We need affordable housing now! On today's episode, we dive into stories that underscore the importance of affordable housing.

We'll examine what the recent Supreme Court ruling in Grants Pass v. Johnson means for unhoused people who are living on the streets and how historical disinvestment in affordable and public housing has created our current homelessness wave.

Then, we'll hear about the fight to legalize and preserve one important type of affordable housing units in New York City – basement apartments – and how the escalating impacts of climate change are making that campaign more urgent than ever.

Featuring:

• Paul Boden, executive director of the Western Regional Advocacy Project
• Annetta Seecharran, executive director of Chhaya Community Development Corporation

Making Contact Team:

• Episode Host: Lucy Kang
• Producers: Anita Johnson, Salima Hamirani, Amy Gastelum, and Lucy Kang
• Executive Director: Jina Chung
• Editor: Adwoa Gyimah-Brempong
• Engineer: Jeff Emtman

Music credit:

• Pending (Relaxing Acoustic Ballad Nylon Guitar) by William\_King via Pixabay

Credits for "Invisible Homeless" by the Queens Memory Podcast

• Episode produced by Stella Gu in conjunction with Melody Cao, Anna Williams, and Natalie Milbrodt
• Podcast hosted by J. Faye Yuan
• Mixing and editing by Cory Choy
• Music composed by Elias Ravin
• Voiceover work by Xia Liangjie and Chen Xiaojun

Learn More:

• Making Contact homepage: www.focmedia.org
• Western Regional Advocacy Project: https://wraphome.org/
• Queens Memory Podcast: www.queensmemory.org
• Chhaya CDC: BASE Campaign

Making Contact is an award-winning, nationally syndicated radio show and podcast featuring narrative storytelling and thought-provoking interviews. We cover the most urgent issues of our time and the people on the ground building a more just world.