Public Hearing

Our conversation with District Five City Councilor, Etel Haxhiaj, continues. The aftermath of the Mill Street Pond apartment collapse shed light on the realities of renting in Worcester. Landlords are not held responsible for their mistreatment, and renters are left to fend for themselves. Josh and Etel discuss how housing legislation falls short, and share their thoughts on improving these policies. Listen till the end to hear about innovative housing strategies already existing in Worcester and other cities we can learn from.

Stay engaged with Etel's work on Facebook at Etel for Worcester

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

ARPA update! Tune in to hear from our guest Casey Burns from the Coalition for a Healthy Greater Worcester as she talks upcoming ARPA application deadlines, submission resources, and community involvement in the decision making process. Casey also provides insight about the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) and how it can impact funding strategies and priorities throughout the City.

There is $10M available through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) for Community Projects and Programs. Applications are due on September 30th. Check the City’s site for more information and join the Coalition for a Healthy Greater Worcester for free workshops with grant writers to support you in the application process.

 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.

Public Hearing is continuing our series on Equity-based Housing Solutions with District Five City Counselor and long-time housing advocate, Etel Haxhiaj. Etel believes housing is a human right and speaks with Josh on opportunities to make that a reality—what we can do as residents and how she can leverage her power as a City Councilor to achieve this goal.

Check out our last Public Hearing episode with Etel, “How are we going to make sure our cities have a livable future?”
Stay engaged with Etel's work on Facebook at Etel for Worcester

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

Public Hearing is back with a new series on Equity-based Housing Solutions. Throughout this series we will be focusing on how communities might address the housing crisis and support unhoused populations through creating accessible, equitable, and sustainable solutions. To kick us off, we’re talking with Domenica Perrone (Instagram @dfperrone), a Worcester resident with a background in public health who was the 2021 recipient for Central Mass Housing Alliance’s Judy Brown-Cahill award, and currently serves on many boards involved in housing efforts in Worcester. Domenica and Josh explore some of the current challenges, the questions we should be asking as we journey into this topic, and the concept of NIMBY-ism; a “Not In My Backyard” mentality that is lethal to populations of people in need of services.

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

Want to be the first to listen to new episodes? 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

Part 9/9 from our series: ARPA Funding in Worcester

We are back this week with the final episode of our ARPA Funding in Worcester series. Our guest this is episode is Bill Shaner founder of the “Worcester Sucks and I Love It” newsletter and a previous guest on the show. Josh and Bill talk about how we can continue to stay involved in the conversation surrounding how the remaining ARPA dollars will be spent in Worcester and how we can hold the city accountable so that the funding is sustainable and promoting equity within our community. 

Check out the “Worcester Sucks and I Love it” newsletter on their website! 

Learn more about how Worcester plans to spend ARPA dollars on the City website.

Public Hearing is a podcast from Action! by Design about our home city of Worcester, Massachusetts and the people we should be listening to—residents, artists, activists, community leaders, storytellers, and those most impacted by issues facing our city. Our mission is to cultivate community through equity, inclusion, and design, and that work starts at home.

Want to be the first to listen to new episodes? 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

June is Pride Month! While Public Hearing celebrates queer all year, we're talking with community members about Pride in Worcester and folx supporting the LGBTQIA2S+ community all year round over the next few episodes. This week, Josh talks with Kat Aguilar, founder of K Sense Co and the admin of Pride Worcester 2022. Josh and Kat talk about the importance of sustainability, community and creating equitable spaces and oppurtunities that others can use and build upon to continue the equitable and innovative work in our city. Tune in and share!

Want to learn more about K Sense Co? Check out her website! 

Public Hearing is a podcast from Action! by Design about our home city of Worcester, Massachusetts and the people we should be listening to—residents, artists, activists, community leaders, storytellers, and those most impacted by issues facing our city. Our mission is to cultivate community through equity, inclusion, and design, and that work starts at home.

