Public Hearing

We are back with the final episode of our series focusing on equity-based housing solutions in Worcester! Even though we are wrapping up our housing series for now, we always come back to these issues as they intersect with so many other challenges facing our community. For our guest this week, we are back with Dr. Mattie Castiel, Commissioner of the Department of Health and Human Services for the City of Worcester, to talk about housing issues from a medical and health perspective as well as how we can work together to strengthen further efforts towards creating equitable housing and decreasing negative stigma in our community. 

Check out our last Public Hearing episode with Dr. Castiel, “Are people going to keep doing the work that needs to be done after everyone’s vaccinated?” 

Stay up to date with the Worcester Department of Health and Human Services on their website and Facebook page. 

Public Hearing is a series-based podcast and radio show from Action! by Design about Worcester, MA and designing sustainable and thriving cities; ones that are rooted in equity, Justice, and Joy. Follow our new Twitter account at @PublicHearingMA! 

Tune in Wednesdays at 6pm on WICN 90.5FM, Worcester's only NPR affiliate station. Not in the Worcester area? No worries, you can listen live at WICN.org

Welcome back to another episode of our series on housing with this week’s guest, Amanda Mattingly who currently works at the YWCA of Central Massachusetts as an advocate and supervisor with a focus on housing. Josh and Amanda talk about the help and resources that the YW provides to survivors of violence connected to housing and housing insecurity in the community, as well as, how this work is conducted from a trauma-informed lens. 

If you are experiencing domestic violence and are looking for support, please call the YWCA of Central Mass Hotline at 508-755-9030. 

Check out the YWCA of Central Massachusetts website for more information about housing resources and support.

Public Hearing is a series-based podcast and radio show from Action! by Design about Worcester, MA and designing sustainable and thriving cities; ones that are rooted in equity, Justice, and Joy. Follow our new Twitter account at @PublicHearingMA! 

Tune in Wednesdays at 6pm on WICN 90.5FM, Worcester's only NPR affiliate station. Not in the Worcester area? No worries, you can listen live at WICN.org

Welcome to the third and final episode of our Pass the Mic: Dia De Los Muertos in Worcester series with our guest host Raquel Castro Corazzini, Director of Casita Cultura Latina. This week, Raquel talks with Michel Salazar, coordinator of volunteers for Dia De Los Muertos about the upcoming event on Saturday, October 29th as well as their different experiences immigrating to Worcester and the challenge and beauty that comes with existing in different cultures at once. Michel highlights the impact that local mentors have made on her life and how she wants to be a role model to and empower fellow young adults to get involved in community organizations. 

Thank you so much to our first guest host, Raquel Castro Corazzini, and guests Valarie Zolezzi-Wyndham and Michel Salazar for taking the time and effort to help bring important community topics and perspectives to our space of Public Hearing.  

Learn more about Casita Cultura Latina and the Dia De Los Muertos event on Casita’s Facebook page. 

Public Hearing is a series-based podcast and radio show from Action! by Design about Worcester, MA and designing sustainable and thriving cities; ones that are rooted in equity, Justice, and Joy. Follow our new Twitter account at @PublicHearingMA! 

Tune in Wednesdays at 6pm on WICN 90.5FM, Worcester's only NPR affiliate station. Not in the Worcester area? No worries, you can listen live at WICN.org

We continue this week with episode eight of our series on Equity-Based Housing Solutions in Worcester with our guest, Marybeth Campbell, Executive Director of the Worcester Community Action Council (WCAC) to talk about issues that are ingrained in the current system structure that prevent folx from receiving crucial support and divides communities through perpetuating harmful mentalities biases. Marybeth and her team at WCAC are dedicated to preventing the “Cliff Effect” by creating opportunities for resiliency to sustain individuals and families and promote financial empowerment and upward mobility in Worcester.

Learn more about the Worcester Community Action Council on its website or follow their socials on Facebook or Twitter.  

Public Hearing is a series-based podcast and radio show from Action! by Design about Worcester, MA and designing sustainable and thriving cities; ones that are rooted in equity, Justice, and Joy. Follow our new Twitter account at @PublicHearingMA! 

Tune in Wednesdays at 6pm on WICN 90.5FM, Worcester's only NPR affiliate station. Not in the Worcester area? No worries, you can listen live at WICN.org

Welcome back to the second episode of our Pass the Mic: Dia De Los Muertos series with our guest host Raquel Castro Corazzina talking with Valarie Zolezzi-Wyndham, Treasurer of Casita Cultura Latina and founder of Promoting Good. Raquel and Valarie talk about the history behind Dia de Los Muertos through the Latinx immigrant perspective and how the celebration came to be in Worcester as well as the hopes of Casita Cultura Latina as they grow as an organization and inspiration for other cultural identities in Worcester. 

