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Say It Skillfully® – Rosanne Haggerty: solving homelessness NOW
Say It Skillfully® is a show that helps you to benefit from Molly Tschang’s expert guidance on the best possible ways to speak your mind at work in a positive and productive manner. Episode 89 features Rosanne Haggerty, President & CEO of Community Solutions—winner of the MacArthur Foundation $100 million “100&Change” award—and internationally recognized leader in innovative strategies to end homelessness. The US alone spends $12 billion trying to support those experiencing homelessness, but most efforts are not solving the problem! Profoundly impacted by her parents, Rosanne has been at the forefront of tackling homelessness over more than 3 decades. Few in the world comprehensively understand homelessness as she does—listeners will gain an appreciation of the complexities in creating system-wide change. With humility, Rosanne shares her epiphany after 17+ years working on-the-ground about what’s broken, and of how she’d been “part of the problem.” She recounts what it was like in what was then known as “Homeless Hell” in Times Square and to garner local support for the ambitious and highly improbable task of rehabilitating the historic Times Square hotel. That successful endeavor created safe and affordable units with mental health services to help people rebuild their lives. As she continued to learn, she pivoted from focusing on housing sources to the @builtforzero approach, guided by a single aim. You may be surprised that the single biggest barrier is the mindset that homelessness isn’t solvable. IT IS! Check out the 80+ US cities/counties making it a reality every day (https://community.solutions). Your voice matters—implore your city to know who’s experiencing homelessness by name and to act with accountability for measurable results. Molly’s thought for the week: how would it feel if you didn’t have a safe place to sleep tonight? Don’t miss this informing and inspiring conversation about effecting meaningful change. Join the show to get a rare glimpse into Rosanne’s life journey, inspiring us to know no boundaries and to commit to taking action so that all can be safe, seen and heard, and our true and best selves.