This episode reprises many of the voices on our podcast from 2018 to emphasize the vibrance, diversity, resilience, and idealism of our democracy today. We are on the cusp of a moment of democratic renewal, and our podcast guests exemplify the bright future of reform in front of us. As Franklin Roosevelt advised in a prior moment of democratic renewal, our young citizens are writing the new chapters of democracy. Please listen and give them your support.

Voices featured in this episode:

Sophie Wysocki and Meena Anderson, Ep. 4 - Young citizens promoting democracy

Dr. Peniel Joseph, Ep. 6 - Race and Democracy in America Today

Augusta Dell'Omo and Chris Rose, Ep. 7 - Gender and Democracy

Sean Hassan, Ep. 9 - Religion and Democracy: How are we making our democracy more open and inclusive for different faiths?

Paul Stekler, Ep. 11 - The Media and Politics

Dr. Ruth Wasem, Ep. 12 - Congress and Democracy

Juliet Suarez and first time voter Jillian B. Smith, Ep. 13 - New and Future Voters: Why does this election matter so much?

Bryan Jones and Dr. James Henson, Ep. 14 - What did the 2018 elections mean?

Dr. Michael B. Stoff, Ep. 15 - The 100th Anniversary of the First World War

This week Jeremi sits down in conversation with Ann Howard, Executive Director of Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO) to discuss homelessness. How do we understand the problem? What can we do as a society?

Zachary Suri's original poem, "Trees, Sleep and a Cold Christmas" sets the scene.

Ann Howard is the first Executive Director of the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition in Austin, Travis County; she has held the position since October of 2011. After 1 year of Ann's leadership, the Texas Homeless Network named ECHO as the Outstanding Coalition in 2012.  Since then, ECHO has partnered with CSH to examine feasibility for Pay for Success and plans to advance to the deal structuring stage, acquired 3 HUD HMIS grants and 1 COC Planning Grant; been included in a $3.5 million state grant, and a $3M VA SSVF grant and has increased the ECHO budget from $100,000 to over $1,000,000.  ECHO participates with the CAN Indicator Dashboard Steering Committee, the PSH Finance Leadership Committee, Travis County Criminal Justice Planning Council, the Mayor's Task Force on the Innovation Zone, the Psychiatric Stakeholders Committee and the Housing Works Board of Directors as an advisory member. Ann was an active leader in the city-wide campaign to pass the recent $65M Affordable Housing Bonds and City resolutions to dedicate proceeds from a downtown Austin Density program to support housing first PSH and to set a new goal to build 400 units of PSH with at least 200 of them being housing first and to increase funding for health and human services.

Ann is an alumnus of the University of Texas, with a JD from the School of Law, and an MPA from the LBJ School of Public Affairs.  Ann has been married to John Howard, her law school classmate for 26 years and together they have been active in Austin public schools, youth sports, scouts, The University of Texas and Baylor University and the Lutheran Church.  These activities assist Ann in her work to build collaboration and partnerships.

Website: www.austinecho.org

Volunteer sign up for the annual census of the people experiencing homelessness

What have we learned about health care policy? What are reform pathways forward?

Dr. Suri discusses with Dr. Stephen Sonnenberg how a healthy society makes for a healthy democracy.

Zachary sets the scene with his poem, "Dear Doctor."

Stephen Sonnenberg has served as clinical associate professor of

At The University of Texas at Austin, he is professor of

Sonnenberg

His research interests focus on the points of intersection of psychoanalysis, psychiatry, medical education, population health and other areas of scholarly inquiry. His subjects of study include war and violence; architecture in relation to health care; psychic trauma and PTSD; addiction and its treatment; education and effective teaching methods; medical humanities, ethics and the doctor-patient relationship; and health and human rights. In the past he has served as co-principal investigator of the Psychology of Deterrence Project at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; director of research of the Project on the Vietnam Generation at the National Museum of American History of the Smithsonian Institution; and research scholar at the Center for Psychology and Social Change, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School at Cambridge Hospital.

How are communities and democracies affected by the changing global environment?

Dr. Suri talks with professor Sheila Olmstead on the lasting effects climate change will have on government policies, and human lives around the world.

Zachary sets the scene with his poem, “So Fluorescently Away.”

Sheila Olmstead is a professor at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin (UT), a visiting fellow at Resources for the Future (RFF) in Washington, DC and a senior fellow at the Property and Environment Research Center in Bozeman, Montana. From 2016–2017, she served as the Senior Economist for Energy and the Environment at the President’s Council of Economic Advisers. Before joining UT in 2013, Olmstead was a senior fellow (2013) and fellow (2010–13) at RFF, as well as associate professor (2007–10) and assistant professor (2002–07) of environmental economics at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. Olmstead is currently an editor of the “Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists.” She has also served as vice president and a member of the board of directors of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, as associate editor of “Water Resources Research,” co-editor of “Environmental and Resource Economics,” book review editor of “Water Economics and Policy,” and editorial council member for the “Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists.” She holds a Ph.D. in public policy from Harvard University (2002), a master’s in public affairs from The University of Texas at Austin (1996) and a B.A. from the University of Virginia (1992).

What are the historical challenges of democratization in the Middle East? What are the possibilities?

Dr. Suri, and Ph.D. candidate Emily Whalen, discuss why global perceptions can be damaging, and how the countries that comprise the Middle East could move towards a true democracy.

Zachary sets up the conversation with his poem, “The Last Time I Cried For The Middle East.”

Emily Whalen is a doctoral candidate in History at the University of Texas – Austin. Her dissertation, The Lebanese Wars: Civil Conflict and International Intervention, 1975-1985, focuses on the transnational history of war and U.S. policy in the Middle East. She is currently a Smith Richardson Predoctoral Fellow in International Security Studies at Yale University. Her website is www.emilyingridwhalen.com.