Podcasts about connecticut coalition

Sarah Fox is the CEO of The Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness. With her is State Rep Eleni Kavros Degraw and together they have a plan to put forth to help end homelessness in the state of Connecticut.

The Municipal Voice - Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence by WNHH Community Radio

In this episode, we welcome Amisha Parekh de Campos, PhD, MPH, RN, CHPN to the show where she speaks on the research that she is conducting surrounding people of color in end-of-life care. Amisha speaks on the importance of incorporating race into practice to best serve our minority populations and how we can advocate for our patients of color.    About Amisha: Amisha Parekh de Campos, PhD, MPH, RN, CHPN has a joint appointment as an Assistant Clinical Professor, University of Connecticut School of Nursing, and Quality and Education Coordinator of the Middlesex Health Hospice Program, Middletown, CT. Amisha received her PhD in Nursing from the University of Connecticut (2020), and BS and MPH in Global Health from George Washington University (2001 & 2005). She received her BSN from the University of St. Joseph in 2009; additional certifications include hospice and palliative care (CHPN). Amisha started her career in public health by establishing public health clinics and training community health workers in rural areas of south India and the Dominican Republic. She led initiatives on the prevention of HIV, tuberculosis, and mosquito-borne illnesses with community, government, and private organizations. For the past ten years, Amisha has worked in hospice home care in various leadership roles, including community liaison and clinical supervisor. Currently, she manages research, quality, education, and orientation for the Hospice Homecare program, which serves approximately 150,000 people in Connecticut. In addition, Amisha is an Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Connecticut, School of Nursing working towards enhancing the palliative care curriculum and education among undergraduate students. She is a Robert Wood Johnson, Future of Nursing Scholar (2017-2020) and Jonas Scholar for Chronic Health (2017-2020). In 2019, Amisha received the 2019 Hospice and Palliative Nurses Foundation Scholarship to fund a study in advance care planning through simulation with registered nurses. She is the 2021 recipient of the Hospice and Palliative Credentialing Center Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse of the Year and recipient of the 2021 Young Investigator Award from the Connecticut Coalition to Improve End-of-Life Care. Amisha was also featured in the Journal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing. Amisha's program of research focuses on end-of-life care communication. Her dissertation focused on simulation among registered nurses in advance care planning communication. Working at a community health system, she has noticed the disparities in end-of-life care among people of color. With her public health background and working with communities, she would like to assess the barriers and facilitators to end-of-life care and provide interventions to expand EOL services to this population.      

