Melvin Cowan
Lexington, KY, USA
Principal, Enough Housing
Melvin is a Master’s candidate in Real Estate Development + Design at UC Berkeley’s College of Environmental Design. Originally from the Bluegrass hills of Kentucky and now residing in the vibrant San Francisco Bay Area, Melvin brings more than 20 years of community development experience and seven years in senior management of affordable housing development. His expertise spans operational oversight, contract management, and transformative community engagement.
Driven by a vision to transform urban landscapes into walkable, sustainable, inclusive, and resilient communities, Melvin is deeply committed to addressing the pressing issues of homelessness, service accessibility, and the housing shortage. At UC Berkeley, he is eager to absorb knowledge from his professors, collaborate with fellow scholars, and focus on innovative housing financing and development strategies. Melvin believes that developers have not only an opportunity but a moral obligation to co-create environments that promote positive health outcomes and equity in housing policy.
Inspired from a young age by community leaders, Melvin pursued a career that allows him to lead innovative housing services, manage multimillion-dollar budgets, and collaborate with cross-sector partners. His passion for creating impactful community programs led him to obtain a Master’s in Public Administration, deepening his commitment to systemic change through education, feedback, and collective action.
As a project director, Melvin has collaborated with city government leadership, community members, and other key stakeholders to launch and operationalize several impactful initiatives. These projects include an Emergency Rental Assistance Program, a 40-unit RV safe parking program, an 86-unit tiny home village with supportive services in Oakland, and a 34-unit tiny home village offering medical respite in San Leandro, CA. Under his leadership, he developed systems to increase placements into permanent supportive housing for program participants. His comprehensive approach and successful management have catered to over 4,000 residents annually in Alameda County, CA.