 2009 a grant of $6.5 million from U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Renewal to administer the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Rehousing (HPRP) grant.
Ms. Lassandro serves on National, State and Local committees and boards: National Association of Housing & Redevelopment Officials; National Leasing Housing Association; US Housing & Urban Development (HUD) Casey Family Foundation Child Welfare Working Committee; National Center for Housing & Child Welfare; Long Island Community Foundation Affordable & Equitable Housing Initiative Advisory Committee; ERASE Racism Benefit Committee; Hempstead Boys and Girls Club & Community Advocates Inc.
Formerly served as Co-Chair of the Nassau County Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness, and County Executive Homeless Task Force, Women for Workforce Housing; Long Island Association Workforce Housing Committee; Long Island Housing Partnerships Nassau County Housing Development Committee’; Association of Long Island Housing Agencies; and Boards of LaFuerza Unida Inc. , La Fuerza Unida, Inc. Community Development Corp. and Community Development Financial Lending Institute (CDFLI); Dominican Village, Sisters of Saint Dominic; Bethany House; Child Welfare League of America Housing Committee; Nassau Suffolk Coalition for the Homeless.
Professionally, Ms. Lassandro reflects a hybrid experience not only in housing and community causes, in protocol and public relations, which began during the administration of NYC Mayor John Lindsay, Chief of Protocol, and John (Bud) Palmer in the organization of celebrations, parades and diplomatic dinners. Prior to the her position with Nassau County, Ms. Lassandro was the Director of Homeless Services with Community Development Corporation of Long Island.
Currently, she is an independent consultant for Affordable Housing and advocate for Homeless Prevention.