The Environmental Protection Agency recently launched a new office dedicated to environmental justice and civil rights. EPA administrator Michael Regan says the 200-person office was needed to elevate the fight for overlooked communities, who are too-often left vulnerable to pollution, contamination, or as one guest notes, "food apartheid." There are plans to distribute $3 billion in grant money to communities in need. This hour, we dig into the issue of environmental justice. What are the environmental injustices where we live, and who is pushing for change? How are EJ advocates feeling? Sharon Lewis is the executive director of the Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice, who says she is experiencing the issue firsthand after her home in Hartford's North End was rendered uninhabitable due to sewage overflow and flooding issues. While the EPA is actively investigating sewage issues in the area alongside the State Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the Metropolitan District Commission or MDC, the non-profit corporation overseeing sewage and water service in the region, says they believe Lewis is dealing with a "private property issue," versus a failure of infrastructure. There is a GoFundMe raising money to help pay for repairs and Lewis' temporary housing at a hotel, but she says she is hoping for further updates from federal, state or local authorities. Lewis joins us to discuss her recent experience, and how it has informed the work she does. She touches on common misconceptions about environmental justice and its application. "It's everybody's problem," she says. Lewis says the Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice is also working on a water justice campaign in Hartford's North End. Hartford Courant social justice and race reporter Deidre Montague shares her reporting. Plus, we hear from Kat Morris, a local scholar-activist for intersectional environmental justice. GUESTS: Sharon Lewis: Executive Director, Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice Deidre Montague: Social Justice and Race Reporter, Hartford Courant Kat Morris: Scholar-Activist for Intersectional Environmental Justice Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The following talk was delivered by Dr. Kim Wilson at the DecARcerate Arkansas 2022 conference in Little Rock. The conference was an opportunity for abolitionist and other organizers to come together to listen as speakers from around the state and the country talked about their work. Kim interviewed organizers about their experience with boundary setting in movement spaces, and what they said illuminates a deeper problem that we seldom hear addressed, but that is nonetheless, important for liberation movements. As the mother of two sons currently sentenced to LWOP; as an organizer that provides education, direct support, and mobilizes resources for people in and out of prison; and as a Black disabled woman that is struggling with multiple health issues, she is emotionally, physically, and financially exhausted. The talk was a collaborative effort that included the voices of women and femmes in the movement who felt that these things need to be said, and Kim had the opportunity to use her platform to say them. We invite you to listen and to act upon what she shares, and to use this talk as an entry point to engage people in your community and movement spaces about what all of the women and femmes said. You can support Kim directly via Venmo (@Kim-Wilson-16) and CashApp ($BeyondPrisons) Transcript To borrow a phrase from the inimitable Fannie Lou Hamer, “I've been tired so long, now I am sick and tired of being sick and tired, and I want a change.” Y'all I'm tired. I'm tired of arguing, of fighting, of feeling like we're constantly having to remind people of our humanity. I'm tired of the suffering, of the trauma, and of watching people die. I'm tired of oppressive systems, of prisons, of poverty, homelessness, and hyper-individualism. I'm tired of watching my friends suffer. I'm tired of people treating incarcerated people as if they don't matter. I'm tired of ableism. I'm tired of living in a white supremacist capitalist patriarchal society. I'm tired!!!! I'm tired of crisis management. I'm tired of sacrificing my physical and emotional well-being. I'm tired of people's discomfort being the standard by which we decide on really important things. I'm tired of cynicism. I'm tired of the thinking that says that women, and particularly Black Women, femmes and other folks should be willing to do this work without question or limits. I'm tired of fighting for people that expect me to have their backs, when I know that they don't have mine. Not really, really! I'm tired of toxic masculinity. I'm tired of men acting like they're doing women a favor when they are asked to do the absolute least necessary for us to survive. I'm tired of having to fear violence, anger, and passive aggression from men in general, but especially from men in movement spaces. I'm tired of the unspoken expectations that are placed on women in movement spaces that shift the burden onto women and femmes to do most of the work of organizing. While we're ALL suffering under these oppressive systems, women, femmes, trans, non-binary, gender non-confirming folks, and disabled people are disproportionately affected by these systems and we are still showing up and doing all of the things. This is not sustainable! To be clear, this is NOT a call out or a call in. This is our reality. I'm not the only one that's tired. Many of us are exhausted, physically, emotionally, mentally, and financially. I am bringing this forward so that we can set about the task of collectively changing things. There is no healing in isolation. Part of the liberatory project is to heal our collective trauma, and HOW we work together is part of that work. This work has to happen alongside the tearing down and building up. It's not work that can be deferred until some magical date in the future when we have the time, OR conditions are perfect. When folks make that argument recognize that they are gaslighting and attempting to derail the conversation to escape accountability. Audre Lorde wrote, “There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives.” The conditions in which we organize are not separate issue buckets, but the literal material conditions through which we have to survive and help others. Women, femmes, trans, non-binary, gender non conforming and disabled people are treated as disposable. We live in a society that doesn't care about us, but how are we demonstrating that we care for each other? We are still in the middle of a global pandemic that has killed 6.52 MILLION people worldwide, and 11,961 people in Arkansas alone, yet there are still people arguing that wearing a piece of cloth on their face infringes on their freedom. Imani Barbarin, a Black disabled woman, and one of the baddest communications strategists and disability rights advocates around, has rightly called Covid “a mass disabling event.” This refers to the fact that many able bodied folks will find themselves disabled as a result of catching Covid. These newly disabled folks are now finding that they have to fight for things that we shouldn't have to fight for. Now that They're affected they're outraged and want change. Here's my thing, You don't have to learn the things the hard way. You could just trust what people are saying about their experience. Full stop. We've been saying for a long time that ableism is NOT the flex that people think it is. Let's consider how these things intersect, Black disabled women experience higher rates of houselessness and incarceration. There hasn't been a federal minimum wage increase since 2009, and raising the federal minimum wage would have a positive impact on Women's lives. We live in a country with no real social safety net, where people that work full time in minimum wage jobs cannot afford a two bedroom apartment in any state in the country. An honest accounting of the houseless problem in this country has to include policies that criminalize houselessness. For example, we know that Black people are disproportionately impacted by homelessness and incarceration. A 2021 study by the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness found that “Most people with a history of incarceration and homelessness were homeless before going to prison. Suggesting that the criminalization of homelessness is a driver of incarceration.” (Prison Policy.Org) But the problem doesn't end there, we also know that domestic violence is the leading cause of houselessness for women. We also know that trans people and gender non-conforming people experience houselessness at higher rates than their cis gender peers, and seventy percent of trans people using shelters report discrimination or violence by shelter staff. Prison abolition isn't just about working on prison issues. We need to consider what other institutions and systems are implicated. The many tentacles of the PIC means that our daily lives are lived being aware of its looming presence and power to destroy us. The PIC derives its power in part, from being simultaneously hyper-visible AND obscure because it is embedded into so many things. Many of us recognize the hyper-visible expressions of the carceral state in their physical form such as prison buildings, police, etc., and in their more abstracted forms such as policies and practices. But there's a cognitive dissonance that makes it difficult for some people to see that transphobia, ableism, sexism, toxic masculinity, and patriarchy are part and parcel of the same dehumanizing structure that includes prisons and