The Opportunity Starts at Home multisector affordable homes campaign’s latest podcast episode elevates the personal stories of seven people across the country whose lives have been transformed by stable, affordable housing.
These deeply personal stories were captured by the National Housing Trust and Enterprise Community Partners’ Where Will We Live campaign, which focuses on amplifying the voices of those with lived experience and provides them the knowledge to take action to ensure affordable housing resources are protected and expanded. Both Opportunity Starts at Home and Where Will We Live have received grants from the Funders for Housing and Opportunity.
Truly understanding all the dimensions of the nation's housing affordability crisis requires listening to people who have experienced homelessness and housing instability. Where Will We Live campaign staff have been traveling across the country collecting stories from such individuals. The campaign shared the audio recordings with Opportunity Starts at Home, which combined them into a podcast episode.
In this episode, Brandee Wright from Cincinnati, OH, describes how affordable housing has had transformative impacts on her and her family, the benefits extending to many other areas of their lives: “My kids, they feel more safer and secure…My son doesn’t act out as much. I’ve gotten my first job after 10 years so it feels really good to be out there and actually support my family. I enjoy being in society, paying taxes, everything, I love it all. I just feel that affordable housing has changed my life and without it, I don’t know where I would be, where my family would be. Without focusing on housing, I am able to go to college, I am able to have a job, and save money.”
Listen to the full podcast episode at: https://bit.ly/2Xk4uHy