Opportunity Starts At Home

This episode discusses how the housing affordability crisis impacts Latino households across the nation, featuring Agatha So, Senior Policy Analyst at UnidosUS. UnidosUS, formerly the National Council of La Raza, is the nation's largest Latino nonprofit advocacy and services organization and is a Steering Committee member of the Opportunity Starts at Home campaign. Ms. So discusses recent findings from a UnidosUS report that interviewed 25 Latino renter households in New York City, Washington DC, San Francisco, Phoenix, Denver, Orlando, and Las Vegas. The overall findings demonstrate that the housing crisis is felt deeply by the Latino community. Ms. So also discusses the history of housing discrimination that shapes today's current landscape, as well as concrete policy actions that should be taken to solve the problem. "Action is urgently needed," states Ms. So. "The lack of affordable rental housing has a significant impact on a family's economic security, feelings of safety in their neighborhood, the

This episode features an array of elected officials, experts, advocates, and people with lived experience to discuss two major pieces of bipartisan housing legislation that were recently introduced in Congress. This is a live recording of a Congressional Briefing hosted by the Opportunity Starts at Home campaign in Washington D.C. on January 14, 2020. The Eviction Crisis Act, introduced by Senators Bennet(D-CO) and Portman (R-OH), along with Senators Brown (D-OH) and Young (R-IN), would create a new Emergency Assistance Fund to provide direct financial assistance to help families remain stably housed during an unforeseen economic shock, such as a broken-down car or sudden medical bill. The Family Stability and Opportunity Vouchers Act, introduced by Senator Young (R-IN) and Van Hollen (D-MD), would create 500,000 new housing vouchers specifically designed to help families with young children access neighborhoods of opportunity with high-performing schools, strong job prospects, and other crucial resources

This episode focuses on the intersections of affordable housing and criminal justice reform. Two experts from the campaign’s multi-sector Steering Committee join the conversation: Mel Wilson, senior policy consultant for social justice and human rights at the National Association of Social Workers; and Dylan Hayre, senior policy advisor at JustLeadershipUSA. In the episode, Mr. Wilson and Mr. Hayre discuss the scale of the nation’s mass incarceration crisis and the legacy of public policies that shaped it; how housing instability leads to encounters with the criminal legal system; how encounters with the criminal legal system, in turn, create major barriers to finding stable affordable housing; the importance of cross-sector work; and the necessary solutions. “Housing is the foundation,” said Mr. Hayre. “It’s the building block from which a lot of other things can fall into place. For criminal justice folks, there’s an emerging recognition that we need to be intersectional in our approach.” “There is an

“Victims of domestic violence struggle to find permanent housing after fleeing abusive relationships. Many have left in the middle of the night with nothing but the clothes on their backs, and now must entirely rebuild their lives. As long-term housing options become scarcer, victims are staying longer in emergency domestic violence shelters. As a result, shelters are frequently full and must turn families away.” -- National Network to End Domestic Violence In this episode, we talk about the intersections between affordable housing and domestic violence with two experts at the National Network to End Domestic Violence: Monica McLaughlin, Director of Public Policy; and Debbie Fox, Senior Housing Policy & Practice Specialist. Intro/Closing Song: Free Music Library, YouTube, “Clover 3” URL: www.youtube.com/audiolibrary

This year marks the 30th anniversary of "Out of Reach," a report published annually by the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC). NLIHC chairs and leads the Opportunity Starts at Home campaign. "Out of Reach" has become an indispensable, landmark resource to help people understand the affordable housing crisis and its solutions. Year in and year out, its findings are cited in the press, by policymakers at all levels of government, by academics, and by advocates. To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the report and to capture the history around it, we invited New York Times reporter Emily Badger to interview an esteemed panel: Peggy Bailey, Vice President for Housing Policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities; Shelia Crowley, former President and CEO of NLIHC; Erhard Mahnke, board member of NLIHC and Coordinator at the Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition; and Andrew Aurand, Vice President for Research at NLIHC. The panelists share their thoughts on "Out of Reach," the history of ho

Truly understanding all the dimensions of the nation's housing affordability crisis requires listening to those with lived experience – people who have experienced homelessness and housing instability. In this episode, we look at issues of affordable housing through the stories of seven people across the country who have been directly impacted. These stories were captured by the campaign's partner at the "Where Will We Live" campaign at the National Housing Trust and Enterprise Community Partners. "Where Will We Live" amplifies the voices of those with lived experience and arms them with the knowledge to take action to ensure affordable housing resources are protected and expanded. Intro/Closing Song: Free Music Library, YouTube, “Clover 3” URL: www.youtube.com/audiolibrary