policing. All of these things are rooted in white supremacist capitalist heteropatriarchy, which is the logic that underpins the carceral state. To get rid of prisons, to get rid of ALL systems of oppression, the liberatory project has to address these problems. That is our work. But the work is NOT evenly distributed. The more women, femmes, trans, and other people that I talk with the more I hear that many of us are tired of doing this work. We do this work because if we don't we suffer. There are so many ways that we suffer that I won't even try to list them. Suffice it to say that we suffer when we take on too much, when we do or are expected to do more than any one person reasonably can or should. We suffer and shorten our lives because we're unable to rest without repercussions. Prentis Hemphill wrote, “Boundaries are the distance at which I can love you and me simultaneously.” “Boundaries give us the space to do the work of loving ourselves. They might be, actually, the first and fundamental expression of self-love.” I interviewed a handful of women organizers from around the country and here's what they said in response to being asked to reflect on setting boundaries as women in movement spaces. JULIE Boundaries are really important especially in organizing-and especially in a kind of organizing that problematically glorifies when women ‘give their all' to the movement, despite how they are affected or how it affects their relationships with their loved ones. We have a tendency in social justice movements to romanticize the ‘woman' organizer. This mythic creature is fearless, boundless in energy, absolute in her devotion to the movement. She educates, she nurtures, she resources, she leads from the shadows. She never suffers, not from indecision or fatigue or loneliness or oppression. Rosa Parks, Ella Baker, Safiya Bukhari, Kathy Boudin. Women we asked everything of, took all we could from, and what did we leave them with? What if instead of glorifying their sacrifices we shared the work? And not just the sexy parts of organizing, but the monotony too. MICHELLE I would just say two things: One is that I often find that women in organizing spaces are just quicker / more likely to take on the labor of figuring out logistics, even when doing so is burdensome or requires navigating complex systems, whereas men will give up or just not even try to figure something out if it isn't immediately clear. Often, I find that men need to be explicitly asked to do smaller logistical tasks, and are sometimes resistant to doing them, whereas women take on that work automatically. Often, when there are unsexy tasks like phone banking, it is women who show up much more so than men. ANGIE While men in the movement are often quick to make big statements and big decisions about how things SHOULD be done, it's women and trans people and nonbinary folks who are OVERWHELMINGLY doing the actual work of keeping people alive. And that's what the most fundamental work is in this movement: keeping people alive. It's the mutual aid work, the financial support (including commissary, phones, housing support for people getting out), the emotional support, the caregiving for kids who've been left behind... It's the person bringing over groceries when someone's confined to their home on electronic monitoring. It's the person coming to visit week after week so someone inside doesn't lose hope, doesn't lose their will to live. On a personal level — when my niece was incarcerated, I was so frustrated by the fact that her boyfriends, even her fiancé, would not do ANY of this work/support. Instead they complained that she wasn't out here to be there for THEM. What does this mean for boundary-setting? For me, it has often meant that setting boundaries is way harder than it should be because some people (i.e. most men) are not pulling any weight, when it comes to this low-profile, behind-the-scenes, hard every day work of supporting our loved ones' survival. So as we try (sometimes in vain) to help keep people alive, we end up letting our boundaries slip again and again... JOYA In every movement formation that I've been in, especially the abolitionist ones that have a spectrum of gender represented, it's 99 percent the femmes that start the google.doc, even that kind of infrastructural work is relegated to invisible care work. I don't want to call it soft violence, because I don't think it's soft. It's part of the quiet, but violent extraction that happens when people don't recognize people's labor and people's gendered labor. Regardless of what their gender is. In terms of boundaries, we tend to think about boundaries as I'm not going to work on a Saturday or I'm not going to meet after ten o'clock at night, but people don't think of a boundary as demanding that we all take turns doing the same amount of work. But I also feel like we are living in a time where there aren't a lot of other ways that people are allowed to take up space in movement work without violating those boundaries or without being affirmed for doing that work. By affirmed I don't mean respected–it's like thank you sis for doing this or like the snacks were provided by these people, how nice. That's not respected as much as the people who are chaining themselves to the prison. It's not lost on me either that the venn diagram of movement space is often run by a certain masculanized organizer model, and for as much as people pretend they're not for the Alinsky Model, they sure are. The venn diagram between certain organizing styles and the way that they devalue the google doc making, snacks bringing and setting up chairs work, and the type of abuser that emerges in movement spaces, and the kind of permission that's given to a lot of –especially masculine rock star organizers who are also systematically abusive. The venn diagram shows no respect for labor and boundaries and no respect for sharing work. Why is it that we think that so many of the letter writing spaces and the letter writing organizations and the relationship building organizations are run by femmes. Even when we're doing coalitional relational work in abolition, relationship building, the nurturing, the crisis intervention work, the people who are fielding calls from jail, the people who are making sure that the commissary goes through are often feminized people. And the people who get to hold the megaphone are not often those people. And the people who are there to be on the front line of receiving the frustration of incarcerated people are the same people who are there to write the letters, to receive the phone calls, and who are there to make sure the commissary goes through on time are often the same people who bear the brunt of somebody's frustration, who are there to pick up the pieces of the trauma that prison causes other people, the people who have to organize and mobilize and like themselves get traumatized by traumatized people because that emotional lash out is often reserved for the people on the front lines which are femmes and women, and those are the same people who show up with the snacks. ANNE Ok. So. Boundary setting. I think one of my biggest struggles in organizing spaces is the difference between people's expressed values of self-determination, consent, muddling through, and care for one another, ON THE ONE HAND, and the way that people's struggle practices do not align with these values, ON THE OTHER. The work of having to point this out and make space for the inevitable conflicts it brings is exhausting. And it is not seen as work—it is seen as complaining, being trouble, or not getting it. There is no boundary that can be set ahead of time that will prevent the need for people to work through conflict together. So we need many of us to skill up and grow our capacities for conflict. But the work is often put on those seen as the ones who are supposed to nurture and take care of the feelings. I'll leave you with a few suggestions for how to proceed. This is NOT an exhaustive list, but a place to start. AND please note that there is no one size fits all for how to address these problems, but we need to address them. One of the people that I interviewed suggested that, Men need to talk to their friends. That is, men have to get better at checking other men on their problematic behavior. Second, Political Education: engage in a political education process where you study and discuss materials that address these issues. Read the work of women, femmes, trans, disabled people, etc. Third, Do the work: actually begin doing the work. Abolition work is not constrained as a future project. It's how we move today. It's how we care for each other TODAY. It's how we act in the world, and the communities and power we build TODAY!!! It's a blueprint for today as much as it is a future society. Finally, focus on relationship building beyond performative and surface level solidarity. Ruth Wilson Gilmore said that abolition is presence. I agree!!! Engage in letter writing with incarcerated people. Visit people if you are able to gain access to prisons, go see folks inside on a regular basis. I'm in prison visiting rooms all the time and women are the majority of visitors. I don't have a pithy closing to offer you because I was too exhausted to write one. I'll just say this, We are all working with limited capacity and resources, and those of us that are showing up in all the ways and doing all the things even when our bodies are signaling that they need a break are giving more than there fair share. We don't want to be mythologized for our sacrifices; instead we not only want, but need change. How we work together matters just as much as the work itself. Thank you!

