SDS Capital Group

06/24/2026

A counterintuitive truth about affordable housing: demand for it rises with economic uncertainty, not against it.

When budgets tighten, families seek stability and lower rents. Newly constructed units lease up before construction is even complete, waitlists form, and tenants rarely leave given the scarcity of alternatives. The result is consistently low vacancy and a return profile less correlated to the macro economy than most real estate.

That resilience is why institutional investors are revisiting affordable housing as a serious niche allocation - one that meets a critical social need and performs.

SDS Capital Group Founder & CEO, Deborah La Franchi, makes the full case in her article for AFIRE: https://sds.capital/afire-summit-journal-affordable-housing-as-an-investment-vehicle/

06/15/2026

Featured in National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems (NCPERS): SDS Capital Group Founder & CEO, Deborah La Franchi, breaks down why affordable housing is emerging as one of the most resilient strategies for pension funds navigating volatility, and why the window to act is narrowing.

Pension funds have long considered affordable housing as a charitable play. The data tells a different story.

A 16-year PREA study found that affordable properties outperformed higher-income ones by 239 basis points annually - not because of luck, but because of structural demand that doesn't disappear when markets get rough.

With 7 million affordable housing units missing from the U.S. market and new supply projected to drop sharply through 2029, the fundamentals only get stronger.

Read the full article here: https://sds.capital/ncpers-persist-safeguarding-pension-assets-through-affordable-housing/

Deborah La Franchi writes about the value of affordable housing as an investment strategy in the National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems (NCPERS) Quarterly Education Journal

06/10/2026

Did you know that affordable housing has outperformed higher-income multifamily by 239 basis points over the past 16 years - delivering stronger risk-adjusted returns than conventional market-rate apartments?

That finding from a 2024 Pension Real Estate Association (PREA) study covering Q1 2008 through Q1 2024, challenges a longstanding misconception among institutional investors: that affordable housing cannot generate alpha.

The fundamentals explain why. A 7-million-unit shortage of affordable housing in the US - and growing - drives consistently lower vacancy, reduced tenant turnover, and resilience across economic cycles.

In her latest article for AFIRE's Summit Journal, SDS Capital Group Founder & CEO, Deborah La Franchi, unpacks the economic and demographic forces reshaping this asset class, and why private capital is increasingly viewed as a strategic, resilient, and diversifying allocation.

Read the full piece: https://www.afire.org/summit/beyondmotivation/

06/02/2026

Industrial growth is increasingly being driven by public-private partnership, not just market demand.

Our latest investment in RoyOMartin’s expansion in Corrigan, TX is a clear example: pairing federal support from the U.S. Treasury’s NMTC program with private investment from RoyOMartin to unlock a $115M manufacturing project.

With $28.5M in NMTC allocation from National New Markets Fund, the project will retain 200 jobs, create 123 new roles, and expand production capacity by 70%, reinforcing a critical employer in a deeply distressed rural community.

As industrial demand grows, these structures are playing a bigger role in directing capital to places traditional markets often miss.

More on the project in CRE Daily:
https://www.credaily.com/briefs/houston-industrial-expansion-plants-a-115m-timber-future/

05/25/2026

Can affordable housing serve as a recession hedge for pension funds?
That’s the question at the center of Pensions & Investments’ latest article on New York City Retirement Systems’ plan to invest $4 billion in affordable housing.

SDS Capital Group Founder & CEO Deborah La Franchi was quoted alongside Jason Bordainick of Hudson Valley Property Group, Stijn Van Nieuwerburgh of Columbia Business School, and New York City Comptroller Mark Levine, each bringing important perspective on the role private capital can play in addressing the national housing shortage - and why the smart money is increasingly betting it can.

“This 7 million unit shortage is not going to be solved solely by low-income housing tax credits. Not going to happen. The private sector is an important part of the solution,” said Ms. La Franchi.

Full article linked below: https://www.pionline.com/institutional-investors/pension-funds/pi-new-york-city-affordable-housing-recession-hedge/?utm_id=gfta-ur-260430&share-code=2UH7YM2DQJFZPJICX45PG7VMOY&user_id=8902222&customer_secondary_source=cpi_articleGifting

05/19/2026

Third year in a row! We’re proud to share that Deborah La Franchi, Founder & CEO of SDS Capital Group, has been named to the Los Angeles Business Journal’s LA500 list for 2026!

The LA500 celebrates 500 of the most influential leaders driving progress and impact across the region. Ms. La Franchi’s work in reimagining how private capital can advance affordable and supportive housing continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible in real estate, and in social change.

Congratulations to all those recognized in this year’s edition!
https://labusinessjournal.com/la500-2026/banking-finance-2026/la500-2026-deborah-lafranchi/

05/14/2026

What an incredible event! The SDS Capital Group team had an amazing time at CohnReznick's 25th Annual New Markets Tax Credit Summit this week.

It was energizing to connect with so many visionary industry leaders, investors, and community development partners all united around the future of the NMTC program.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by our booth. We appreciated the opportunity to discuss how SDS supports NMTC allocatees and investors across the full lifecycle.

We'd love to continue the conversation.
Don't hesitate to reach out!

05/12/2026

Featured in Bisnow: our latest investment highlights how NMTCs can scale industrial growth in rural communities.

Through National New Markets Fund, SDS Capital Group supported a $115M expansion of RoyOMartin’s manufacturing campus in Corrigan, Texas—expected to increase production capacity by 70% and expand output of materials critical to housing.

NNMF deployed $28.5M in NMTC allocation to help retain 200 jobs and create more than 120 new full-time positions in Polk County, where access to quality employment is essential to long-term economic stability.

A practical example of how targeted capital can strengthen supply chains while supporting local economies.

Read more: https://www.bisnow.com/houston/news/industrial/115m-project-boost-timber-manufacturing-capacity-rural-texas-134167

The manufacturing facility expansion will create 123 new jobs in the distressed rural community.

05/07/2026

The SDS Capital Group team is heading to Miami!

Join us May 11–13 at the CohnReznick 25th Annual New Markets Tax Credit Summit, marking a milestone year for the NMTC program and the communities it continues to support.

Our team—Deborah La Franchi, Laura Baron, Ken Mayne, Asteria Steinberger, Beth Fore, and Laina Wolf—looks forward to connecting with industry leaders and sharing how we support NMTC allocatees and investors across the full lifecycle, from transaction closing and structuring to compliance, reporting, and asset management.

If you’re attending and looking to deploy capital into high-impact opportunities or streamline the complexity behind them, we’d love to connect. Stop by and see us in the Americana Ballroom Foyer.

05/06/2026

Affordable housing is no longer a niche allocation. It’s a strategic one.

Deborah La Franchi, Founder & CEO of SDS Capital Group, makes that case in a recent article for National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems (NCPERS).

As public market volatility persists, the fundamentals continue to hold. Demand remains strong, turnover stays low, and cash flows have proven resilient - reinforcing affordable housing’s role as a stabilizing force in institutional portfolios.

At the same time, a widening supply gap and slowing development pipeline are limiting opportunities for investors to build meaningful positions at scale.

For those focused on resilience, and long-term value creation, this is worth a read:
https://sds.capital/ncpers-persist-safeguarding-pension-assets-through-affordable-housing/