{"id":6841,"date":"2026-05-14T10:56:34","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T14:56:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/?page_id=6841"},"modified":"2026-05-14T10:56:34","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T14:56:34","slug":"combating-homelessness","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/spring-2022\/features\/combating-homelessness\/","title":{"rendered":"Combating Homelessness"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Kathy Andrews<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cTo give you an image,\u201d says Christine Quinn \u201988<\/strong>, \u201cthere are more children under the age of 18 living in shelter in New York City than there are seats in the Barclays Center where the Nets play in Brooklyn.\u201d<\/p>\n

Quinn, as president and CEO of Win, is among those working on behalf of the more than 326,000 individuals nationally\u2014more than 80,000 of them children\u2014who are homeless on a given night.*<\/a><\/p>\n

The Trinity Reporter<\/em> caught up with Quinn and four other alumni who are dedicated to working to prevent homelessness and to serving people who experience it. They share their thoughts on the challenges of this work, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the strategies and approaches they support for achieving progress toward ending homelessness.<\/p>\n

Pushing for Reform<\/h3>\n

Quinn\u2019s organization, formerly known as Women in Need, serves 5,000 people a night\u201410 percent of the 50,000 individuals in New York City\u2019s shelter housing. \u201cWe\u2019re the largest provider of shelter and permanent supportive housing to homeless families with children in the five boroughs,\u201d says Quinn.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Homelessness] is a massive problem that, historically, mayors have taken on with the focus of managing it off of the cover of the newspaper, as opposed to having the goal of ending homelessness,\u201d Quinn says. She understands the mayor\u2019s role well from her years on the New York City Council, including having been elected twice as speaker\u2014the first woman and the first openly LGBTQ+ person to hold the position.<\/p>\n

\"\"Says Quinn, \u201cBecause we are housing 10 percent, we can see what factors lead to homelessness and repeat homelessness, and we can push for policy, legislative, and regulatory reform that will change that.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a Trinity student, Quinn majored in educational studies coordinated with urban studies and had several internships at the Connecticut State Capitol. \u201cI learned a great deal in a real-time, real-world way about how government works, how advocacy works, how lobbying works, and how organizing works.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know from research that the most critical thing to somebody getting out of shelter and not returning is a job, a good job,\u201d Quinn says. \u201cIf you don\u2019t have wraparound services to deal with the trauma the children and the adults and moms have faced, if you don\u2019t have job training and placement services, people are going to return to homelessness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Quinn cites Win\u2019s annual analysis, showing that 81 percent of the families who moved out of shelter the prior year were still not living in shelter. Says Quinn, \u201cI\u2019d rather have 100 percent, but 81 is actually quite an impressive number.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Question of Justice<\/h3>\n

As chief strategy officer at Funders Together to End Homelessness (FTEH), Stephanie Chan \u201911<\/strong>, based in Washington, D.C., works with philanthropic organizations of all sizes. She says she believes that the key to solving homelessness is a systems-change approach. \u201cIt is not enough to move people who are experiencing homelessness into apartments. We need to go upstream and prevent the inflow into homelessness from the criminal legal system and child welfare and foster care systems, and from the lack of affordable housing and jobs that pay living wages,\u201d Chan says. \u201cEnding homelessness is not just about housing the person who is sleeping in a tent at the street corner. We have to think much more broadly,\u201d she adds. \u201cEveryone deserves a safe, affordable place to call home where there is equitable access to what one needs to live with dignity. What is paramount is giving people, especially those who have been historically marginalized by racist housing policies and those experiencing homelessness, agency in solutions that directly impact their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Chan, who earned a master\u2019s in public administration from George Washington University and previously managed a day center for people experiencing homelessness in Washington, D.C., says the pandemic has offered lessons. \u201cFor example, we saw how quickly communities mobilized to use hotels as a form of shelter. We can do things quickly when there are adequate resources and capacity and when red tape is removed,\u201d Chan says.<\/p>\n

At Trinity, Chan majored in English, with minors in philosophy and human rights. A memorable course was \u201cThe Question of Justice\u201d with Donna-Dale Marcano, associate professor of philosophy. \u201cI think about that class a lot,\u201d says Chan. \u201cMany of the questions we grappled with in Professor Marcano\u2019s class are questions I find myself asking every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Creating Relationships<\/h3>\n

Anthropology major and human rights minor Kerry Hood Turner \u201902<\/strong> has worked with chronically homeless populations in Los Angeles County for 15-plus years. After earning a master\u2019s in social work and public health at UCLA, she led a three-year pilot project as the clinical consultant for a Santa Monica nonprofit. Teamed with a physician, a psychiatrist, and a housing specialist, she did outreach every day, on foot or by bike, in parks, alleys, and on the street. \u201cOur role was to build therapeutic, trusting relationships with homeless individuals, all of whom had decades of untreated mental health and chronic medical issues,\u201d says Turner. \u201cThe ultimate goal was creating tailored interventions to help each one secure permanent housing and improve their overall well-being.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Helping individuals get needed medical or mental health treatment is particularly satisfying, says Turner. \u201cIt\u2019s often chronic health problems and a lack of access to health and mental health care that lead someone to homelessness. And being homeless can lead to many health problems.\u201d<\/p>\n

