22 Harvard Students Will Help Organizations Across US Address Housing-Related Challenges

With funding from the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, 22 students from the Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD), the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (HSPH) will help public and nonprofit entities across the US address housing-related challenges this summer. 

 

 

Edward M. Gramlich Fellows in Community and Economic Development 

GSD Master in Urban Planning (MUP) students:

Ariella Amit will examine how community-based organizations in the NeighborWorks America network are responding to the rising cost of property insurance for multifamily housing. 

Zack Lively will examine the experiences of organizations in the NeighborWorks America network that are developing limited equity cooperatives to create permanently affordable housing. 

GSD Community Service Fellows 

Sonja Angst, a Master in Design Studies student, will help Sustʻāinable Molokai, a nonprofit in Kaunakakai, Hawaii, carry out participatory design research focused on sustainable energy, conservation, and land restoration. 

Nour-Lyna Boulgamh, a Doctor in Design candidate, will help the Boston Housing Authority (BHA) develop a comprehensive tracking system for minority and women-owned businesses that are working on BHA projects. 

MUP students: 

Ava Louise Dimond will help The Neighborhood Developers (TND), a nonprofit based in Chelsea, Massachusetts, on projects including a portfolio matrix for the real estate team to assess TND’s assets and properties, tools to explain an upcoming lottery for new affordable housing units, and efforts to better inform and engage with community residents. 

Amadeos Oyagata will help the cultural corridors team in San Francisco’s Planning Department develop projects and plans for the 16th Street corridor in the city’s Mission District. 

Sam Potter will help the Housing Assistance Council and the Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design in Washington, DC analyze rural housing markets and provide training and technical assistance for organizations focused on improving housing conditions for the rural poor. 

Alessandra Rodriguez Mercado will help coordinate and facilitate community engagement for the Mystic River Watershed Association’s Mystic Greenways Initiative, which seeks to connect paths and parks in a major Boston-area watershed. 

Matt Thibodeau will assist the Boston Housing Authority’s efforts to redevelop and decarbonize its properties.  

Tyler White will help Black Land Ownership (BLO), a non-profit based in Brooklyn, develop an interactive map and diversity index that will inform BLO’s planning and advocacy. 

Omer Yousuf will assist the Inner-City Muslim Action Network’s Grassroots Power Hour campaign, which focuses on developing strategies to address emerging challenges in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood and in the city as a whole. 

HKS Fellows in Housing and Community Development 

Master of Public Policy (MPP) students: 

Kim Davila will help the Inner City Law Center’s efforts to create more affordable housing and strengthen tenant protections in Los Angeles. 

Palmer Mills will be a policy fellow in the Boston Mayor’s Office of Housing where he will research issues related to middle-market housing. 

Ellery Rourk will help the City of Boston Planning Department develop an interactive Residential Displacement Map that will incorporate data from a variety of sources, including information held by other city departments whose actions affect the pace and nature of neighborhood change. 

Anna Rusignuolo will help the Los Angeles Regional Reentry Partnership analyze how proposed federal, state, and local policies might affect people returning from incarceration who are seeking housing, employment, and healthcare. 

Ivory Fellows in Housing Affordability and Sustainability 

Jason Boyle, a MUP student at GSD, will help ROC USA, a national nonprofit, expand its efforts to create cooperatives owned by people who live in previously private manufactured home communities.  

Porsche Dames, a MUP student at GSD, will help Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement (HCCI) expand its affordable housing portfolio and advance its Brownfield Opportunity Area planning strategy. 

Aditi Dash, an MPP student at HKS, will work with San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie’s new Infrastructure, Climate, and Mobility team to improve access to housing, increase the housing stock, and create environmentally sustainable buildings.

Juan Rodriguez, a Master in Public Administration student at HKS, will help the Boston Mayor's Office of Housing advance an initiative focused on financial planning for homeowners interested in creating accessory dwelling units.  

Jerwin Tiu, an MPP student at HKS, will help Hawaii's Statewide Office on Homelessness and Housing Solutions improve its housing inventory database and planning for village-style housing communities to combat homelessness. 

Maya Yassine, a Master in Public Health student at HSPH, will help the Boston Mayor's Office of Housing better understand how supportive services for formerly homeless individuals living in transitional housing are funded and sustained.  

Joshua Young, an MPP student at HKS, will help the City of Bethlehem's Community and Economic Development Department develop a revolving loan fund for affordable housing. 

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Fellowships Contact: [email protected]