In this episode, we talk to Dr. Dan Kammen about the many intersections between housing policy and climate policy. Dr. Kammen is one of the world’s leading energy experts. He is a Distinguished Professor of Energy at UC Berkeley, where he holds appointments in the Energy and Resources Group, the Goldman School of Public Policy, and the Department of Nuclear Engineering. He is a former Science Envoy for the U.S. State Department, appointed during the Obama presidency. He was a coordinating lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for its report which assessed man-made global warming. He was a chief specialist for renewable energy and energy efficiency at the World Bank and served in a variety of roles in global energy initiatives and other federal roles, including at the Energy Department and the Environmental Protection Agency. Throughout the conversation, Dr. Kammen discusses how the lack of housing affordability significantly contributes to tr

“We have built a school funding system that is reliant on geography, and therefore the school funding system has inherited all of the historical ills of where we have forced and incentivized people to live" -- Rebecca Sibilia Because school funding largely comes from local property taxes, housing plays a pivotal role in how much schools can spend on students’ education. In this episode, the CEO of EdBuild, Rebecca Sibilia, discusses the interplay between housing and school funding inequities. EdBuild is a nonprofit organization focused on bringing common sense and fairness to the way we fund public schools. In a recent report, EdBuild found that nonwhite school districts get $23 billion less than white districts, despite serving the same number of students. These education disparities are largely rooted in housing disparities. Intro/Closing Song: Free Music Library, YouTube, “Clover 3” URL: www.youtube.com/audiolibrary

Dr. Richard Florida is a world renowned urbanist and one of the leading public intellectuals on economic competitiveness, demographic trends, and cultural and technological innovation. He is a co-founder and editor at large of CityLab and a senior editor at The Atlantic. He is a university professor in the University of Toronto’s School of Cities and Rotman School of Management, and a distinguished fellow at New York University’s Schack Institute of Real Estate. In this episode, Dr. Florida discusses the complex nexus between housing affordability and economic productivity. "Because we have not built enough housing in these superstar places, we get a shock to our national productivity which is in the trillions," said Dr. Florida. "It’s a national imperative that we work together to make sure that we have the affordable housing we need..." Intro/Closing Song: Free Music Library, YouTube, “Clover 3” URL: www.youtube.com/audiolibrary

John King served in President Barack Obama’s cabinet as the 10th U.S. Secretary of Education. Secretary King is one of the most prominent voices on the connections between housing policy and education policy, particularly with respect to pervasive socioeconomic and racial segregation. We sat down with Secretary King in Los Angeles to discuss the state of modern-day school and housing segregation, why he prioritized integration while in office, promising practices on both the education and housing fronts, and why education advocates must also be housing advocates. “As citizens, we need to be engaged on the issues that affect the kids and families that we serve,” said Secretary King. “We have to be engaged on housing…We have a responsibility as educators to be engaged across a range of issues.” Intro/Closing Song: Free Music Library, YouTube, “Clover 3” URL: www.youtube.com/audiolibrary

The philanthropic community is increasingly focused on safe, decent, affordable housing as a cornerstone for progress in a variety of other areas. The Funders for Housing and Opportunity (FHO) is one of the nation’s most prominent examples of this. In this episode, we talk to Susan Thomas and Jeanne Fekade-Sellassie. Susan Thomas is the Chair of the FHO collaborative and the Senior Program Officer for Melville Charitable Trust. Jeanne Fekade-Sellassie is the Project Director of FHO. FHO is a philanthropic collaborative committed to better life outcomes for the millions of Americans that lack stable housing. FHO has brought together some of country’s leading foundations: Annie E. Casey Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, The Ford Foundation, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, JPB Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, Melville Charitable Trust, Oak Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Trinity Church Wall Street. Susan and Jeanne discus

Health insurance providers increasingly understand that good housing is good health. To more effectively address health conditions, insurance providers across the country are developing and implementing new ways to improve access to safe, decent, affordable housing for the people they serve. In this episode, we talk to Rhys Jones and Rashi Venkataraman with America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP). AHIP is the largest advocacy organization representing health insurers nationwide. AHIP has about 1,300 member companies that sell health insurance to over 200 million Americans. Rhys Jones is the Vice President of Medicaid Policy and Advocacy and Rashi Venkataraman is the Executive Director of Prevention and Population Health. They discuss the Opportunity Starts at Home campaign, the importance of multi-sector collaboration, the many linkages between housing and health, and why health insurance providers are increasingly taking action on housing. They also discuss specific examples of how certain health in

Senator Todd Young (R-IN) has been one of the most prominent voices on the housing affordability crisis and its spillover effects into other sectors. We sat down with Senator Young in his Washington, D.C. office to discuss a range of topics: his prioritization of the housing affordability issue; the impact of the affordability crisis throughout his home state of Indiana; his recent bipartisan legislation; the importance of housing voucher mobility; the role of the federal government; and even a little college football. According to Senator Young, the housing affordability crisis “transcends red America and blue America. It’s a purple issue and one that is inhibiting upward mobility and people’s opportunity to live the American Dream."

