Income Inequality, Homelessness and Housing
The throughline of my career has been that, no matter which issue I look at — reproductive justice, health disparities, climate change and energy, housing and homelessness — low-income individuals are disproportionately impacted.
When I started in communications, one of my first clients was Beth Shulman, who write the book The Betrayal of Work: How Low-Wage Jobs Fail 30 Million Americans. Together, we confonted editors and reporters across the country with data and stories about hard-working men and women who were struggling to make ends meet, and who were constantly diminished and disparaged with innaccurate language that called them and their work “unskilled.” Their work as home health aides, poultry processors, hotel workers, childcare workers was not remotely unskilled; rather that language was used to justify low-pay and no benefits. Along the way, we secured OpEds in major publications and saw a change in how the issue was covered.
Washington Post: Rewarding “Unskilled” Workers
Written on behalf of Beth Shulman, late author of The Betrayal of Work: How Low-Wage Jobs Fail 30 Million Americans
Los Angeles Times: Workers’ Fate is in Governor’s Hands
Written on behalf of Beth Shulman, late author of The Betrayal of Work: How Low-Wage Jobs Fail 30 Million American
Working for NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, I represented the City’s homeless services agency, the Human Resources Administration (now social services) and the Center for Economic Opportunity. Together, those agencies introduced targeted, early interventions to prevent and reduce homelessness and food insecurity as well as poverty reduction innovations, like conditional cash transfers and pay for performance benefits. We also created the alternative poverty measure, a more accurate measure of poverty that took into account — and underscored the importance of benefits.
As a consultant, I advanced homeless policy and the need to address the growing number of women and families on behalf of Win (women in need):
Daily News: On homelessness, a better way: Lay out a multi-year shelter plan, and gear programs to help families in deep need
Written on behalf of Christine Quinn, President of WIN
Fortune: Donald Trump Needs to Start Talking About America’s Poor
Written on behalf of Christine Quinn, President of WIN
And more recently I’ve been working on the homeless and affordable housing crisis in Central Florida, helping to increase awareness and empathy. Media coverage:
4/8/22 Orlando Sentinel: Laud the homeless heroes, but don’t forget the bigger problem | Commentary
4/1/22 Central Florida 100: State cuts money needed for affordable housing rentals
3/3/22 Central Florida 100: “Don’t Say Gay Bill” will hurt homeless youth
2/25/22 Central Florida 100: mental and behavioral health needs
2/4/22 Central Florida 100: cold night shelter
12/23 Central Florida 100: Story of the year: low COVID rates amongst homeless
12/19/21 Orlando Sentinel: Looking for Answers to RIsing Street Homelessness in Orlando
12/16/21 Orlando Sentinel: Honoring the Lives of our Homeless Neighbors
12/10 Central Florida 100: dwindling savings
10/4/21 News 13: Florida’s Minimum Wage Increase
8/6/21 News 13: Back to school: In Florida, nearly 80,000 homeless students face unique challenges
7/31/21 WFTV: Central Florida may see surge of homelessness after evictions moratorium ends
7/27/21 Orlando Sentinel Letter to the Editor: As eviction ban ends, help is available