Tenant unions are on the rise in our state. Camila Vallejo and Ginny Monk, housing reporters for Connecticut Public and the Connecticut Mirror, found that at least five tenant unions had formed with help from the Connecticut Tenants Union (CTTU). This hour, we hear from Vallejo and Monk, plus organizers with CTTU. As Vallejo and Monk reported, "Tenants unions form as collective bargaining organizations to address issues such as maintenance problems, rent raises and evictions, among other disputes. Tenant organizing grew in popularity during the pandemic, notably in New York City where tenants organized to fight for rent cancellations." A new ordinance in New Haven is the first in the state to allow tenant unions to barter with the city's Fair Rent Commission. A similar resolution was passed in Hamden, where renters at Seramonte Estates recently unionized. A Connecticut law passed last session now requires cities with at least 25,000 residents to establish fair rent commissions that, according to the New Haven Register, are "vested with the power to adjust rents if they find any single landlord is pursuing abusive practices in setting rates." Hamden's Fair Rent Commission is set to meet this week to hear four cases. Connecticut Public contacted North Point Management Corps., the owners of Seramonte Estates, but did not receive comment. While the Connecticut Coalition of Property Owners does not have an official stance on tenant unions, we also hear from John Souza, the organization's president and a full-time landlord, about why he feels organizing is "unnecessary," especially under "smaller landlords." "Everyone is being squeezed by rising prices and inflation including us. The solutions are simple but hard to do." GUESTS: Camila Vallejo: Housing Reporter, Connecticut Public Ginny Monk: Children's Issues and Housing Reporter, Connecticut Mirror Luke Melonakos-Harrison: Organizer, Connecticut Tenants Union Paul Boudreau: Organizer, Seramonte Tenants Union Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is Part One of my interview with Dr. Mark Mitchell, founder of the Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice (CCEJ). A medical doctor, with a Masters in Public Health, he is a long-time toxics and public health advocate.  Dr. Mitchell is currently working at George Mason University's https://www.climatechangecommunication.org/ (Center for Climate Change Communication), serving as the Director of State Affairs for the https://medsocietiesforclimatehealth.org/ (Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health), and Director of the Climate and Health Equity Fellowship Program. He previously served as the Deputy Director of the Kansas City Missouri Health Department for six years, and Director of the Hartford Health Department in Hartford Connecticut for four years, before leaving to start the Hartford Environmental Justice Network, later renamed the https://ccejadmin.wixsite.com/ccej/history (Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice). In the first part of our interview, Mark discusses his current work on climate, health and environmental justice, including educating and organizing medical health professionals, and explains his pneumonic for the health effects of climate change. He then describes his childhood growing up in St. Louis Missouri, and how the racism he experienced from an early age formed the path he took to become a doctor with a focus on the preventative side of medical practice, and environmental stressors of health.   Mark then describes some of his experiences while getting his Masters in Public Health from John's Hopkins University in Baltimore, and his early work https://www.industrydocuments.ucsf.edu/tobacco/docs/#id=yjmj0143 (opposing the influence) of the tobacco industry. Mark is a great storyteller, with a million stories to tell, and it was both a pleasure and an honor to speak with him.    For more on Dr. Mitchell's life story, here is an essay he wrote in 2020 for the journal Daedalus: https://www.amacad.org/sites/default/files/publication/downloads/Fa20_Daedalus_07_Mitchell.pdf (“Racism as a Motivator for Environmental Justice”) Here is his 1984 memo to the Executive Director of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation re the CBCF's promotion of smoking: https://www.industrydocuments.ucsf.edu/tobacco/docs/#id=yjmj0143 (https://www.industrydocuments.ucsf.edu/tobacco/docs/#id=yjmj0143)

