Send us a text Housing is more than just shelter—it's a reflection of our values, policies, and priorities. In this episode, we dive into the intersection of racial justice, climate change, and housing equity. From discriminatory housing practices to the growing threat of climate displacement, we unpack how systemic challenges are shaping where and how people live today. In today's episode, we're excited to have guest Pete Harrison from the Regional Plan Association. Pete Harrison joined Regiona...
May 20, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Season 2Ep. 5
Send us a text Connecticut is fast becoming the modern template for long-term growth and sustainability, particularly for its approach to gender, equality, diversity, and inclusion, and for how it plans to build the State by investing in innovation at all levels (not just big corporations and entities). Today, we are honored to welcome Connecticut's 109th Lieutenant Governor, Susan Bysiewicz. Susan developed a distinct work ethic while growing up on a farm, and she explains how this, her parents...
Oct 02, 2024•45 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Send us a text It is often said that where you find food insecurity, you will also find housing insecurity. Today’s conversation focuses on enhancing our communities' quality of life by examining the role housing plays in food security. We are joined by Khaatim Sherrer El, whose work is vital to today’s topic. He is the Executive Director of Clinton Hill Community Action (CHCA), a non-profit community development corporation dedicated to revitalizing Newark’s Clinton Hill neighborhood. With over...
Jul 16, 2024•45 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Send us a text How access to quality housing intersects with quality of life such as better health results. Joining us to explore this topic is Gillian Pressman, Managing Director at YIMBY Action. To kick off our conversation, Gillian shares how YIMBY Action is working to legalize housing and remove barriers to affordable housing. We discuss the far-reaching impact of quality housing which touches on education, youth empowerment, and health. Through the lens of her own experience, Gillian illust...
May 13, 2024•50 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Send us a text The housing and communities that people live in can influence nearly every aspect of their lives; from where they work to how they get there, the quality of the schools in their area, and even their longevity. Today, we take a deep dive into how zoning, land use policies, and efforts like NIMBYism affect affordability, equality in education, and economic mobility in our communities. Joining us to discuss this topic is Yonah Freemark, a Principal Research Associate at the Metropoli...
Feb 29, 2024•50 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Send us a text Bringing about positive public policy change requires knowledge, insight, and above all, commitment. Our guest today, Michele "Dr. Tiny" Williams, has had a varied career that spans the military, real estate, and public policy. While conducting research for her recent Ph.D. in Public Policy, she examined the relationship between health and housing, the results of which had a huge impact on the latter half of her career. After realizing the substantial role that geography played in...
Jan 16, 2023•38 min•Ep. 12
Send us a text Most of us assume that the case for reparations to address the inhumane legacy of slavery is primarily about financial compensation. But that’s not necessarily the case. In part two of our conversation with Valerie White, we take a closer look at systemic inequities in the US and the potential for reparations to begin to repair them. We discuss the role that slavery and segregation played in creating the massive racial wealth gap and how it continues to define modern America. Next...
Dec 22, 2022•22 min•Ep. 11
Send us a text Founded in 1979, The Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) is a non-profit organization that has played a pivotal role in growing community development initiatives across the country for over three decades. Joining us today to discuss LISC’s work, community advocacy, systemic inequities, and more, is Senior Executive Director at LISC NY Valerie White. We kick off Part I of our conversation with Valerie by talking about her upbringing and how her parents inspired her to beco...
Dec 09, 2022•30 min•Ep. 10
Send us a text We are a country in crisis. Poverty, homelessness, and unfit housing continues to plague our society, along with issues of race and gender in America. During today’s conversation, leading economist Dr. Fred McKinney weighs in on the distinction between absolute and relative poverty; his belief is that while there will always be relative poor living among us, our focus should be on eradicating the presence of absolute poverty. Tune in to hear about the importance of government supp...
Sep 02, 2022•20 min•Ep. 9
Send us a text America is in a housing crisis. Following the pandemic, inflation is on the rise leading to widespread housing issues. With rising rental prices and a plummeting home ownership market, homelessness and substandard housing are also on the rise. Today’s guest, Dr. Fred McKinney, is a leading economist working in higher education and consulting in business development, with a focus on corporate social responsibility and diversity training. During today’s conversation, Dr. Fred shares...
Aug 19, 2022•36 min•Ep. 8
Send us a text Being an entrepreneur is challenging, but if you enter the journey with a willingness to stick through the tough times, you can go further than you ever thought possible. This is the story of today’s guest, Sadie Marshall, who founded Sadie’s Pro Cleaning at the end of 2018. When the pandemic hit and she lost all of her clients, but instead of giving up on her dreams, she pivoted from a commercial and residential cleaning business to a crime scene and hazard cleaning business. Ove...
Apr 05, 2022•33 min•Ep. 7
Send us a text Today, we are joined by Gregory Russ to talk about how NYCHA is reforming its approach to public housing in New York. Gregory was appointed Chair and CEO of the NYC Housing Authority in 2019. He is a seasoned housing professional with decades of management experience, who has helped to rebuild and strengthen public housing authorities across the country. Gregory begins by laying out the context of the issues New York is facing, where he describes a dysfunctional institutional stru...
Feb 15, 2022•33 min•Ep. 6
Send us a text Welcome back to YIMBY Nation! Joining us in conversation today is Wade Rathke, from ACORN International, which fights for the basic rights of people – better security, health, housing, education, and employment conditions, and more responsive, truly representative government. You’ll hear about Wade’s long and groundbreaking history with the organization, starting with working to bring laws into policy to be able to enact change in the fight for affordable and livable housing world...
Dec 22, 2021•48 min•Ep. 5
Send us a text On today’s show, we are pleased to welcome Bruce “Two Dogs” Bozum, President of Eight Paws NDN, a Native Gaming Consulting firm. Bruce was first elected to the Mohegan Tribal Council in 2004, where served for eight years as Chairman and helped to secure refinancing for Mohegan Sun. He was involved in the expansion of the Mohegan Sun brand into Pennsylvania, Atlantic City, Washington State, Massachusetts, and New York. In this episode, Bruce describes community development in the s...
Sep 21, 2021•31 min•Ep. 4
Send us a text Today’s guest on YIMBY Nation is Seila Mosquera-Bruno, Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Housing (CDOH) and Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority (CHFA). Appointed by Governor Ned Lamont, Seila brings a wealth of knowledge to the Department of Housing. Prior to her appointment, she was the President and Chief Executive Officer of NeighborWorks New Horizons (NWNH), a non-profit organization dedicated to providing affordable h...
Aug 31, 2021•35 min•Ep. 3
Send us a text Welcome to the first episode of Your In My Back Yard Nation, the podcast that looks at housing from a macro level to understand the aspects of life it impacts. In this episode, we invite Dr. Karen DuBois-Walton to help us address the COVID eviction crisis which disproportionately affects Black and Latinx renters in Connecticut. Dr. DuBois-Walton is the President of Elm City Communities, the largest public housing authority in the state of Connecticut. Before taking the helm of the...
Aug 13, 2021•26 min•Ep. 2
Send us a text Today we are excited to introduce you to the YIMBY Nation podcast where we will be exploring US housing policies and pathways to building more equitable neighborhoods. YIMBY Nation will focus on the nuts and bolts of affordable housing development and the socio-economic issues related to it, such as poverty, eviction, employment, supportive services, education, and healthcare. In this first episode, we meet our hosts Jimmy Miller, Peter Wood, and Vincencia Adusei, or “Vee”. We hea...
Jul 26, 2021•25 min•Ep. 1
