At the request of the City of Oakland in August 2011, Mr. Herbert became the President and CEO of Dignity Housing West (DHW), a Community Development Corporation based in the City of Oakland that has provided over 300 affordable housing units. DHW was founded in 1989 as a three way partnership of the First Unitarian Church, a community based church with unparalleled history of service; Oakland Union of the Homeless, a group of homeless-rights advocates and crusaders; and Oakland Community Housing Inc. (OCHI).
Mr. Herbert secured $3.4 million in HUD HOME financing for the renovation of James Lee Court. James Lee Court is 26 units of affordable family housing located at the gateway of downtown Oakland. It was originally constructed in 1992 by DHW and the renovation of the project was completed in March 2013.