Average rent in the state is up 15% on average, with more than half the state's renters cost-burdened, according to a recent report. Meanwhile, evictions are creeping back to pre-pandemic levels. Those numbers had dipped because of pandemic-related state and federal relief programs, but most of those resources have lapsed or dried up. This hour, we hear from Connecticut Public housing reporter Camila Vallejo about how vulnerable communities are likely to be hit hardest, and what she learned from one family who was recently evicted in Norwalk. We also hear from the Connecticut Coalition of Property Owners. What are the broader barriers to renting – and buying? We hear about the "inventory crisis" from the Connecticut Association of Realtors; and pan out with Joshua Devine, director of Racial Economic Equity at the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC). The NCRC found that the homeownership gap between Black and white Americans is currently the widest it's been in 100 years. GUESTS: Camila Vallejo: Housing Reporter, Connecticut Public John Souza: President, Connecticut Coalition of Property Owners Tammy Felenstein: President, Connecticut Association of Realtors Joshua Devine: Director of Racial Economic Equity, National Community Reinvestment Coalition Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Connecticut saw a 32.7% decline in its homeless population between 2010 and 2020, compared to a decline of 9% nationally. The latest point-in-time data shows 2,594 people (of whom 429 are unsheltered) are experiencing homelessness in Connecticut on a given night, a 34% drop from 3,902 in 2016. But advocates say there's work to be done in reducing unsheltered homelessness – which has climbed since the pandemic broke – and ending chronic homelessness for all. A goal which the state met for homeless veterans.  This hour WWL, we hear from Evonne Klein, the state's former housing commissioner and newly-appointed CEO of the Hartford-based nonprofit Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness. Klein and other experts discuss ways to expand affordable housing, reduce unsheltered homelessness, and address the tension between the state and towns over the new zoning law that scrapped transit oriented development and fair share language. GUESTS:  Evonne Klein: CEO, Connecticut Coalition to End Homelesness Camila Vallejo: Housing Reporter, Connecticut Public Radio Jennifer Paradis: Executive Director, Beth-El Center in Milford Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John Souza, the President of the CT Coalition of Property Owners, Connecticut Coalition of Property Owners is having a press conference outside of the State Capitol at 1:00. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're kicking off 2021 with State Comptroller Kevin Lembo talking about a new “Network of Distinction” program designed to achieve the dual goals of lowering overall health costs and achieving better outcomes. Are you one of the roughly quarter million state residents benefiting - stay tuned and find out. Then we'll circle back to chat with the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness (CCEH) to find out how the agency did with its annual Be Homeful for the Holidays activities, what a difference it will make countering the state's homeless stats, and we'll hear about the agency's most recent collaborations with the CT Council of Municipalities and Sustainable CT.  Finally, we head to Norwalk to find out how the city is coordinating how virtual visitors can learn about hundreds of tourism, event, and economic development initiatives all under the new and unified banner of 'Visit Norwalk' - an improved, larger holistic platform for small businesses to freely promote and grow their businesses.