David Williams is the Policy Director of Opportunity Insights, the new research and policy institute led by world-renowned economists Raj Chetty (Harvard University), Nathaniel Hendren (Harvard University), and John Friedman (Brown University). In this episode, David discusses the fading American Dream, the work of his organization, the recent research showing how neighborhoods drive life outcomes, the implications for housing policy, “opportunity bargain” neighborhoods, and the latest Opportunity Atlas interactive map where users can search any neighborhood in the country and see where children have the best chance of climbing the income ladder as adults. "We’re trying to use big data to inform policy,” said Williams. “Neighborhoods are hyper-local. When kids are growing up in a certain place on a certain block, there is something about who they are growing up around, what they see, and those experiences that they’re exposed to that are extremely important. And that exposure is different just a mile awa

“Very nearly we talk about housing just as much as we talk about hunger. The people we serve keep telling us it’s housing; it’s rent; it’s having a safe place to call home.” – Jeff Kleen, Oregon Food Bank Recorded in Portland, Oregon, this episode explores the intersections between food insecurity and affordable housing with Alison McIntosh of the Oregon Housing Alliance and Jeff Kleen and Anneliese Koehler with Oregon Food Bank. The Oregon Housing Alliance is one of seven state partners receiving capacity building grants from the national Opportunity Starts at Home campaign. Oregon Food Bank is a key partner of the Alliance. Alison, Jeff, and Anneliese discuss their multi-sector collaboration to influence better housing policies, including best practices, recent successes, and challenges. Intro/Closing Song by: David Szesztay - "Joyful Meeting" URL:freemusicarchive.org/music/David_Sz…Joyful_Meeting Comments: freemusicarchive.org/ Copyright: Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International: creativecommons.

Andrew Sperling, Director of Legislative and Policy Advocacy at the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), discusses the intersections of affordable housing and mental health. NAMI sits on the Steering Committee of the Opportunity Starts at Home campaign. Andrew explains NAMI's commitment to housing affordability issues, the history of housing and mental illness, the current housing barriers facing those with a mental health condition, and the necessity of stable housing for recovery. "Without access to decent, safe, affordable housing, all the aspirations we have for recovery just collapse," explains Sperling. "For the population I represent, no social determinant of health drives more bad health outcomes than unstable housing." Intro/Closing Song by: David Szesztay - "Joyful Meeting" URL:freemusicarchive.org/music/David_Sz…Joyful_Meeting Comments: freemusicarchive.org/ Copyright: Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/

Lisa Hershey from Housing California and Angela Jenkins from Kaiser Permanente talk about the intersections of housing and health, and how new cross-sector relationships and innovative solutions are playing out in California. They discuss the work of their respective organizations, why the health and housing sectors are increasingly cooperating, how that cooperation is changing the game in terms of policy advocacy, the inherent challenges of cross-sector relationships, and much more! Intro/Closing Song by: David Szesztay - "Joyful Meeting" URL:freemusicarchive.org/music/David_Sz…Joyful_Meeting Comments: freemusicarchive.org/ Copyright: Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/

In this episode, we explore the intersections of housing affordability, segregation, zoning, and education with Richard Kahlenberg, senior fellow at The Century Foundation. Kahlenberg has been called “the intellectual father of the economic integration movement” in K-12 schooling and “arguably the nation’s chief proponent of class-based affirmative action in higher education admissions.” He is also an authority on teachers’ unions, private school vouchers, charter schools, turnaround school efforts, labor organizing and inequality in higher education. His articles have been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The New Republic, and elsewhere. He has appeared on ABC, CBS, CNN, FOX, C-SPAN, MSNBC, and NPR. More recently, he has turned an eye toward housing policy. In this episode, Kahlenberg discusses his career’s work on school segregation, why he’s recently focused more on housing policy, and his latest ideas about reducing exclusionary zoning and updating the F

In this episode, we explore the intersections of faith-based agencies and affordable housing with Curtis Johnson, Senior Director of Housing Strategy for Catholic Charities, USA. Mr. Johnson discusses the many ways Catholic Charities is involved in affordable housing development and advocacy, why it joined the Opportunity Starts at Home campaign, his personal experiences from a 30-year career in housing, and how social justice teachings can inform the nation’s housing policy. As Catholic Charities explains, “Having a stable, affordable home is essential for both individuals and society. Having a home underscores the inherent dignity of the persons who live there.” Intro/Closing Song by: David Szesztay - "Joyful Meeting" URL:freemusicarchive.org/music/David_Sz…Joyful_Meeting Comments: freemusicarchive.org/ Copyright: Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/

Episode 3 - Dr. Heather Schwartz This episode dives into the deep connections between housing and education with a nationally recognized expert in the field: Dr. Heather Schwartz from RAND Education. She is the author of some of the most influential studies over the past decade on the connections between housing and schools. Dr. Schwartz takes the audience through her work, showing how affordable housing policies can promote higher educational attainment for low-income children - sometimes even more so than traditional education reform strategies. Using innovative housing policies as a strategy to drive better student outcomes is consistently overlooked by both housers and educators alike. As Dr. Schwartz explains, there remains a significant disconnect between the education sector and the housing sector, even though research shows that the two are inextricably linked. If you want to get smarter on the connections between housing and education, listen now! Intro/Closing Song by: David Szesztay - "Jo