Q: Why did you join the CSH Board?
I joined the CSH board because I believe deeply in the mission and in the approach that CSH is taking to address homelessness. It is an extraordinarily talented staff and board building on twenty years of experience and success.
Q: What excites you the most about CSH’s work in supportive housing?
Providing communities with the tools and support needed to craft local solutions – and the real difference that housing makes in people’s lives.
Q: What role can public housing authorities play in supportive housing?
Housing Authorities already house many of the most at-risk households in our communities. They are taking the lead in assuring that veterans, men and women who served in our armed forces, are not left on the streets. They are working with school districts to address the growing numbers of homeless students. They are helping child welfare systems reunite parents and children. Housing alone will not provide the full answer – partnerships between housing and services are critical to assuring the success of these efforts.
Q: Where do you see the industry in 10 years?
Safe affordable housing underpins so much in our communities – health, educational success, even the ability to get a job and be self-supporting. We need better recognition of the downstream benefits, both financial and social, of assuring that everyone has a home. In 10 years I would see affordable housing and appropriate support services integrated into the healthcare system, reducing overall healthcare costs, and available for all children – helping to promote academic success and our global economic competitiveness.
Stephen Norman is the Executive Director of the King County Housing Authority.