For years, Connecticut sent large portions of waste to the Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority (MIRA) trash-to-energy plant in Hartford. This, in spite of protests by Hartford residents, who say pollution from the plant has caused health problems. Now, the plant will close in 2022. Today, we talk with Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Commissioner Katie Dykes about the state's garbage. The commissioner has said the state is facing a “waste crisis” in coming years. So what’s the solution? We also ask her about the state’s energy future, including the role of fossil fuels like natural gas that the state currently relies on to keep the lights on. What questions do you have for Commissioner Dykes? GUESTS: Katie Dykes - Commissioner of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Sharon Lewis - Executive Director of the Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice Adrian Huq - Cofounder of the New Haven Climate Movement's Youth Action Team Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For years, Connecticut sent large portions of waste to the Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority (MIRA) trash-to-energy plant in Hartford. This, in spite of protests by Hartford residents, who say pollution from the plant has caused health problems. Now, the plant will close in 2022. Today, we talk with Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Commissioner Katie Dykes about the state's garbage. The commissioner has said the state is facing a “waste crisis” in coming years. So what’s the solution? We also ask her about the state’s energy future, including the role of fossil fuels like natural gas that the state currently relies on to keep the lights on. What questions do you have for Commissioner Dykes? GUESTS: Katie Dykes - Commissioner of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Sharon Lewis - Executive Director of the Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice Adrian Huq - Cofounder of the New Haven Climate Movement's Youth Action Team Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kebra Smith-Bolden is a true trailblazer, a respected healthcare professional with the vision, purpose and drive to transform the nascent cannabis industry. Trained as a registered nurse, Kebra leveraged her medical knowledge and decades of professional experience to create CannaHealthTM, the first and only Connecticut cannabis business owned by an African-American. CannaHealthTM is a division of The Healing Choice LLC and HK Smith Enterprises, LLC. Its innovative community based business model offers disadvantaged communities disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs education about medicinal cannabis, as well as safe and legal access through medical marijuana program evaluations. An industry pioneer dubbed the “Marijuana Guru in CT”, Smith-Bolden is the driving force behind CannaHealth,TM which recently expanded offices in Hartford, Connecticut and plans a national expansion in 2019..In addition to her entrepreneurial ventures, Smith-Bolden is a prominent industry advocate, serving as Connecticut Market Leader for Women Grow, a networking organization that empowers women to become leaders and entrepreneurs in the cannabis industry. She is the Director of the New England Region of Minorities for Medical Marijuana. She also uses her considerable platform and background in mental health to support disadvantaged communities by studying the use of cannabis in conjunction with therapy for those suffering from complex traumas. The presenting symptoms of people living in high-crime communities are similar to those seen in post combat war veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Other professional memberships include The Connecticut Coalition to Regulate Marijuana, Connecticut NORML and Minority Cannabis Business Association. Smith-Bolden is also the Co-Chief Nursing Officer of the Steering Committee for Huerfano County, Colorado’s Faris Green Campus project to fight opioid addiction with cannabis.Prior to joining the cannabis industry, Smith-Bolden worked as a psychiatric home care nurse, specializing in patients with mental health issues. She attended Morgan State University and Excelsior College and received a certificate of competency in the cannabis industry from Northeastern Institute of Cannabis, and is currently pursuing her Degree as a Family Nurse Practitioner at Simmons College. A lifelong Connecticut resident, Smith Bolden is a proud mother and grandmother. She currently resides in New Haven, Connecticut with her family.

