A Story
As Unique
As New York
Larry Hirschfield started his working life as a professional percussionist, a journey that included recording in studios and touring with New York City Opera and Broadway’s Les Misérables. It was the 1980s and New York City was still grappling with high unemployment and the lingering effects of the 1970s fiscal crisis. Swaths of neighborhoods had been devastated by abandonment and neglect and the city was desperately trying to rebuild, with a focus on creating affordable housing.
Against this backdrop, the advent of sampling and other technological advances were causing seismic shifts in the music business. After listening to a radio program about how to buy a home, Larry took out a loan and purchased a run-down townhouse on Adelphi Street in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, a neighborhood that was then considered a new housing frontier. Contributing his own sweat equity, Larry renovated the Adelphi Street building, restoring its historical detail and creating an apartment for himself along with two rental units. He enjoyed the process—enough to risk borrowing money to buy two more townhouses— and more importantly, giving back to the borough he called home.
By the mid-1990s, Larry’s instruments were gathering dust as he embarked on larger real estate projects, including renovating troubled apartment buildings in other parts of Brooklyn and in Manhattan. Then a brand new HPD program called Neighborhood Entrepreneurs caught Larry’s attention, and after careful screening, he became one of ten small, locally-based entrepreneurs to be selected to rehabilitate and manage city-owned buildings. Thus, a new career was born.
Today, a commitment to residents and to New York City’s neighborhoods remain at the heart of ELH’s mission. The firm’s participation in the state and city housing initiatives over the past three decades gives it unrivaled expertise in public-private partnerships aimed at rehabilitating distressed properties and creating new affordable housing opportunities, both for rent and homeownership.
With capabilities that range from development, property management and general contracting to conducting affordable housing lotteries, marketing, lease-up and sales responsibilities, ELH’s excellent track record of bringing comprehensive renovations, enhanced property management, sustainability features and expanded on-site services to those in need is uniquely New York.
Elh
Through
The Years
Meet the Team
The ELH team has risen to meet New York City’s sprawling housing needs through several political administrations, housing plans and some of the most challenging economic chapters in the city’s modern history. Since the late 2000s, the firm has more than doubled in size, drawing talent from all corners of the real estate industry and assembling an impressive portfolio of high-integrity, community-first projects.
Larry Hirschfield
Founder & CEO
Larry Hirschfield, Founder & CEO
A born and bred Brooklynite, Larry has been inspired by the city’s rich history and architecture since a young age. He watched his mother restore the façade of his childhood home - a landmarked 1854 brownstone - instilling in him a passion and respect for the built environment and how it influences people’s lives.
Larry founded ELH in 1995 and remains the sole owner of the company. Larry got his start in affordable housing when he was designated to be part of the first round of HPD’s Neighborhood Entrepreneurs Program (NEP) and was appointed by the Court to serve as a 7A Administrator, giving him oversight of properties deemed to pose a danger to the tenants' life, health and safety. Through these city-sponsored initiatives and others, like Third Party Transfer (TPT), Larry spearheaded the turnaround of more than 100 physically and financially distressed apartment buildings throughout the mid-1990s and 2000s to further efforts to improve housing quality and stabilize neighborhoods after successive waves of housing abandonment.
More recently, ELH has been instrumental in helping the city meet its housing goals through programs that promote the construction of new homes affordable to New York City’s workforce community, allow for the rehabilitation and preservation of housing for low-to-moderate income households and convert distressed city-owned multifamily properties into cooperatives for low and moderate-income households, to name a few. Under Larry’s leadership, ELH is also helping to deliver significant investments to New York City’s stock of public housing though NYCHA’s Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (PACT) program.
Larry serves on the board of the Citizens Housing and Planning Council (CHPC) and the New York State Association for Affordable Housing (NYSAFAH). He is also an associate member of the Institute of Real Estate Management and is a licensed New York City real estate broker.
A professionally-trained classical musician, he studied music at Columbia University and holds an Artist Diploma (AD) from the Mannes School of Music at The New School.
Denise DiPalo
Chief Administrative Officer
Denise DiPalo, Chief Administrative Officer
Denise DiPalo serves as Chief Administrative Officer and oversees leasing, compliance, marketing and human resources for ELH Mgmt.
Prior to joining ELH in 2015, Denise spent 27 years as a Leasing Manager at Rose Associates, Inc., a New York-based multifamily real estate developer and manager. Denise is Quadel Certified in Tax Credit Compliance and has nearly 40 years of real estate industry experience, including in the high-regulated and nuanced segment of affordable housing and rent stabilization. During her time at ELH, she has led the lease-up of six, large-scale developments representing more than 2,000 new units.
Casey Barnes
Chief Financial Officer
Casey Barnes, Chief Financial Officer
Casey Barnes serves as the Chief Financial Officer of ELH Mgmt. LLC, leading all treasury, accounting, tax and financial reporting functions and personnel.
Prior to joining ELH Mgmt. LLC, Mr. Barnes served as the Chief Financial Officer of Georgica Green Ventures, LLC overseeing the financial reporting and analysis for the company’s portfolio of affordable and low-income housing and development projects. Before this role, Mr. Barnes served in accounting leadership positions at real estate companies with diverse portfolios and ownership structures which has given him vast experience with REITs, owner/operators of multi-family and commercial real estate, and real estate private equity funds. Mr. Barnes started his career in public accounting at Weiser LLP (now known as Forvis Mazars), where he audited real estate operators, real estate funds, hedge funds and investment advisors as well as performed due diligence attestation services.
He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accountancy from Le Moyne College, where he also minored in Economics.
Dr. Dupre Anderson
Director of Property Management
Dr. Dupre Anderson, Director of Property Management
Dr. Dupre Anderson serves as Director of Property Management and leads the property management division of ELH Mgmt.
Prior to joining ELH, Dupre held senior positions at Douglaston Companies, Richman Properties and Morgan Properties, to name a few, adding to his more than 20 years of experience in affordable housing. He is ARM and CMCA certificated in Property Management.
Dupre holds a B.A. in Biology from The College of New Jersey, a M.A. in Education Administration from Kean University, a M.A. in Christian Counseling and Pastoral Leadership from Liberty University, a PhD in Education Leadership from Rutgers University and a PhD in Theology from Princeton Theological Seminary. Most proudly, Dupre serves as the Senior Pastor of the River of Life Worship Center in Hazlet, NJ.
Santokh ‘Sunny’ Sandhu
Director of Construction
Santokh ‘Sunny’ Sandhu, Director of Construction
Santokh Sandhu serves as Director of Construction and brings 30 years of ground-up, gut and rehab experience to his work at ELH Construction.
He has a degree in Civil Engineering is a member of the American Civil Engineers Society.
Catherine Rivera
Senior Leasing and Compliance Manager
Catherine Rivera, Senior Leasing and Compliance Manager
Catherine Rivera serves as Senior Leasing and Compliance Manager and is responsible for lease-ups and ensuring compliance with governmental agencies for ELH Mgmt.
Prior to joining ELH, Catherine spent over a decade at New York City Housing Development Corporation (NYCHDC), beginning as a leasing specialist and advancing to Deputy Director of Leasing. Throughout her career, Catherine has demonstrated a deep commitment to housing equity and to meeting New York City’s housing goals.
Catherine holds an AA degree and is NCHM-Advanced Assets, NCHM- Tax Credit Specialist, NCHM-Tax Credit Specialist Advanced certified. She has also completed HPD Marketing Agent Training and Federal Housing Administration (FHA) Compliance training.
