Episode 168: Housing Humans

“Create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all” is part of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) mission statement and is the goal for most people. The premise seems simple enough but we still have yet to get there. L. Joy brings Eugene Jones to the front of the class to give us the primer we need on one of the most important things in society, housing humans. 

Our Guest:

Eugene E. Jones, Jr. is the CEO of the Atlanta Housing Authority and a public housing policy change agent with over 35 years of executive leadership experience in advocating for affordable housing in major cities across the United States and even Toronto, Canada in management, public/private partnerships, operations, finance and governance in the public housing industry. Eugene E. Jones, Jr. the author of the book, HOUSING HUMANS. His vision is to build communities where people can live with dignity in partnership with both private and public sectors.

Leadership positions have included Housing Authorities in eight major cities in North America and one internationally, in Canada. Eugene served a four-and-a-half-year stint as CEO of the Chicago Housing Authority with major accomplishments. Former Mayor Rahm Emmanuel in a speech at the City Club of Chicago said of Jones, “The real measure of what Gene, the Board and his team have done in Chicago is that under his stewardship, public housing was reconfigured from building housing to building a community.”

Homework:

• Check out Eugene E. Jones, Jr. book Housing Humans- A Vicarious Memorandum

• Find out about organizations that are focused on housing in your community and see how you can support them.