Hans How
Hans How
Delegate for Northern California
Asylee from Malaysia
Hans How is the Refugee Congress Delegate for Northern California.
Hans is an LGBTQ asylee from Malaysia and currently serves on the board of directors of AsylumConnect, a nonprofit that uses technology to instantly match LGBTQ+ people fleeing persecution with verified safe legal, medical, mental health, and social services across North America. Under Hans’ leadership as the former Vice President of AsylumConnect, the free web and mobile platform has made 100,000+ matches between LGBTQ+ people fleeing persecution and vetted affirming services providers. He also contributed to a campaign that reached 86,661 comments in response to former President Trump’s asylum ban proposal.
As an immigrant rights advocate, Hans co-founded Prop C: Commissions For All, a ballot measure that allows San Francisco to be the first major city to grant immigrants the ability to serve on local commissions. After the passage of Prop C, Hans was appointed by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to serve on the Housing Stability Fund Oversight Board to provide oversight on the acquisition, development, and operation of permanently affordable housing in the City and County of San Francisco. Hans also serves as Board Vice President for the San Francisco Community Land Trust, a nonprofit guided by principles of anti-displacement, community wealth, and racial justice.
By day, Hans works in impact investing at New Island Capital, where he focuses on advancing positive social and environmental change as part of the global movement towards ethical investing. Previously, he worked on financing affordable and mixed-income housing developments for low-to-moderate-income communities through joint ventures with women and BIPOC developers.
Hans has a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Wesleyan University, a private liberal arts college in Middletown, Connecticut. In his free time, he enjoys meeting, learning from, and engaging with diverse communities, running and training for his next half-marathon, volunteering for community events, and exploring all that San Francisco has to offer.
“As a proud asylee, I am lucky to serve alongside other fearless immigrant leaders who continue to do the hard work everyday of advocating for marginalized immigrant communities, especially refugees and asylum-seekers who have escaped dangerous conditions in their home countries. Immigrants form the backbone of our country - we must uphold our promise as a nation of refuge for those who have been displaced from their homelands. As immigrants, our resilience, diversity, and ingenuity create a more just, prosperous, and equitable society for us all.”
In the News:
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