Family Finances

Building Housing Security During COVID-19 and Beyond

January 12, 2021  • Financial Security Program

Housing was once the most common way most families built wealth in America, but today, it is a primary driver of financial insecurity for millions of people.

Before COVID-19, over 100 million people across the United States were struggling to afford housing. The pandemic exacerbated people’s short-term housing challenges – putting almost 40 million people at risk of eviction by the end of 2020 and even more on a trajectory toward long-term financial insecurity.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

Housing leaders across the country have the tools and knowledge necessary to expand access to stable, safe, affordable housing in their communities. Everyone has a role to play, and the Aspen Institute Financial Security Program has compiled, for the first time, a guidebook of solutions for all housing stakeholders, from policymakers and community residents to business leaders, financial institutions, and philanthropy – prioritizing examples that have worked from communities around the country.

Viewers benefited from the discussion which features:

  • The macro-economic trends and policy environment which have resulted in widespread housing unaffordability in communities across America
  • The role that investing in housing and equitable housing policies can play in economic recovery – locally and nationally
  • The elements of successful multi-sector housing reform initiatives, as evidenced by models around the country

Those who register will receive a link to the forthcoming paper “Strong Foundations: Housing Security Solutions Framework,” which compiles solutions from around the country and helps leaders prioritize which housing problems to address and identify the solutions that can solve them and ensure that people’s housing provides the foundation of their financial well-being. Financial security starts with affordable, stable housing.

Housing Security Solutions Framework Presentation

Speakers

Lucy Arellano Baglieri, Chief Strategy Officer, Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF)

Mrs. Arellano Baglieri has 15 years of community development management and strategy experience with a focus on social justice and racial equity. At LIIF, Lucy leads organizational strategy, racial equity, and external affairs. Prior to LIIF, she was Chief Strategy Officer for the Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA), where she led the organization’s regional and national initiatives. Her work draws on communities’ strengths to respond to economic inequity by employing a holistic approach to wealth, place, and power building. This approach includes direct services, affordable real estate development and preservation, policy and advocacy, equitable CDFI lending, and collective impact networks. She has also led organizational racial equity, strategy, and professional development initiatives. Mrs. Arellano Baglieri is nationally recognized for her leadership in community and organizational capacity building by a range of groups, including the Aspen Institute, Prosperity Now, UnidosUS, and NALCAB. She is an immigrant from Mexico and is natively bilingual in Spanish. Mrs. Arellano Baglieri holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington. She is based in San Francisco. 

Andy Berke, Mayor, Chattanooga, Tennessee

Andy Berke was born and raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee; he served as State Senator for Tennessee’s 10th District from 2007 to 2012 before becoming the 65th Mayor of Chattanooga in 2013. As Mayor, he is focused on growing the local economy, ensuring every child has the opportunity to succeed, and making Chattanooga’s streets safer and neighborhoods stronger. Chattanooga is known as the Gig City, and Mayor Berke has worked to maximize its high-speed fiber optic infrastructure. American City and County magazine named him Municipal Leader of the Year for innovative initiatives such as Baby U and Tech Goes Home, the City’s efforts in ending Veteran Homelessness, as well as for his leadership during a 2015 domestic terror attack. 

Jerusalem Demsas, Politics and Policy Fellow, Vox

Jerusalem Demsas works at Vox.com reporting on politics and policy with a particular interest and focus on housing and domestic economic policy. She has previously written on energy and environment issues for the Center for American Progress and is a graduate of the College of William and Mary where she received a degree in Economics & Government.

Katherine Lucas McKay, Senior Program Manager, Expanding Prosperity Impact Collaborative, Aspen Institute Financial Security Program

Katherine Lucas McKay is a Senior Program Manager at the Aspen Institute’s Financial Security Program (FSP), where she leads the Expanding Prosperity Impact Collaborative (EPIC), a research initiative focused on solving the most consequential, urgent financial challenges facing US households. Ms. Lucas McKay is an experienced policy researcher and advocate in the fields of household financial security and economic inequality, and has worked on issues including housing affordability, foreclosure prevention, mortgage lending, retirement savings, credit reporting, tax policy, and safety net policies. Prior to joining FSP, Katherine was the Associate Director of Government Affairs at Prosperity Now, where she led the organization’s policy work on homeownership, entrepreneurship, and consumer financial protection. She has also held positions at the National Community Reinvestment Coalition and Georgetown University. Katherine holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz School of Public Policy and Information Systems and a BA from Wellesley College. She serves on the Silver Spring Citizens Advisory Board of Montgomery County, Maryland. Katherine’s work has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, Vox, CNN, CNBC, and Greater Greater Washington.

Ida Rademacher, Vice President, Aspen Institute, Executive Director, Aspen Institute Financial Security Program 

Ida Rademacher is a vice president at the Aspen Institute and executive director of the Aspen Financial Security Program. Since joining the Institute in 2015, Ida has combined her expertise in economic inclusion research and policy with her reputation as a collaborative and creative thinker to expand FSP’s efforts to bring to the national forefront a solutions-focused discussion of how America can actually improve economic growth by addressing growing levels of wealth inequality and household financial insecurity. Her efforts have resulted in the creation of several new cutting-edge initiatives, including the Expanding Prosperity Impact Collaborative (EPIC), the Reconnecting Work and Wealth Initiative, and the Aspen Leadership Forum on Retirement Savings. Through these projects Ida and her team are building a cross-disciplinary community of leaders and change agents who, together, are deeply probing critical financial challenges facing U.S. households and shaping market and policy innovations that can improve the financial security and financial well-being of all Americans. 

Tim Shaw, Associate Director of Policy, Aspen Institute Financial Security Program

Tim Shaw is the Associate Director of Policy for the Financial Security Program. Prior to joining the Aspen Institute, he was an Associate Director for Economic Policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center. While there, he was the policy lead for BPC’s Paid Family Leave Task Force and led projects on economic opportunity, retirement security, and fiscal policy. Prior to that work, he was a tax and budget staffer at the Government Accountability Office, where he led the team that wrote GAO’s first comprehensive review of the federal government’s fiscal health. His work has been featured in numerous publications, including the Washington Post, Politico, and the Wall Street Journal. He holds a BA from Washington University in St. Louis and a master’s degree in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University.

Daryl Shore, VP, Inclusive Solutions, Prudential Financial, Inc. Inclusive Communities 

Daryl is the Vice President of Inclusive Communities at Prudential Financial. He leads the company’s inclusive economic growth strategy in Newark and beyond. In his role as Vice President of Inclusive Communities, he works to improve public systems’ effectiveness and coordinates key stakeholders to increase economic opportunities for the most vulnerable and underserved communities, particularly in Newark. Daryl has a BA in Political Science with a minor in Economics from Emory University, an MBA in Finance from Clark University Atlanta, and an MS in Real Estate from Johns Hopkins University. Daryl is also active as a Board member in several civic and nonprofit organizations: Westtown School, Gesu School, and Community Housing Capital. 

Additional Resources 

Thank you to the funders of Aspen FSP’s housing work: MetLife Foundation, The Prudential Foundation, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, for their generous support.

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