Client Story Video
I worked with photographer/videographer Roger Castonguay of Defining Studios to direct, write the outline and script for, and produce this video for the CT Fair Housing Center. It tells the story of an elderly man who was facing foreclosure on his home due to predatory reverse mortgage practices, and how the Center intervened to save his home.
Letter to the Editor
Letter to the Editor on behalf of A community coalition An oldie but a goodie! From 2010 to 2012, I managed the statewide Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program for the Connecticut Association for Human Services (CAHS). I facilitated 6 regional coalitions of nonprofit and public organizations that hosted free tax sites for low-to-moderate-income households […]
Media Relations for Fair Lending Lawsuit
Media Relations for Fair Lending Lawsuit During my time managing communications for the Connecticut Fair Housing Center, the organization filed a high-profile lawsuit against a local bank accusing it of racial discrimination and redlining in its mortgage lending. My role was to handle the media relations surrounding the lawsuit. I edited the press release that […]
Advocacy Blog Post
Before the 50th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act, I “ghost-wrote” this blog post taking stock of the fair housing movement for the Connecticut Fair Housing Center’s Executive Director, who then lightly edited the piece.
Client Stories
I have often been responsible for interviewing clients and writing up their stories to illustrate the impact of various programs and policies on real people.
To respect the client and avoid stereotyping, I use the clients’ own words as much as possible and try to paint a picture of the full, complex person, not just the challenge they were facing. There is often a fine line between illustrating a program’s positive impact and painting an organization as a savior – thus disempowering the client. I encourage giving clients as much information and control over how their stories will be shared as possible.
Know Your Rights Rack Card
A core part of the Connecticut Fair Housing Center’s mission is to educate potential renters and homebuyers about housing discrimination and their fair housing rights. For years, they had printed and distributed a detailed trifold brochure on fair housing rights which was primarily text and expensive to print. Using Canva, I redesigned that brochure into a more attractive, two-sided “rack card” (to still fit inside brochure holders but be less expensive to print) and edited down the text to just what was necessary.
