Episode 1: Housing Uncut: Introducing YIMBY Nation
07/26/21 • 25 min
Today we are excited to introduce you to the YIMBY Nation podcast where we will be exploring US housing policies and pathways to building more equitable neighborhoods. YIMBY Nation will focus on the nuts and bolts of affordable housing development and the socio-economic issues related to it, such as poverty, eviction, employment, supportive services, education, and healthcare. In this first episode, we meet our hosts Jimmy Miller, Peter Wood, and Vincencia Adusei, or “Vee”. We hear about their backgrounds, their careers, and their passion for housing development. We discuss the concept of ‘NIMBY’ or ‘NIMBYism’, meaning ‘Not In My Back Yard’, as a negative reaction by many people across the country towards efforts to create affordable housing and mixed-income communities in suburban areas. We then explain how the title of this podcast ‘YIMBY Nation’ is turning this concept on its head, with ‘YIMBY’ standing for ‘Yes, In My Back Yard’. Tune in today to hear personal stories of neighborhoods that have been transformed from an attitude of ‘NIMBY’ to that of ‘YIMBY’. Find out what to expect from future episodes and be inspired by true stories of the change that is possible!
Key Points From This Episode:
- An introduction to the YIMBY Nation podcast and its mission to help build more equitable neighborhoods.
- An introduction to Jimmy Miller and what inspired him to get into housing development.
- An introduction to Peter Wood and what sparked his passion for social justice and housing development.
- Vincencia Adusei’s background in Ghana, her career, and what led her to help create this podcast.
- An explanation of the title ‘YIMBY’ as a reaction to ‘NIMBY’.
- How zoning laws have enforced the NIMBY effect.
- Jimmy and Peter reflect on a development where they came up against NIMBYism and a fence that separated communities.
- Peter talks about another experience and the positive response from residents when they overturned a zoning denial.
- How Vee is hoping that the podcast will help people have an open mind and be receptive to change.
- Upcoming guests you can expect in future episodes.
- Peter’s hopes that the podcast will inspire young people to get involved in housing development.
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Today we are excited to introduce you to the YIMBY Nation podcast where we will be exploring US housing policies and pathways to building more equitable neighborhoods. YIMBY Nation will focus on the nuts and bolts of affordable housing development and the socio-economic issues related to it, such as poverty, eviction, employment, supportive services, education, and healthcare. In this first episode, we meet our hosts Jimmy Miller, Peter Wood, and Vincencia Adusei, or “Vee”. We hear about their backgrounds, their careers, and their passion for housing development. We discuss the concept of ‘NIMBY’ or ‘NIMBYism’, meaning ‘Not In My Back Yard’, as a negative reaction by many people across the country towards efforts to create affordable housing and mixed-income communities in suburban areas. We then explain how the title of this podcast ‘YIMBY Nation’ is turning this concept on its head, with ‘YIMBY’ standing for ‘Yes, In My Back Yard’. Tune in today to hear personal stories of neighborhoods that have been transformed from an attitude of ‘NIMBY’ to that of ‘YIMBY’. Find out what to expect from future episodes and be inspired by true stories of the change that is possible!
Key Points From This Episode:
- An introduction to the YIMBY Nation podcast and its mission to help build more equitable neighborhoods.
- An introduction to Jimmy Miller and what inspired him to get into housing development.
- An introduction to Peter Wood and what sparked his passion for social justice and housing development.
- Vincencia Adusei’s background in Ghana, her career, and what led her to help create this podcast.
- An explanation of the title ‘YIMBY’ as a reaction to ‘NIMBY’.
- How zoning laws have enforced the NIMBY effect.
- Jimmy and Peter reflect on a development where they came up against NIMBYism and a fence that separated communities.
- Peter talks about another experience and the positive response from residents when they overturned a zoning denial.
- How Vee is hoping that the podcast will help people have an open mind and be receptive to change.
- Upcoming guests you can expect in future episodes.
- Peter’s hopes that the podcast will inspire young people to get involved in housing development.
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Next Episode
Episode 2: The COVID Eviction Crisis with Karen DuBois-Walton
Welcome to the first episode of Your In My Back Yard Nation, the podcast that looks at housing from a macro level to understand the aspects of life it impacts. In this episode, we invite Dr. Karen DuBois-Walton to help us address the COVID eviction crisis which disproportionately affects Black and Latinx renters in Connecticut. Dr. DuBois-Walton is the President of Elm City Communities, the largest public housing authority in the state of Connecticut. Before taking the helm of the ECC she served New Haven as Chief Operating Officer and Chief of Staff for former Mayor John DeStefano. She has also been named one of the 100 most influential Blacks in Connecticut and was awarded the Greater New Haven NAACP Community Service Award, so we cannot think of a better guest to kick off the show! Our conversation begins on the subject of the housing crisis and how it has been exacerbated by the pandemic. We then dig deeper into the issue of long-term housing segregation and poverty in communities of color which have sown the seeds for what we are experiencing today. Dr. Dubois-Walton weighs in on actions that have and can still be taken by federal, state, and local governments to help address the issue. She also talks about some of the advocacy she has headed up such as pulling together non-federal funds to cancel rent for an entire month. Tune in and hear more about how Dr. DuBois-Walton is helping to break cycles of poverty in Connecticut today.
Key Points From This Episode:
- An intro into Dr. DuBois-Walton and the amazing work she does for Connecticut.
- How the issue of eviction disproportionately affects people of color in Connecticut.
- Lack of affordable housing access and how the pandemic has exacerbated this issue.
- A severe crisis looming; smaller landlords that can’t weather tenants who can’t pay rent.
- Actions that can be taken by federal, state, and local governments to help address the issue.
- On-the-ground actions that Dr. DuBois-Walton has headed up to aid the crisis.
- How private sectors can help ECC aid people who can’t afford rent in the long term.
- Tough decisions families have to make between work and family and how this feeds the issue.
- Dr. DuBois-Walton weighs in on the history of housing policy and the broader issue of segregation.
- How our guest is trying to address the issue of segregation and rental through HB No. 6430.
- The work of breaking cycles of poverty for families and helping them build wealth.
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
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