Interview with Karen Jarmoc, President & CEO of Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence/CT Safe ConnectIf you need help or just someone to talk to, please visit CTSafeConnect.org or call or text (888) 774-2900. Advocates available 24/7.Si necesitas información o si solo quieres conversar con alguien, por favor visite CTSafeConnect.org o llamada or texto (888) 774-2900. Los consejeros estará disponible las 24 horas del día, los siete días de la semana.

In this episode, we're talking with Registered Nurse, Kebra Smith-Bolden, who created CannaHealth - the first and only Connecticut cannabis business owned by an African-American. Nurse Kebra began her career 22 years ago as a CNA specializing in home care. She's now an exceedingly skillful RN who has always had a passion for community and held the highest standard of care for her patients.  Nurse Kebra leveraged her medical knowledge and decades of professional experience to create CannaHealth. Its innovative community-based business model offers disadvantaged communities, disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs, education about how cannabis is medicinal, as well as safe and legal access through medical marijuana program evaluations.  Referred to as the “Marijuana Guru in Connecticut”  Kebra has taken the state's Cannabis Industry by force. She's a member of numerous industry organizations including the Connecticut Coalition to Regulate Marijuana, Connecticut NORML, Women Grow and The Minority Cannabis Business Association, whose mission is to create equal access and economic empowerment for Cannabis Businesses, their patients, and the communities most affected by the war on drugs and in 2019 Kebra was named Connecticut Activist of the Year. Kebra Smith-Bolden is an expert. Her work as a hospice and psychiatric home care nurse, specializing in patients with mental health issues is how we learned about her.  Despite cannabis medicine being legal in more than 2/3rds of U.S. States, in order for people living with dementia to get some relief today, we need to get cannabis de-scheduled, and open up the Schedule I of Drugs for research.  Contact your Senators, Representatives and the President to let them know that you want to de-schedule cannabis and open up the Schedule I for research at the very least.  Do you want to tell your story of how Cannabis Helps Dementia? Leave a voice message at Anchor.FM/cannabishelpsdementia. Drop us a note or connect with us on the socials.   Subscribe to get notifications when new episodes drop.  Check out the Society of Cannabis Clinicians website  and find real medical professionals familiar with cannabis medicine in your area like,  Dr. Grob - cuz, you remember, we're not doctors...just family caregivers turned advocates. And, don't forget! Download, like and share what you learned. Cannabis Helps Dementia. We hope you're inspired by EP14 with Kebra Smith-Bolden, RN THANK YOU! Keebra Smith-Bolden  https://www.visitcannahealth.com/ Anchor.fm  Society of Cannabis Clinicians Original Music by Doug Goodwin “Try Something That's New” ...and thank you Mom , my greatest teacher. In Solidarity, Chela & Dave www.cannabishelpsdementia.com Podcast https://anchor.fm/cannabishelpsdementia Twitter https://twitter.com/CannabisHelps FB https://www.facebook.com/CHDPodcast/ IG https://www.instagram.com/cannabishelpsdementia/ --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/cannabishelpsdementia/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/cannabishelpsdementia/support

COVID 19 cases have dropped in Connecticut, but it’s still important for residents to stay home when possible to slow the spread of the disease. But what about residents who don’t have a home? This hour, we look at homelessness during the pandemic. We check in with Richard Cho, CEO of the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness to learn how the state has avoided outbreaks in shelters that have plagued other cities and states. We also hear from Columbus House, one of the local homelessness organizations that put many clients in hotels to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Later in the hour, we talk with Secretary of the State Denise Merrill about the upcoming Aug 11 primary. By now, many residents have received absentee ballot applications from her office. Do you have questions about voting by mail? We want to hear from you. GUESTS: Richard Cho - CEO of Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness (@Richard_S_Cho) Margaret Middeton - CEO of Columbus House Denise Merrill - Secretary of the State for the state of Connecticut (@SOTSMerrill) Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cops always run toward a crisis, but who takes care of our brothers and sisters in blue when they are in crisis? You can help by tuning in and learning more about CABLE - The Connecticut Alliance to Benefit Law Enforcement. Then, check out our invitation to help keep kids and families under their own roof by holding your Paddington "bear-raiser" to benefit the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness. And hey guys, it's Mo-vember, so plan to attend the November 14 Men's Health Fair at Yale Urology providing you free blood pressure screenings, information on male sexuality and intimacy issues, prostate cancer screenings, smoking cessation support and more.

