For over ten years, the National undergraduate college completion rate for foster youth has remained at a dismal 3%-4%, according to the National Foster Youth Institute (NFYI). Additionally, for foster youth, the financial resources, basic needs like housing and other support services needed to complete post-secondary education can be inaccessible and difficult to attain. Come hear about the work Campus Compact in partnership with HUD is doing to support foster youth overcoming housing as a barrier to higher education. We will share what we've learned over the last couple of months from talking to people on the ground doing amazing work across the board to address different aspects of this systemic issue. This Coalition Conversation will create opportunities for individuals to learn, share what they are doing, and explore opportunities to get engaged in this critical work.  

The Coalition Conversation will be facilitated by Campus Compact's 2023-2024 Foster Care Youth Housing Fellow, Reggie Blaylock.

Agenda:

  • Brief overview of the project 
  • Updates on HUD Think Tank retreat held in Fall 2023, policy language and updates, and existing place-based partnerships underway 
  • Panel discussion of HUD leaders 
  • Discussion and brainstorming on what's next and how to get involved 

Who should attend?

This event is free and open to members and non-members. Representatives interested in learning more about how to support former foster youth on their campuses are encouraged to attend.

Register Here

Meet the Panelists

Maria Christopher

Vice President of Special Programs, Rental Assistance Division, San Diego Housing Commission

Maria Christopher oversees the San Diego Housing Commission’s (SDHC) rental housing vouchers committed to addressing homelessness in the City of San Diego, including Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH), Project-Based Voucher Program, Family Unification Program, and other local non-traditional Moving to Work (MTW) homelessness programs. Her responsibilities include building relationships with community partners and expanding the services SDHC provides. Ms. Christopher has more than 25 years of experience with SDHC’s rental assistance programs. She has held several positions with SDHC since joining the agency as a Housing Assistant in 1996, including Housing Specialist, Senior Program Analyst, and Housing Programs Manager. Prior to her current role, she served as Director of the Rental Assistance Division. In that capacity, she was actively involved in SDHC’s administration of the COVID-19 Housing Stability Assistance Program, which made payments totaling more than $218 million to help pay rent and utilities for more than 18,300 households with low income that experienced financial hardship due to or during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ms. Christopher holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from San Diego State University.

Nancy Sa 

Strategic Programs Manager Strategic Initiatives and Homelessness Innovations Division San Diego Housing Commission

As a Strategic Programs Manager at the San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC), Nancy Sa manages strategic and policy initiatives, such as SDHC’s Moving to Work designation from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Community Action Plan on Homelessness for the City of San Diego. Before joining SDHC, she worked in various levels of local government, where she helped develop policy and programs for communities with low income.

Maren Trochmann

Supervisory Housing Program Specialist

Maren Trochmann is a Supervisory Housing Program Specialist in the Housing Voucher Management and Operations Division (HVMOD), where she oversees policies, funding announcements, and implementation for Special Purpose Vouchers (SPV) and housing mobility programs. Maren has over a decade of affordable housing experience and has worked for the field office to provide direct oversight and technical assistance to HUD’s public housing authority (PHA) partners and for headquarters on issues related to national Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) policy. Maren holds a B.S. from Georgetown University in International Culture and Politics and Ph.D. from University of Colorado Denver’s School of Public Affairs. 

Jeree K. Turlington

HUD Moving to Work Team/Office of Public Housing Investments

Jeree Turlington is a housing professional with over 15 years of experience across local, state and federal affordable housing providers. As a Senior Housing Innovations Specialist in HUD’s Moving to Work Office, Jeree aids public housing authorities’ navigation of complex regulations towards the development of locally-driven housing solutions. With a background in policy and asset management, Jeree has shown a commitment to improving the lives of countless individuals through creating and ensuring sustainable communities. 

Questions? Get in touch with us at campus@compact.org.