Kristin Allin is a Senior Planner and Housing Specialist at the Atlanta Regional Commission. Born in the Atlanta area, Kristin has resided in Decatur for over 19 years as a business owner and community leader. In her role at ARC, Kristin has helped to lead the Local Leadership Housing Action Committee, is assisting in re-instating the Regional Housing Task Force, serves on the advisory panel for the Atlanta Regional Housing Forum, and works within the ARC’s LCI and CDAP program to further affordable housing planning. She spearheaded the ARC’s application for the HUD PRO Housing Grant in hopes to fund direct housing support within the ARC’s programming. Prior to joining the Atlanta Regional Commission, she was a Planner for the City of Decatur with a focus on housing policy. In this role, she was the staff liaison to the Affordable Housing Task Force and implemented several of its recommendations to reduce barriers to affordable housing in Decatur. Her most challenging policy implementation was the missing middle housing policy revisions to the zoning code. Kristin also was the lead in incorporating the Decatur Land Trust as a non-profit organization and serving as the staff liaison to the Decatur Land Trust Board. She created policies and procedures for Decatur’s Tax Allocation District and Housing Trust Fund. Kristin’s career in affordable housing began in 2018 when she returned to school and received a Master of Urban Studies from Georgia State University. With an interest in affordable housing, she attended HouseATL meetings and Policy Work Group Meetings during her time in graduate school and has continued to do so in her professional roles. Her educational background includes earning an undergraduate degree in Industrial Engineering from Georgia Tech in 1997 and a Master of Business Administration from Saint Mary’s College of California. From 2007 to 2023, Kristin co-owned and operated several small restaurants in Decatur and Atlanta. The experience of running small businesses has shaped her world view in understanding the challenges of standing up a small-scale business, supporting employees in this industry, and the link between housing, wages, and transportation as vital to the vision of a region that supports the success of all residents. Kristin served as a Board Member of the Wylde Center from 2010 to 2013, as an Art Leader of Metro Atlanta (ALMA) participant with the Atlanta Regional Commission in 2020, as a Georgia WIN List Member in the Women’s Leadership Group from 2018 to 2019, and currently participates in the ARC’s Culture and Community Design program and serves on the Communications Committee for the Women’s Affordable Housing Network. Her goal as a Senior Planner and Housing Specialist at the ARC is to utilize the connection between ARC and local jurisdictions to further progress in affordable housing policy and programs at the local level and across jurisdictions in the ARC’s 11-county region.