Turner, who has served since 2013 as a licensed clinical social worker with the Department of Veterans Affairs (V.A.), is gratified to see more training and acceptance among community service providers for a Housing First<\/a> and harm-reduction model. She first learned about harm reduction in a class with Jim Trostle, Scott M. Johnson \u201997 Distinguished Professor of Anthropology. The premise, Turner says, is helping individuals without judgment. \u201cWe\u2019re saying, \u2018We know you need a safe environment and support, so we\u2019ll give that to you now without requiring a list of things to accomplish first [such as achieving sobriety].\u2019 \u201d Says Turner, \u201cOnce someone has a safe environment, they\u2019re better able to address health concerns and participate in services they need.\u201d<\/p>\n

Window of Opportunity<\/h3>\n

As founding president and executive director of Miami\u2019s Lotus House, Constance Collins<\/strong> \u201980<\/strong> sees shelter as a place of empowerment. \u201cInstead of being yet another layer of trauma in the lives of women and children, turn it into a window of opportunity, with resources and tools to heal and grow and thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n

After a career in commercial real estate, investment, finance, and law, Collins retired at age 46 to become a full-time volunteer. Among the nonprofits she founded and operates is Lotus Village, which combines state-of-the-art shelter facilities with supportive services such as a trauma-informed intake sanctuary, therapeutic child and family supports and interventions, educational programs, and job-readiness training, including with the on-site hydroponic farm.<\/p>\n

\"\"Having served 1,000 women and children in 2019, Lotus House set records during the pandemic, serving more than 1,500 in 2021. Collins is appreciative of a Payback Protection Program (PPP) loan early in the pandemic but is frustrated that federal funds have not been available to help support shelter operations, which have necessitated thousands of extra meals and staff hours, as well as significant increases in supplies, including PPE (personal protective equipment). Collins recently launched the National Women\u2019s Shelter Network, \u201cas a means of bringing women\u2019s shelters across the country together so we can collectively make our voices heard and talk about the importance of gender-specific solutions for women and children.\u201d<\/p>\n

A political science major at Trinity, Collins was a recipient of a full scholarship. She notes, \u201cBut for that financial support, I would not have the career I had, I would not have the resources that it took to start this shelter, nor the skills, experience, and expertise to shepherd it forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

In America?<\/h3>\n

\u201cTypically, people living in their vehicles are on the last rung of the ladder on their way down,\u201d says Bill Sweeney \u201969<\/strong>. In 2019, he helped found Colorado Safe Parking Initiative (CSPI), which operates 14 safe lots. In the past three years, the number of people living in their vehicles in the Denver area has more than tripled; statewide, CSPI estimates nearly 1,000 individuals and families sheltering in vehicles.<\/p>\n

\"\"CSPI\u2019s support services include an interview and intake process to help people develop plans. \u201cMost people do not have a plan that says, \u2018I want to get housed,\u2019 \u201d says Sweeney. \u201cWe ask, \u2018What is it that you want to do?\u2019 They might answer, \u2018I want to get my kids back.\u2019 The next step is that Child Protective Services will require that you have a place to live. And now we know two things: your goal is to get your kids back, and to do that you need housing.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a Trinity economics major, Sweeney volunteered to visit mental health hospital patients with chronic illnesses. Today, he participates in several organizations serving people experiencing homelessness and hunger. He also has a law degree and does pro bono legal work. At the Boulder Bridge House shelter, his contributions draw on his expertise with computers and data management from having run a Colorado hospital\u2019s 24\/7 data center earlier in his career.<\/p>\n

Sweeney recommends a book, Golden Gates: Fighting for Housing in America<\/em>, by Conor Dougherty. \u201cHere\u2019s what Dougherty said: there\u2019s no way to change housing policy without first changing ourselves. The deepest question, how can homelessness happen in America, has the simplest answer. Because we let it,\u201d says Sweeney. \u201cWe cannot cure homelessness as long as we have a society that says it\u2019s OK to have this happen to people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
Photo: Philip Pilosian\/Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Trinity Homelessness Project<\/h2>\n

By taking action in partnership with Hartford nonprofits, students at Trinity College are learning about homelessness and helping individuals who are experiencing it. Colleen Quinn \u201924, a current Trinity Homelessness Project<\/a> leader, says, \u201cOur biggest project fall semester was our Thanksgiving drive, where we partnered with Trinity\u2019s dining service, Chartwells, to raise money for snack and hygiene kits to donate to Hands on Hartford. We raised over $300 and assembled 30 kits to donate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other activities organized by the group during the 2021\u201322 academic year included:<\/p>\n