Onward to Housing Justice
Thank you for registering to attend NLIHC’s Housing Policy Forum 2023: Onward to Housing Justice, which took place on March 21-23.
Forum Plenary Speakers

Wally Adeyemo
U.S. Treasury Deputy Secretary

Reverend Dr. William J. Barber II
Scholar and Social Activist

Matthew Desmond
Sociologist and Author of Evicted
Marcia L. Fudge
HUD Sectretary
Additional Speakers

Rep. Pramila Jayapal
US Representative (D-WA)

Rep. Maxine Waters
US Representative (D-CA)

Sandra Thompson
FHFA Director

Thanks for registering and attending!
See you next year.
- Monday, March 20
Pre-Forum Events
Rutha Mae Harris
Freedom Singer and Civil Rights ActivistSchedule 2 - 6 pm
NLIHC State and Tribal Partners Convening (Invitation Only)
Tenant Leaders Session
6:30 - 8 pm
NLIHC State and Tribal Partners and Tenant Leaders Dinner
Special Presentation by Rutha Mae Harris an original Freedom Singer
- Tuesday, March 21
#Onward
Matthew Desmond
Sociologist and AuthorReverend Dr. William J. Barber II
Scholar and Social ActivistSchedule Pre-Forum Events
7:30 - 8:30 am
Continental Breakfast (Tenants and State Partners Only) 8:30 am - 12 pm
NLIHC State and Tribal Partners Meeting (Invitation Only)
Tenant Leaders Session
12 - 1 pm
Lunch for State and Tribal Partners and Tenant
LeadersNLIHC Housing Policy Forum 2023
1 - 1:20 pm
Getting Started: NLIHC Board Leadership &
Resources for AdvocatesSpeakers:
- Dora Leong Gallo – NLIHC board of directors (chair)
- Loraine Brown – NLIHC board of directors
1:20 - 1:45 pm
Onward to Housing Justice
Diane Yentel – NLIHC, President and CEO
1:45 - 2:45 pm
Keynote Speaker – Matthew Desmond
Book Launch of Poverty, by America
2:45 - 3:30 pm
Special Remarks – Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II
Greetings from Members of Congress (Video) – Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY); Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH)
3:35 -4:00 pm
Break
Book Signing – Matthew Desmond
3:45 - 5 pm
Breakout Sessions:
Homelessness is a Housing Problem: Best Practices in Housing First
Speakers:
- Clayton Page Aldern – co-author of Homelessness is a Housing Problem
- Ana Rausch – VP of Program Operations, Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County
- Claudine Sipili – Director of Lived Experience and Innovation, Destination: Home
- Moderator: Alayna Calabro – Senior Policy Analyst, NLIHC
Building Tenant Protections in the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) Program
Speakers:
- Marcos Segura – Staff Attorney, National Housing Law Project
- Glenda Krouse Matute – Georgia State University
- Faruq Hussein-Bey – Resident Services Coordinator, National Housing
- Moderator: Dan Emmanuel – Senior Research Analyst, NLIHC
Expanding the Multisector Affordable Housing Movement
Speakers:
- Sarah Hassmer – Director of Housing Justice, National Women’s Law Center
- Sam Washington – Policy Associate, Civil Rights Corps
- Hale Crumley – Coalition Coordinator, Prosperity Indiana
- Dr. Aura Obando – American Academy of Pediatrics
- Moderator: Chantelle Wilkinson – National Campaign Manager, NLIHC
Tenant Leaders Advancing Housing Justice
Speakers:
- Dee Ross – Founder and CEO, The Ross Foundation
- Mattye Berry-Evans – Resident Action Project
- Taylar Nuevelle – Executive Director, Who Speaks for Me?
- Moderator: Sid Betancourt – Housing
Advocacy Organizer, NLIHC
5:15 - 6:30 pm
Reception - Wednesday, March 22
#Onward
Wally Adeyemo
Deputy Secretary of the U.S. TreasuryPramila Jayapal
Congresswoman Representing Washington’s 7th DistrictSandra Thompson
FHFA DirectorSchedule 7:30 - 8:30 am
Continental Breakfast 8:30 - 8:40 am
Welcome Back!
Russell “Rusty” Bennett – NLIHC board of
directors8:40 - 9:20 am
Conversations with Administration Officials
Speakers:
- Director Sandra Thompson – Federal Housing Finance Agency
- Sarah Saadian – NLIHC SVP for Public Policy and Field Organizing
- Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo – Department of the Treasury
- Moises Loza – NLIHC board of directors, former executive director of the Housing Assistance Council
9:30 - 10:45 am
Breakout Sessions:
Capitol Hill Insiders Panel
Speakers:
- Alia Fierro – Director of Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance, Office of House Financial Services Committee Ranking Member Maxine Waters (D-CA)
- Beth Cooper – Professional Staff Member, Office of Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Chair Sherrod Brown (D-OH) (invited)
- Neil Siefring – Hilltop Advocacy LLC
- Moderator: Kim Johnson – Public Policy Manager, NLIHC
Racial Equity in Practice
Speakers:
- Pascale Leone – Executive Director, Supportive Housing Network of New York
- Cathy Albisa – Vice President of Institutional and Sectoral Change, Race Forward
- Ramona Ferreyra – Advocate, Save Section 9 & Founder of Ojala Threads
- Moderator: Stephanie Gidigbi Jenkins –Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Director of Policy & Partnerships, Vice President of Strategies, North Star Strategies
Achieving Affordable Housing Solutions in Native and Rural Areas
Speakers:
- Sharon Vogel – Executive Director, Cheyenne River Housing Authority and NLIHC board of directors
- Stephanie Isaacs – Founder, Bedford County Listening Project
- Jonathan Harwitz – Director of Public Policy, Housing Assistance Council (HAC)
- Mel Willie – Director of Native Partnerships and Strategy, NeighborWorks America
- Moderator: Kayla Laywell – Housing Policy Analyst, NLIHC
Status of Evictions and Eviction Prevention Work
Speakers:
- Emily Benfer – Professor of Clinical Law, George Washington University Law School; Visiting Research Collaborator, Eviction Lab, Princeton University
- Samira Nazem – Principal Court Management Consultant, National Center for State Courts
- Michelle Mapp – Equal Justice Works Law Fellow at ACLU of South Carolina, sponsored by Alston & Bird Racial Justice Fund
- Andrew Bradley – Policy Director, Prosperity Indiana and NLIHC board of directors
- Moderator: Sarah Gallagher – Senior Project Director for ERASE, NLIHC
10:45 - 11 am
Break 11 am - 12 pm
Greetings from Members of Congress (Video)
- Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
- Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) – Chair, Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development
Presentation of Organizing Awards and Best
Practices in State/Local OrganizingPresentation of Awards: Chrishelle Palay – Director, HOME Coalition and NLIHC board of directors
Speakers:
- Vanny Veras – Tenant Organizer, Miami Workers Center
- Devetria Stafford – Tenant Organizer, Miami Workers Center
- Michael Chavarria – Executive Director, Hope Fair Housing Center
- Sharon Norwood – Housing Justice Organizer, Chicago Area Fair Housing Alliance
- Moderator: Courtney Cooperman – Housing Advocacy Organizer, NLIHC
Best Practices in State and Local Organizing
Learn More about the Organizing Awards
12 - 1:15 pm
Buffet Lunches 1:15 - 2:30 pm
IDEAS into Action
Speakers:
- Diane Yentel – NLIHC, President and CEO
- Renee Willis – NLIHC, SVP, Racial Equity
Discussion Speakers:
- Zella Knight – Member Leader, Residents United Network LA, Board Member & Tenant Leader Cohort Member, NLIHC, Resident, Los Angeles, CA
- Loraine Brown – President Emeritus, 334 East 92nd Street Tenant Association, Board Member & Tenant Leader Cohort Member, NLIHC, Resident, New York, NY
- Mindy Woods – Member Leader, Resident Action Project, Board Member & Tenant Leader Cohort Member, NLIHC, Resident, Seattle, WA
- Moderator: Secretary Marcia L. Fudge – U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
2:30 - 3:15 pm
Achieving Housing Justice
Speakers:
- Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA)
- Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA)
3:15 - 3:45 pm
Break 3:45 - 5 pm
Breakout Sessions:
Countering the Criminalization of Homelessness
Speakers:
- Carlton Martin – Pro Bono Director, National Homelessness Law Center
- Donald Whitehead Jr. – Executive Director, National Coalition for the Homeless
- Lisa Glow – CEO, Central Arizona Shelter Services
- Marqueia Watson – Executive Director, Greater Kansas City Coalition to End Homelessness
- Moderator: Sarah Saadian – SVP for Public Policy and Field Organizing, NLIHC
Effective Messaging and Communications Strategies to Advance Housing Justice
Speakers:
- Halley Holmes – Sr. Director of Communications, The Coalition for Nonprofit Housing & Economic Development
- Tom Murphy – Sr. Director of Communications, National Alliance to End Homelessness
- Deidre (Dee Dee) Swensik – Director of Communications, National Housing Law Project
- Nanci Flores – Media Relations Manager, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
- Moderator: Renee Willis – SVP for Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, NLIHC
Rights, Retreats, and Red Tape: In Pursuit of a Just Disaster Recovery
Speakers:
- Ariadna Michelle Godreau Aubert – Founder and Executive Director, Ayuda Legal Puerto Rico
- Chrishelle Palay – Director, HOME Coalition
- Hannah Perls – Staff Attorney, Harvard Law School Environmental and Energy Law Program
- David Wheaton – Economic Justice Policy Fellow, NAACP
- Moderator: Noah Patton – Senior Policy Analyst for Disaster Recovery, NLIHC
Achieving Permanent Renter Protections
Speakers:
- Rasheedah Phillips – Director of Housing, PolicyLink
- Erika Poethig – Special Assistant to the President for Housing and Urban Policy, White House Domestic Policy Council
- Zella Knight – Board Member, Activist, Residents United Network, and NLIHC board of directors
- Foluke Akanni – Housing Policy Organizer, Housing Action Illinois
- Moderator: Geraldine Collins – President, National Alliance of HUD Tenants, and NLIHC board of directors
6 - 8:30 pm
NLIHC Leadership Awards Presentation and Reception (separate ticket from the Forum
required)
Learn More - Thursday, March 23
Legislative Action Day!
Schedule 8 - 9 am
Preparing for Capitol Hill Day Visits
(A light breakfast will be provided.)
Speakers:
- Kim Johnson – Public Policy Manager, NLIHC
- Gina Wilt – Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio
- Moderator: Gabby Ross – Housing Advocacy Organizer, NLIHC
9:30 am - 5 pm
Hill Visits and Report-Backs

Venue
Hilton Washington DC Capitol Hill
525 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
Tel: 202-628-2100
Organizing Awards
The NLIHC Organizing Awards recognize outstanding achievements during 2022 in statewide, regional, citywide, neighborhood, and/or resident organizing that furthers NLIHC’s mission of achieving racially and socially equitable public policy that ensures people with the lowest incomes have quality homes that are accessible and affordable in communities of their choice. Special consideration is given to nominations that incorporate tenant- or resident-centered organizing and leadership. The awards will be presented at this year's Housing Policy Forum.
The nomination period for the 2023 Organizing Awards has passed.
Questions? Please reach out to Courtney Cooperman, Housing Advocacy Organizer at [email protected].