Housing for Good

Can shared housing help individuals experiencing homelessness find stability and independence?

In this episode of Housing for Good, Karolyn welcomes Todd Walker, Executive Director of Judeo-Christian Outreach Center, Inc. (JCOC) in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Todd explains how JCOC's shared housing program uses individual room leases, landlord partnerships, and supportive case management to make housing more accessible to people with limited incomes. He also discusses how shared housing can provide a bridge to permanent supportive housing and shares lessons learned along the way.

The conversation explores the importance of trust, community collaboration, and helping people move toward lasting housing stability.

Interview recorded via Zoom on October 9, 2026.

What happens when a community comes together to fight food insecurity?

Chris Goodson and Karolyn Moore welcome Jamie Pruitt, Director of City Compassion in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, who joined them via Zoom on October 23, 2026, to share how a small food distribution effort grew into a grocery-store-style pantry serving approximately 1,200 families each month. Jamie discusses the importance of providing dignity and choice, the challenges facing working families and older adults, and the volunteers and partnerships that make it all possible.

The episode also reflects on the recent tragedy affecting the McPherson community and how coming together can make a difference in times of crisis and everyday struggles.

What does a thrift store have to do with housing stability? More than you might think!

In this episode of Housing for Good, host Chris Goodson welcomes Jill Perry, Manager of Save 'N Share Thrift Store in McPherson, Kansas.

Founded in 1973, Save 'N Share has grown into a valuable community resource supported by donations and more than 100 volunteers. Through Churches United in Ministry, store proceeds help fund emergency assistance for rent, utilities, medication, and other essential needs. Jill explains how the store's voucher program provides clothing and household necessities to families experiencing hardship, including those recovering from house fires or starting over in a new home. The conversation also explores the growing demand for affordable merchandise, the importance of volunteerism, and how everyday acts of generosity help strengthen communities.

Discover how one local thrift store is making a difference far beyond its storefront.

Housing for Good — Conversations about housing, community, and the people making a difference.

What if the key to stronger affordable housing communities isn't just building more homes, but investing in the people who live in them?

This week on Housing for Good, Chris Goodson and Karolyn Moore welcome Althea Arnold, MPP, Senior Vice President for Policy and Chief Operating Officer at Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future (SAHF).

Althea shares research showing that affordable housing properties with resident services had 26% higher net operating income than comparable properties without those services.

Together, they explore how resident services improve housing stability, why rental assistance remains critically underfunded, and how research and personal stories can help shape housing policy.

From homelessness to homeownership, discover why successful affordable housing requires more than bricks and mortar.

Medicare can feel like alphabet soup—but it doesn’t have to.

This week on Housing for Good, Jana McKinney of L&L Advisors joins us to break down Medicare in plain language. We talk about Parts A, B, C and D, Medicare supplements, why prescription drug plans should be reviewed every year, and what to consider when planning for retirement.

Jana also explains programs that may help people struggling with Medicare costs and shares important warning signs to help protect yourself from Medicare scams.

It’s practical information that can make a real difference—especially for seniors living on a fixed income.

This week on Housing for Good, Jamie Whitehouse, LCMFT, of Advocate Counseling and Therapeutic Services of Kansas joins Chris Goodson and Karolyn Moore to explore the connection between stable housing, trauma, and mental health.

Jamie explains how stable housing provides more than shelter. Predictability, privacy, safety, routine, and a place to recover can help the nervous system begin moving out of survival mode. But that process doesn't necessarily happen the moment someone receives the keys to a home.

The conversation explores how trauma can affect decision-making, emotional regulation, relationships, sleep, and the ability to plan for the future. Jamie also explains the fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses—and how those survival responses can appear in both adults and children.

It's a conversation that offers a different way of understanding behaviors that may not make sense from the outside—and why housing stability can be an important foundation for recovery.

Interview recorded September 11th, 2026.

What does it take to create housing that truly works for the people and communities it serves?

Chris and Karolyn welcome back Otis Odell, AIA, LEED AP, Principal and National Sector Leader for Housing Projects at HED, for a wide-ranging conversation about new approaches to housing. From modular construction and adaptive reuse to employer-supported workforce housing, Otis explores how communities can think differently about creating quality homes people can actually afford.

The conversation also looks at the connection between housing and employment, including how long commutes and housing costs affect workers and why employers, school districts, healthcare systems, and other institutions are becoming part of the housing solution.

Along the way, Chris and Karolyn share what McPherson Housing Coalition is exploring locally, including modular housing and efforts to create attainable homeownership opportunities in McPherson County.

Because affordable housing shouldn't simply cost less. It should be safe, comfortable, thoughtfully designed, and built around the needs of the people who will call it home.

What does housing have to do with healthcare? As it turns out, quite a lot.

In this Zoom interview, Chris Goodson and Karolyn Moore welcome Marcella Mcguire, Ph.D., of the National Center for Housing and Health, powered by Corporation for Supportive Housing, for a conversation about the connection between stable housing, health, and supportive services. Marcella explains how supportive housing combines affordable housing with services that help people remain housed and connected to their communities.

The conversation explores homelessness and disability, rising housing costs, the challenges facing rural communities, and the role Medicaid can play in funding housing-related supportive services. Marcella also discusses why communities need good local data and solutions designed around the people they actually serve.

At the heart of the conversation is a simple connection: when people don't have stable housing and their basic needs aren't met, taking care of their health becomes much more difficult.

What does it take to help someone move from homelessness toward lasting stability?

In this episode of Housing for Good, Chris and Karolyn welcome back Kent Miracle, board member of Second Light in Wichita, Kansas.

Second Light takes a different approach to homelessness. Shelter is only the beginning. Guests are connected with case management and more than 20 community providers who can help address barriers ranging from substance use and mental health needs to legal issues, identification, transportation, and other challenges that can stand between someone and stable housing.

Kent also brings a deeply personal perspective to the conversation. Having experienced homelessness himself, he shares what it felt like to finally have a place of his own again, including the relief and gratitude, but also the fear that can accompany such a major transition.

The conversation explores why housing alone isn't enough, the importance of wraparound services, and how compassion, trust, accountability, and continued support can help people regain confidence and independence.

Join us for a conversation about Second Light, the work being done in Wichita, Kansas, and what it really means to walk alongside someone on the journey from homelessness to home.

#HousingForGood #SecondLight #Homelessness #AffordableHousing #WichitaKansas

An eviction can follow someone long after they’ve moved out, creating another barrier when they try to find safe, stable housing. But a new Kansas law is giving some people an opportunity to clear that record and move forward.

This week on Housing for Good, Chris and Karolyn are joined by Matt Keenan, J.D., Executive Director of Kansas Legal Services, to talk about Kansas’s new eviction expungement law, who may qualify, and what people need to know before beginning the process.

Matt also explains the broader work of Kansas Legal Services, the growing shortage of attorneys in rural Kansas, the importance of legal-aid clinics, and why access to civil legal representation matters for working Kansans.

From eviction and criminal expungements to driver's license restoration, this conversation is ultimately about something much bigger: removing barriers and giving people a genuine second chance.

#HousingForGood #AffordableHousing #KansasLegalServices #EvictionExpungement #HousingStability #LegalAid #SecondChances #KansasHousing