Learn more about Casita Cultura Latina and the Dia De Los Muertos event on Casita’s Facebook page. Check out the work of Promoting Good here.

Public Hearing is a series-based podcast and radio show from Action! by Design about Worcester, MA and designing sustainable and thriving cities; ones that are rooted in equity, Justice, and Joy. Follow our new Twitter account at @PublicHearingMA! 

Tune in Wednesdays at 6pm on WICN 90.5FM, Worcester's only NPR affiliate station. Not in the Worcester area? No worries, you can listen live at WICN.org

We are jumping back into our conversation surrounding Equity-Based Housing Solutions with this week’s guest, Leah Bradley, Chief Executive Officer of Central Massachusetts Housing Alliance, Inc. (CMHA) - a non-profit whose mission is to create a collaborative response to homelessness that fosters long-term housing stability through prevention, quality services, education, and advocacy. Josh and Leah discuss creating dignified spaces for unhoused folx and families and the complexities of housing inequity that have been exposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Learn more about the Central Mass Housing Alliance on their website and Facebook page! 

Public Hearing is a series-based podcast and radio show from Action! by Design about Worcester, MA and designing sustainable and thriving cities; ones that are rooted in equity, Justice, and Joy. Follow our new Twitter account at @PublicHearingMA! 

Tune in Wednesdays at 6pm on WICN 90.5FM, Worcester's only NPR affiliate station. Not in the Worcester area? No worries, you can listen live at WICN.org

We’re excited to announce our Pass The Mic initiative which will welcome guest hosts to our show to have conversations with others in the community about specific topics. In this episode, we introduce our first guest host, Raquel Castro-Corazzini to talk about Casita Cultura Latina, a Latine cultural organization that hosts the Día de Los Muertos event in Worcester taking place on Saturday, October 29th from 11:00 am-4:00pm. Josh and Raquel also talk about privilege and the complexities that come with leveraging that privilege in equity work. Tune in next episode for Raquel’s conversation with Valerie Zolezzi-Wyndham. 

Learn more about Casita Cultura Latina and the upcoming Dia De Los Muertos Celebration in Worcester on their Facebook page.

If you are interested in learning more about becoming a guest host or are interested in supporting this initiative, please reach out to our team at [email protected].

Public Hearing is a series-based podcast and radio show from Action! by Design about Worcester, MA and designing sustainable and thriving cities; ones that are rooted in equity, Justice, and Joy. Follow our new Twitter account at @PublicHearingMA! 

Tune in Wednesdays at 6pm on WICN 90.5FM, Worcester's only NPR affiliate station. Not in the Worcester area? No worries, you can listen live at WICN.org

We continue our series on Equity-Based Housing Solutions with this week’s guest, Yvette Dyson, the Executive Director of Worcester Common Ground (WCG). WCG is a Community Development Corporation for the Piedmont/Austin Street area in Worcester, MA and has developed 197 units of affordable housing, 27 first-time homeownership properties, and preserved 6 green spaces for community farming and community needs in the past 34 years. Josh and Yvette discuss Worcester’s effort toward Inclusionary Zoning through the work of the Affordable Housing Coalition which will allow for more affordable housing units to be built in the City. Inclusionary Zoning will also help the cultural preservation of our communities and allow for more opportunities for upward mobility. 

Learn more about Worcester Common Ground and the resources they have available on their website or Facebook page.

Public Hearing is a series-based podcast and radio show from Action! by Design about Worcester, MA and designing sustainable and thriving cities; ones that are rooted in equity, Justice, and Joy. Follow our new Twitter account at @PublicHearingMA! 

Tune in Wednesdays at 6pm on WICN 90.5FM, Worcester's only NPR affiliate station. Not in the Worcester area? No worries, you can listen live at WICN.org

Our conversation on Equity-based Housing Solutions continues with this week’s guest, Dr. Eniya Lufumpa who currently serves as the Department of Health and Human Services Director Strategist and team lead, and is currently the Director of Homeless Services. Dr Lufumpa and Josh shed light on the mindset that individuals should be at the center of all the work that the department does so that they can receive the support that they want and are ready for. Everyone has their own autonomy and we must respect this in order to create safe and equitable communities for all. 

If you are in need of support, you can reach out to the Department of Health and Human Services Homeless services division at 508-7998- 486, extension number 31-331. You can also download their app, Stigma Free Worcester for information about services and resources available on Android or iOS

Public Hearing is a series-based podcast and radio show from Action! by Design about Worcester, MA and designing sustainable and thriving cities; ones that are rooted in equity, Justice, and Joy. Follow our new Twitter account at @PublicHearingMA! 

Tune in Wednesdays at 6pm on WICN 90.5FM, Worcester's only NPR affiliate station. Not in the Worcester area? No worries, you can listen live at WICN.org