Homelessness: The Big Picture
Professor Dennis Culhane speaks via livestream about the large-scale forces contributing to homelessness in the United States, including wealth inequality, housing shortages, housing unaffordability, and historical and sociological factors. The talk will be presented over Zoom and Facebook Live. Culhane will summarize the academic research about issues contributing to the national homeless problem and explore what homelessness looks like on a national scale.
Culhane is the Dana and Andrew Stone Professor of Social Policy at the School of Social Policy and Practice at The University of Pennsylvania. He is a nationally recognized social science researcher with primary expertise in the field of homelessness. He is a leader in the integration of administrative data for research and directs Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy (AISP), an initiative that promotes the development of integrated data systems by state and local governments for policy analysis and systems reform. His homelessness work has positioned him as an early innovator in the use of administrative data for research and policy analysis, particularly for populations and program impacts that are difficult to assess and track. Culhane’s work has resulted in federal legislation requiring all cities and states to develop administrative data systems for tracking homeless services in order to receive HUD funding. His work has also been instrumental in a national shift in how cities address chronic homelessness and family homelessness.
This talk is presented in conjunction with two exhibits related to homelessness, Steven Kinder: 522,830 and Coffee & Conversation: Stories of Homelessness, both on view through October 12.
Taking its name from the number of people who were unsheltered in America in 2018, 522,830 features portraits of people experiencing homelessness whom Kinder has met over the years in New York City.
Brattleboro artist Liz Lavorgna began working on Coffee & Conversation in 2015, in collaboration with filmmaker Wyatt Andrews and with support from Groundworks Collaborative. For this exhibit, LaVorgna revisits the project.
ADMISSION: Free
Attendees are invited to make a donation to Groundworks Collaborative, which provides ongoing support to families and individuals facing housing and food insecurities in the greater Brattleboro area.
Steven Kinder: 522,830 and Coffee & Conversation: Stories of Homelessness, and related events are presented in partnership with Groundworks Collaborative and supported in part by a grant from The Thomas Thompson Trust.
RELATED EVENTS
March 14, Saturday, 3-5 p.m. – Opening of New Exhibits
July 30, Thursday, 7:30 p.m. – Interview with Michael Christopher Brown
August 27, Thursday, 7:30 p.m. – Curator Tour: Katherine Gass Stowe
September 10, Thursday, 7:30 p.m. – In Sight: What the Unseen Are Holding for Society
