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EVENT DETAILS |
Data Informed Child Advocacy: Combatting Family Homelessness & Achieving Housing Security & Well-being
Speakers: Jennifer March & Bijan Kimiagar, Citizens Committee for Children of New York
Overview:
Citizens Committee for Children of New York is a nonprofit child advocacy organization based in New York City that works to advance policy & budgetary priorities that help to ensure that every child is healthy, housed, educated & safe. This presentation will provide an overview of what we know from data about pandemic impacts on children & families with a specific focus on housing insecurity & homelessness. The conversation will cover how data is collected, analyzed & disseminated as well as how data is used to engage the media, mobilize New Yorkers, & inform decisions made by city, state, & federal government leaders.
The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened concerns around child & family well-being across New York City, with a disproportionate impact on low-income communities & communities of color. Recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau demonstrate how housing insecurity has deepened during the pandemic, as 46% of Black renters with children & 55% of Hispanic/Latino renters with children report lack of confidence in meeting their next months rent. Action is needed at every level of government to ensure that investments are made in services & supports that respond to the heightened needs of homeless students who have experienced increased school disruptions & social isolation this past year. Policies also must be prioritized to keep children, youth & families stably housed, including offering rent subsidies of market rate value, & expanding affordable & supportive housing.
Jennifer March, Ph.D., is the Executive Director of Citizens Committee for Children of New York. Under her leadership, CCC creates coalitions & advances policy, budget & legislative solutions that result in historic victories including: achieving salary parity across NYCs early education workforce, creating universal Pre-K for NYC four year olds & universal after-school for middle school students; raising the age of criminal responsibility in NY state; enacting local legislation to set aside a share of affordable housing units for homeless families; ensuring schools with high numbers of homeless students benefit from social workers; & achieving a moratorium on state budget cuts to childrens behavioral health care. She holds a bachelors degree from LeMoyne College, & an M.A. & Ph.D. from Fordham University.
Bijan Kimiagar, Ph.D., is Associate Executive Director for Research at Citizens Committee for Children of New York (CCC). He leads the research team who develops data-driven reports, conducts community-based assessments, & maintains an online database on the well-being of New York Citys children & families. These data resources provide elected officials, service providers, & New Yorkers at-large with information to shape state & local policies & programs. Prior to CCC, he served as a project director with the Childrens Environments Research Group at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, where he designed international participatory research projects with young people & their caregivers. He holds a doctorate in environmental psychology from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York & a bachelors degree in psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles.
7:00 pm 7:05 pm Speaker Introduction
7:05 pm 7:35 pm Presentation
7:35 pm 7:55 pm Q&A
7:55 pm 8:00 pm Wrap up
Zoom Link to follow
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