Engaging with Affordable Housing Leaders Nationwide
Bike & Build summers are not charity bike rides; they’re enriching service-learning experiences that include volunteering and community interaction & immersion. Through cross-country and regional bicycle trips, our riders experience the country through an affordable housing lens, all from the unique perspective of a bike seat.
On the road, our riders meet with affordable housing professionals, build partners, and community leaders who delve into the nuances of the affordable housing cause nationwide. This summer, in lieu of that in-person experience due to our COVID-19 cancellation, we’re hosting a summer-long series where we’ll hear from those leaders and delve into the complexities of the cause.
June
In our first four weeks of the series, we’ll set the stage by defining what affordable housing is and who is impacted. Ivan Marchena, NUS’19 Leader, will introduce us to the cause. Molly Rennie and Blair Schleicher Wilson will talk about their work with the ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) Project. Catherine Barreda will speak to how the affordable housing cause impacts communities and populations differently. Finally, we’ll hear from representatives from our most popular build partner, Habitat for Humanity, about how they work within the traditional Habitat framework to meet their communities’ specific needs.
June 3
Ivan Marchena
Paralegal Advocate, Tenant Rights Coalition, Brooklyn Legal Services, NUS'19 Leader
Why We Ride: an Introduction to Affordable Housing
June 10
Molly Rennie & Blair Schleicher Wilson
Director for Strategic Partnerships, The ALICE Project; CEO of Morris County Habitat for Humanity, respectively
Working Hard and Struggling to Survive
June 17
Catherine Barreda
Deputy Director, Tenant Rights Coalition at Brooklyn Legal Services
What is Affordable Housing and Who is it For?
June 24
Panel of 5 Habitat representatives
Thinking Outside the Frame: Using the Habitat Model to Address Community Needs
Moving into July, we’ll take a short break from affordable housing to hear from the Executive Director of TextLess Live More about their campaign to end distracted driving along with igniting a cultural shift towards a society less dependent on interaction with devices. From there we’ll transition back to housing, where Angela McIver will discuss the historical significance of the Fair Housing Act, redlining, and how racial segregation continues to impact communities through the achievement gap, wealth gap, and over-policing. Later in the month, we’ll hear about the unique challenges that individuals in rural America face when searching for affordable housing. Finally, Ethan Mascoop will discuss the relationship between housing and public health and the impact of unstable housing in the mitigating the effects COVID-19.
July
July 1
Marie McGrath
Executive Director, TextLess Live More
GetLiving: How to Live More in a Distracting World
July 8
Angela McIver
Chief Executive Officer, Fair Housing Rights Center in Southeastern PA
Fair Housing to the Rescue
July 15
Carolyn Dunn
Executive Director, Stafford County Economic Development
Rural Affordable Housing
July 22
Ethan Mascoop
Adjunct Clinical Instructor, Environmental Health, Boston University
Housing as a Social Determinant of Health
July 29
Dawone Robinson
Natural Resources Defense Council
Energy Equity in Affordable Housing
August
This month we’ll be wrapping up the series with two last sessions. First, we’ll hear from Colin Killick, Executive Director of the Disability Policy Consortium, about his experience as a community organizer and outline ways in which listeners can advocate for housing affordability and accessibility in their own communities. Finally, to close out the summer’s Speaker Series, Bike & Build’s Program Director Erik Wright will facilitate a group meeting to give folks the opportunity to meet and talk with each other about their biggest takeaways from the summer, and how they plan to take this information and move forward as affordable housing advocates themselves.
August 19
Colin Killick
Executive Director, Disability Policy Consortium
Advocating for Change in Affordable Housing
August 26
Erik Wright
Program Director, Bike & Build
End of Summer Wrap Up and Reflection