Want to be the first to listen to new episodes? 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

Part 8/9 from our mini-series: ARPA Funding in Worcester

Public Hearing is back with another episode of our ARPA Funding In Worcester series with this week’s guest, Ron Waddell. Ron is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of Legendary Legacies; a non-profit organization working with black and latino males in the city of Worcester, MA. In this episode, Ron and Josh talk about how we can use the $147 million in ARPA funding that has been granted to the city of Worcester to promote equity and how we can hold city officials accountable as well as how this money can be used to reprioritize how and where we spend resources in our communities in ways that are sustainable. 

You can learn more about Legendary Legacies as well as their podcast on their website!

Learn more about how Worcester plans to spend ARPA dollars on the City website.

Public Hearing is a podcast from Action! by Design about our home city of Worcester, Massachusetts and the people we should be listening to—residents, artists, activists, community leaders, storytellers, and those most impacted by issues facing our city. Our mission is to cultivate community through equity, inclusion, and design, and that work starts at home.

Want to be the first to listen to new episodes? 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

Part 7/9 from our mini-series: ARPA Funding in Worcester 

Public Hearing is back with another episode of our ARPA Funding in Worcester mini-series! This week we discuss mental health with our guest Amy Ebbeson, clinical director at Worcester Addresses Childhood Trauma, also known as Worcester ACTS. In this episode, we talk about the importance of recognizing and addressing mental health issues in our community as well as how crucial it is to also address these kinds of issues in oneself. Education and spreading awareness about mental health not only reduces harmful stigma but can also help individuals live happy and joy-filled lives as well as create equity within our city.

Interested in helping further develop research and education on mental health? Fill out this Google Form that will be used to help create mental health programs to support our community!   

 Learn more about how Worcester plans to spend ARPA dollars on the City website.

Public Hearing is a podcast from Action! by Design about our home city of Worcester, Massachusetts and the people we should be listening to—residents, artists, activists, community leaders, storytellers, and those most impacted by issues facing our city. Our mission is to cultivate community through equity, inclusion, and design, and that work starts at home.

Want to be the first to listen to new episodes? 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

Part 6/9 from our mini-season: ARPA Funding in Worcester

We are back with another episode of our ARPA Funding in Worcester mini-series of Public Hearing. This week’s guest Jeff Turgeon, Executive Director of Mass Hire, continues the conversation to discuss how ARPA dollars can be used to provide funding for business assistance programs such as the Worcester Job Fund. These resources will be able to help employee’s and employers recover from the COVID-19 pandemic as well as assist folks with the cost of necessary training courses in order for them to obtain jobs or positions that require a little bit more formal training. 

Want to learn more about resources that are available through Mass Hire? Check out the resource page on their website!

Learn more about how Worcester plans to spend ARPA dollars on the City website.

Public Hearing is a podcast from Action! by Design about our home city of Worcester, Massachusetts and the people we should be listening to—residents, artists, activists, community leaders, storytellers, and those most impacted by issues facing our city. Our mission is to cultivate community through equity, inclusion, and design, and that work starts at home.

Want to be the first to listen to new episodes? 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

Part 5/9 from our mini-season: ARPA Funding in Worcester

We are back with another episode of our ARPA Funding in Worcester on Public Hearing! During this episode, our guest, Alex Corrales, the Chief Executive Officer of the Worcester Housing Authority, and Josh talk about ARPA funding will be used to create and maintain affordable housing in Worcester. They discuss the importance of having affordable housing available within the city and how this creates and promotes equity in Worcester as well as helping address the systemic failures that are the root causes of homelessness and access to housing. 

Learn more about how Worcester plans to spend ARPA dollars on the City website.

Public Hearing is a podcast from Action! by Design about our home city of Worcester, Massachusetts and the people we should be listening to—residents, artists, activists, community leaders, storytellers, and those most impacted by issues facing our city. Our mission is to cultivate community through equity, inclusion, and design, and that work starts at home.

Want to be the first to listen to new episodes? 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