Ending Homelessness Through Holistic Collaboration and Leadership in NYC - New Episode of “The Common Ground” Podcast Out Now

By Haadia Hyder, NLIHC Strategic Partnerships & Campaigns Intern 

Moving the needle in housing justice rarely occurs in isolation. It happens when individuals reach across sectors. In episode 5, titled “Commitment Beyond the Moment- Reimagining Homelessness and Redefining Public Safety” of  “The Common Ground,” we sit down with Dawn Pinnock, president and CEO of Center for Urban Community Services (CUCS) and explore what multi-sector collaborations, people-first leadership, and the tangible possibility of ending homelessness in the hands of a society that focuses on strong partnerships looks like. 

“As a public leader, you have a voice, you have a platform, you should always use it for good,” said Pinnock. 

Pinnock is the president and CEO of CUSC and has worked for 30 years across New York City’s municipal agencies, pioneering innovative and people-first projects across the city. The common thread throughout her illustrious career is a constant dedication to service. Coming back into nonprofit work, her leadership aims to put a face to housing. She understands that homelessness is not a singular issue, and by extension, that advancements in justice for the unhoused must be rooted in collaboration across sectors. Pinnock believes that if we band together, we can end homelessness.  

“Homelessness is actually solvable... it just requires a level of understanding, a level of alignment, it has to allow for a level of partnership and concession, that I think across sectors is sometimes not so easy to achieve, but it is absolutely something that, at a city of this size, scope, and complexity, it is absolutely solvable,” said Pinnock. 

Throughout the episode, you see how Pinnock continuously comes back to the idea of people. Whether she is focusing on changing narratives, training law enforcement and business owners  on to engaging with populations experiencing homelessness, highlighting stories from her own CUCS staff members, using people first language, or simply taking the time to meet with every single staff member upon taking on the role of president and CEO to ask the deep felt question “what do you need,” this episode subtly highlights what big-picture thinking looks like as a leader without losing sight of the people you serve.

This episode is one that everyone stands to benefit from. It challenges common misconceptions around homelessness and offers a vision on solutions based on compassion and accountability while meeting people where they are. 

“We really do that from the place of; we are all neighbors,” said Pinnock.  

Listen to this episode of “The Common Ground” podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and SoundCloud. Follow us and join us in the exploration of a shared commitment to finding common ground.   

Learn more about NLIHC’s Strategic Partnerships here.