In this episode we talk with Dr. Lance Freeman, the Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor of City and Regional Planning & Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Freeman joins us to discuss how growing up in New York City spurred his interest in housing policy, the historical context of segregated living patterns in US cities, how the government contributed to those patterns, the emergence of gentrification in urban development, and the specific policies that can better promote affordable housing and integration.

Intro/Closing Song: Free Music Library, YouTube, “Clover 3”

URL: www.youtube.com/audiolibrary

In this episode, we talk to Thea Sebastian, Director of Policy at Civil Rights Corps, and Sam Washington, Policy Associate at Civil Rights Corps. Sebastian and Washington explore the deep connections between affordable housing and safety for individuals and families and discuss why Civil Rights Corps joined the OSAH campaign’s Roundtable and participated in the campaign’s recent sign-on letter supporting the campaign’s housing priorities. They also examine the ways safety, racial equity, and housing are connected and share additional resources for learning about housing and safety.

Additional Resources:

ARPA: https://civilrightscorps.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Community-Safety-and-ARP_Policy-Guide_CivRightsCorps.pdf

IIJA: https://civilrightscorps.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/3_21_CRC_Harnessing-Infrastructure-Grants-for-Community-Safety-Report.pdf

Evidence Guide: https://civilrightscorps.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Getting-Smart-On-Safety.pdf

Intro/Closing Song: Free Music Library, YouTube, “Clover 3”

URL: www.youtube.com/audiolibrary

In this episode we talk with Dr. Eva Rosen, an Assistant Professor at Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy, Dr. Philip Garboden, the HCRC Professor in Affordable Housing Economics, Policy, and Planning at the University of Hawaii Manoa, Dr. Jennifer Cossyleon, a Senior Policy and Advocacy Manager at Community Change Action. Dr. Rosen, Dr. Garboden, and Dr. Cossyleon join us to discuss a recent article published in the American Sociological Review (2021), "Racial Discrimination in Housing: How Landlords use Algorithms and Home Visits to Screen Tenants." The conversation explores their mixed methods approach to research, the different types of landlords in the housing rental market, inequitable screening practices, the importance of understanding intersectional discrimination, and what an equitable approach to matching landlords and tenants might look like.

Intro/Closing Song: Free Music Library, YouTube, “Clover 3”

URL: www.youtube.com/audiolibrary

Leaders from the health, faith, and food security sectors join us for a discussion on advancing racial equity through their participation on the Opportunity Starts at Home campaign. In the past two years, the campaign has formed a Racial Equity Working Group to advance racial equity within the campaign. In this episode, members of the Racial Equity Working Group explore how their organizations are advancing racial equity, the intersectional impact of correcting racial inequities in housing policy, the work of the racial equity working group and major reflections and takeaways. The discussion features Curtis Johnson, Vice President of Housing Strategy, Catholic Charities, Alexandra Ashbrook, Director of Root Causes and Specific Populations, Food Research and Action Center, and Charlotte Bruce, Research and Policy Analyst, Children’s HealthWatch.

Intro/Closing Song: Free Music Library, YouTube, “Clover 3”

URL: www.youtube.com/audiolibrary

In this episode we talk with Dr. Alexander von Hoffman, an American urban planner and historian at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design and Joint Center for Housing Studies. Dr. von Hoffman joins us to discuss his recent book chapter "The Origins of the Fair Housing Act of 1968” in Furthering Fair Housing: Prospects for Racial Justice in America's Neighborhoods, a volume that explores the past, present and future of fair housing policies in the United States. The conversation explores the historical roots of segregation, the ways that federal policy exacerbated issues of fair housing, the grassroots and legislative history of the Fair Housing Act, and the challenges facing housing integration advocates today.

Intro/Closing Song: Free Music Library, YouTube, “Clover 3”

URL: www.youtube.com/audiolibrary

In this episode, we talk with Dr. Lincoln Quillian, a Professor of Sociology and Faculty Fellow at the Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern University. Dr. Quillian joins us to discuss a recent article published in the journal Race and Social Problems (2020), "Racial Discrimination in the U.S. Housing and Mortgage Lending Markets: A Quantitative Review of Trends, 1976–2016." The conversation explores the importance of housing to equal opportunity, the methodological approach to analyzing housing and mortgage discrimination over time, how different types of discrimination have changed over time, and the implications of these findings for policymakers.

Episode recorded in April 2022.

