Meet the Problem Solvers

In part one of our episode "Economic Disruptions During COVID-19: Resources for Relief and Recovery," Cecilia Wallace, AmeriCorps member serving as Case Manager with Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, walks listeners through applying for unemployment, food assistance and health insurance, and talks about drawing on local and grassroots supports for folks who have been financially impacted by the pandemic.

In part two of our episode "Economic Disruptions During COVID-19: Resources for Relief and Recovery,” Professor Simon Johnson, MIT Sloan economist, lays out some of the impact the virus will have on a macroscale and envisions ways that the economy must change in our "new normal." Watch the first part of the episode here: [LINK] See Prof. Johnson's bio here: https://mitsloan.mit.edu/faculty/directory/simon-johnson.

Note: The technical quality of our remote episodes is a work in progress. Thank you for bearing with us as we adjust to new recording challenges.This episode of Meet The Problem Solvers is centered on the emotional and psychological pressures of the COVID-19 outbreak. Judy talks with social workers Laura Hutson and Brittany Jones. Laura, who works at Boston Health Care for the Homeless, shares ideas and resources that folks dealing with acute or chronic mental health stresses might use, and she and Judy offer up compassionate ways we can offer support to people we are concerned about during these stressful times. Brittany works with justice-involved individuals as part of a Los Angeles County supportive service/re-entry program. She describes challenges her clients have dealt with during the pandemic, including the sudden loss of connection and uneven access to technology, and isolation. She and Judy talk through several “lessons learned” that can strengthen social service systems and their ability to support clients through future crises.

We round out Women’s History Month with a special episode featuring interviews with two incredible local women. First, Susan Pacheco, Executive Director of the Cambridge Council on Aging provides vital information and health resources for Cambridge’s vulnerable senior population. Then, Jessie Banhazl, Founder and CEO of urban farming solution Green City Growers, tells Judy about their work to help families and organizations increase control over their access to nutritious fresh food. The second in our series of remote-recorded episodes, our goal is to provide useful, relevant information and insightful stories from the frontlines of this crisis that will give audiences useful tools to make it through the pandemic.The Cambridge Council on Aging website: https://www.cambridgema.gov/DHSP/programsforadults/seniorscouncilonagingMore Information for Cambridge seniors during COVID-19: https://www.cambridgema.gov/covid19/SeniorsLearn more about Green City Growers here: https://greencitygrowers.comGreen City Grower's Book: https://greencitygrowers.com/shop/the-urban-bounty-book/--

Caitlin Frumerie, Executive Director of the Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless, returns to Meet The Problem Solvers to talk through the challenges of designing and constructing COVID-19-related services for people living without homes, working in real-time. Caitlin outlines the importance of transparency, coordination, and advocacy, and highlight solutions such as outsourcing and system-level planning that have been successful and are replicable on a larger scale.

Susan Yanow, the founder of Women Help Women, joins Judy in the studio to talk about her vital and revolutionary work for reproductive rights. She teaches people how to safely self-administer abortion pills and is an advocate for the bodily autonomy of women and all people who can get pregnant. Check out the Women Help Women website here: https://womenhelp.org/

Judy chats with Kameel Nasr, the ebullient host of CCTV’s "New England Authors" series and the person who first introduced her to the world of TV interviewing. An author and activist, Kameel talked about his long-standing support for artists and his deepening commitment to addressing the climate crisis. Kameel and Judy reflect on ways they each have learned and become more confident through hosting their respective shows and agree that this experience has allowed them to grow in their capacity as leaders and change-makers.

Although Neurofibromatosis affects more people than muscular dystrophy and cystic fibrosis combined, its unique symptoms and difficulty to diagnose have made it a less-known rare disease. Karen Peluso, the Executive Director of Neurofibromatosis North East, shares her journey with NF – from caring for her daughter to supporting thousands of families locally and nationally and winning millions for federally funded research. She has committed her life to making sure NF patients and their loved ones have the support, research, and community they need. Learn more about neurofibromatosis here: https://nfnortheast.org/

Anthony Njigua of Foodies Without Borders joins Judy to discuss his non-profit, which is committed to revolutionizing opportunities in the food industry in his home country of Kenya. With an eye on sustainability and his love for food, Anthony's work is bringing more economic opportunity to underserved populations. Learn more more about their work and see how you can get involved here: http://www.foodieswithoutborders.org/

Quentin Palfrey heads up the Voter Protection Corps, a nation-wide effort to protect voting rights and access. An attorney who worked in the Obama White House, Quentin has worked on voting issues since 2004. He speaks to the need to focus preventive efforts in areas where problems occurred previously, and the insight that different voter suppression problems show up in different areas. A most informative and timely conversation!

