Beyond the headlines and soundbites

Part one: Beyond the headlines and soundbites

Let’s clear away some of the rhetoric about homelessnes and identify the key questions that frame this discussion. Dr. Marisa Zapata, director of PSU’s Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative, talks about the question she hears most often and how the answer is more nuanced than you might think. In future episodes, she will talk with experts, including those with lived experience, to understand what homelessness means for communities of color in particular, and what we can do to move forward to address it.

Part two: Experts in lived experience

In this episode, we talk with Jessica Mathis and Calvin from Welcome Home Coalition, a group of organizations working together to advance the idea that everyone deserves a place to call home. Mathis is the regional organizer and Calvin is an advocate. They talk about the speaker advocate program and the value of hearing and connecting to people with lived experience of homelessness, and why that’s key to effective public policy.