Intro/Closing Song: Free Music Library, YouTube, “Clover 3”

URL: www.youtube.com/audiolibrary

The episode explores the work of the campaign’s state-based affiliates in North Carolina and features Adam Sotak, community engagement director at NCChild.

Throughout the episode, Mr. Sotak discusses their unqiue partnership with the North Carolina Housing Coalition, the opportunities and challenges of building multi-sector partnerships, best practices for organizations looking to build a multi-sector coalition, how NCChild is advancing racial equity, and how NCChild is leveraging multi-sector partnerships to advance more robust and equitable housing policies.

"What we have tried to do with this opportunity is integrate the issue of safe and affordable housing for children and families into everything we do as a child advocacy organization because it is such a key part of children being able to thrive," said Mr. Sotak. We all know that affordable housing is an issue in any city or state across our country...so to us, it just makes sense to have this be a key part of the multi-issue way we are trying to make policy change in North Carolina."

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Stefan Lallinger and Sam Adams about why education advocates must concern themselves with matters of housing policy. Dr. Lallinger is a Fellow at the Century Foundation and Director of the Bridges Collaborative, focused on issues of racial and socioeconomic integration, equity, school governance, and district-charter relationships. Sam Adams is the education programs manager at the Come to Believe Foundation and ongoing contributor to the Opportunity Starts at Home campaign.

"The way that we have set up where kids go to school in this country, which is based largely on where they live, has necessitated that educators take an interest in housing policy," said Dr. Lallinger.

Intro/Closing Song: Free Music Library, YouTube, “Clover 3”

URL: www.youtube.com/audiolibrary

The campaign continues its three-part webinar series entitled “Building Multi-Sector Partnerships to Advance Housing Policy,” with the second webinar on August 24. This webinar series explores the opportunities, challenges, and best practices of building multi-sector coalitions to advance policy, featuring speakers from leading national and state organizations from many fields of work.

The second part of the webinar series, entitled “Best Practices to Building Multi-sector Partnerships on the State Level,” featured:

Chantelle Wilkinson, National Campaign Manager, Opportunity Starts at Home

Gina Wilt, Advocacy Director, Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio

Kendra Knighten, Policy Associate, Idaho Asset Building Network

Tara Rollins, Executive Director, Utah Housing Coalition

Sharon Barker, Vice President and COO, Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey

Through the Opportunity Starts at Home campaign, leading national organizations from an array of sectors are pushing Congress to act on more robust and equitable housing policies. Even before the pandemic, America was in the grips of an affordable housing crisis, most severely impacting the most marginalized and lowest-income people. Advocates from health, education, racial equity, food security, environmental protection, economic mobility, domestic violence, social work, faith, and more are recognizing that affordable homes are inextricably linked to their own priorities and concerns. As Congress begins to discuss robust infrastructure and recovery packages, we have a historic opportunity to advance bold housing solutions. These solutions are more likely to come to fruition when multi-sector coalitions are leading the way, as opposed to housing advocates alone.

Learn more about the webinar series by signing up for the campaign's newsletter: https://www.opportunityhome.org/take-action/lets-stand-together/

Intro/Closing Song: Free Music Library, YouTube, “Clover 3”

URL: www.youtube.com/audiolibrary

The Opportunity Starts at Home campaign hosted the first of a three-part webinar series, entitled “Building Multi-Sector Partnerships to Advance Housing Policy,” on May 18. The webinar featured leaders in the climate, health, and education sector discussing their participation in the campaign, the benefits and challenges of building cross-sector partnerships and engaging other advocates in their fields to advance affordable housing policy.

Speakers Included:

Nan Roman, president and CEO, National Alliance to End Homelessness

Khalil Shahyd, senior policy advisor, Equity Environment and Just Communities, Natural Resources Defense Council

Makeda Harris, senior policy analyst, National Education Association

Dr. Janna Gewirtz O'Brien, MD, FAAP, University of Minnesota, American Academy of Pediatrics

Chantelle Wilkinson, campaign manager, Opportunity Starts at Home

Over the course of three parts, this webinar series will explore the opportunities, challenges, and best practices of building multi-sector coalitions to advance policy, featuring speakers from leading national and state organizations from many fields of work.

Learn more about the webinar series by signing up for the campaign's newsletter: https://www.opportunityhome.org/take-action/lets-stand-together/

Intro/Closing Song: Free Music Library, YouTube, “Clover 3”

URL: www.youtube.com/audiolibrary