People dealing with addiction and recovery are among the most vulnerable patient populations and often receive the least amount of care. The rates of relapse and death are dire and only growing. Dr. Chris Fischer of the Cambridge Health Alliance shares how community care can transform health outcomes for people living with addiction.

Alina Lopez Thomas, Creative Director of The Greater Resource of Women Networks (G.R.O.W.N.) joins Judy for the first Meet The Problem Solvers episode of 2020. She shares the importance of transferrable skills and connection as a fundamental part of her work – she helps women articulate and work through a grief processing and rebuilding process needed to free up energy for entrepreneurship.

Kate Byrne and Bill Cavellini join Judy in the studio to share stories from their years of activism as a family. Hailing from the Midwest and the Bronx, respectively, Kate and Bill were drawn to each other’s passion for community organizing, starting with their meeting in 1990 at an eviction-related takeover and squatting action at a building on Broadway in Cambridge. Throughout the years, their work has ebbed and flowed, they have supported each other's efforts and struggles, and both their activism and family life have been driven by social justice and community care.

In this episode, Judy is joined by Sara Reid, a founding member of Massachusetts Transgender Women Leadership and trans rights advocate who shared how she works to protect, uplift, and empower other trans women. Her work includes speaking engagements at national healthcare conferences, facilitating a weekly support group for transgender women who have experienced homelessness, and serving on several healthcare boards.

With the holidays quickly approaching, Judy chats with Adam Patten from the Cambridge Police Department and Cambridge firefighter Corey McGrath about two upcoming charity drives. Cambridge Fire joins the Marines in their annual Toys-For-Tots Drive, collecting new, unwrapped toys at the Cambridge Fire Station through December 12th. Cambridge PD enters their 13th annual Secret Santa For Seniors drive, running through December 18th.

Host Judy Perlman talks with Emi Jacobsen, one of the young leaders of the upcoming Boston Climate Strike, about her passion for climate justice and the background of the march. Young people across the planet are rising up to fight climate change and this episode provides insight into what drives them. Activists will meet in Copley Square on Friday, 12/06/19. For more information, follow them on Instagram @climatestrikema or visit the official event page.

Host Judy Perlman talks with Stephanie Brown, CEO of Casa Myrna, digging deeper into the issues of domestic violence. The work has changed in recent years as the field tries to reach younger people and help them develop healthy relationships. Stephanie goes on to provide strategies and coaching for those "who worry something's not right" but haven't known how to help.

Prof. Alain Lempereur, an international conflict zone negotiator, joins host Judy Perlman to strategize about ways to sustain joy and maximize connection during holiday gatherings -- even under treacherous conditions such as family dinners and office parties.

Professor Julian Agyeman joins host Judy Perlman to ask, who gets to determine what is considered "local food?" People come here and cultivate and eat foods from their previous homes -- is this then local food? What is "local,' actually, anyway? 11-04-2019

Caitlin Frumerie joins host Judy Perlman to expand our understanding of ways that we, as a caring society, can support social justice movements and activities. As Executive Director of the Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless, Caitlin is guiding her group, and urges other advocacy organizations, to take up long-held tactics from other sectors where major things happen by groups using collective political muscle to advance their interests. It's time for human rights leaders to claim that same stage.

Mark Alston-Follansbee talks with Judy about leading nonprofit organizations: very complex and challenging work and then you get a curveball that changes things suddenly and drastically.

Judy Perlman, host of Meet the Problem Solvers, talks with the co-creators of a workshop series focused on recovery and growth related to suicide. Tracey Medeiros and Annemarie Matulis share their out-of-the-box approach to suicide recovery -- bringing "attempt" survivors and "loss" survivors together with a focus on peer support and empowerment. National and international interest in this approach is growing rapidly. Recorded at Cambridge Community Television