Donald Trump has challenged the idea, pioneered in George W. Bush's administration, that the best, and most cost-effective way to end homelessness is to offer people living on the streets homes, no strings attached, and to service their needs in a home setting. A new report from the president's Council of Economic Advisers says that has neither reduced homelessness, nor lowered costs. Richard Cho, who served in top positions at the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness during the Obama administration and now heads the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness, joins the program this week to discuss how "Housing First" has worked and how it hasn't. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alisha Blake of the Connecticut Coalition for Retirement Security joins us to talk about the impact of public pensions and the threats to our retirement security.

Kebra is a Registered Nurse who has always had a passion for work in the field of health. Her career journey spans over 22 years which began as a young CNA to LPN specializing in the area of Homecare with a passion for community to an exceedingly skillful RN who has always held the highest standard of care for her patients. Referred to as the “Marijuana Guru in CT” by Hot 93 7's Nancy Barrow, Kebra has taken the Cannabis Industry in Connecticut by force, as much as she is one to be reckoned with. Kebra received her Certification in Cannabis Studies from the Northeastern Institute of Cannabis (NIC) in Natick, MA and has expertise in Cannabis from seed to sale and Medical Marijuana as a Healthcare Provider. She is a member of the Connecticut Coalition to Regulate Marijuana and organization that advocates for development within the industry, provides opportunities for diversified marketingAs one of the leaders in the medical cannabis space, we talk to Kebra about treating PTSD regardless of the source of the trauma. Kebra is a woman making a powerful impact within her community and helping people access their medicine, she is blind to the hurdles she jumps. Kebra walks us through how the social impact of cannabis prohibition has and still affects the African American and Latino communities within which she works. We ask how we use this history to change the future for the better and why, unless we push for a seat at the table where decisions are being made, we simply can not have the influence or impact that is needed for the communities we work within. Find and Learn from at the following links:https://gocannahealth.com/https://womengrow.com/To learn more about plants & your health from Colleen at LabAroma check out this informative PDF: https://mailchi.mp/2fe0e426b244/osw1lg2dkhDisclaimer: The information presented in this podcast is for educational purposes only, and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Please consult your doctor if you are in need of medical care, and before making any changes to your health routine.

What efforts are underway -- both locally and nationally -- to help improve individuals’ access to housing? This hour, we listen back to a panel moderated by Lucy Nalpathanchil in Hartford recently for the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness. We hear from policy and advocacy experts. Later, we also learn about a "Net Zero" affordable housing proposal in the town of Norfolk.Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On a January night in 2018, there were more than 3,000 people experiencing homelessness across the state of Connecticut.This hour we sit down with Dr. Richard Cho, the new CEO of the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness. Connecticut has made major strides in reducing homelessness, but how do we address areas where residents are still falling through the cracks?Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Five years ago, Hartford educator/performer Joey Batts got the sense that some of his students might be couch surfing, or worse. Batts took action: he launched Hip Hop for the Homeless, a multi-city concert series, designed to raise funds and supplies for Connecticut's homeless communities. Batts, New Britain musical artist Andres “Mugsy” Arroyo and Mary Ann Haley, deputy director of the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness, trace the evolution of the series on the latest Capitol Watch.

On this program, hosts Ann Baldwin and Lisa Dematteis-Lepore, are joined by Dr. Mary Ann Haley, Deputy Director at the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness. They discuss combatting the complex problem of homelessness throughout Connecticut.

Juan Castillo talks with Director of the Connecticut Coalition to Regulate Marijuana, Sam Tracy, and Kebra Bolden, a CT cannabis grower.

Episode Sixteen Show Notes CW = Chris Wolak EF = Emily Fine Follow up: Kathleen Rooney’s Poems While You Wait – proceeds go to her imprint Rose Metal Press – Just Read – Schadenfreude, A Love Story: Me, the Germans, and 20 Years of Attempted Transformations, Unfortunate Miscommunications, and Humiliating Situations That Only They Have Words For – Rebecca Schuman (CW) Anything is Possible – Elizabeth Strout (EF) Women Crime Writers: Eight Suspense Novels of the 1940’s & 50’s: A Library of America Boxed Set edited by Sarah Weinman. In A Lonely Place – Dorothy B. Hughes (CW) Saints for All Occasions – J. Courtney Sullivan (EF) Red Car – Marcy Dermansky (EF) books we Just Couldn’t Read (or DNF’d) Into the Water – Paula Hawkins (CW) One in a Million Boy – Monica Wood (EF) Americanah – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (CW) Blue Light Yokohama – Nicolás Obregón (EF) – Currently Reading/Listening – History of Wolves – Emily Fridlund (EF) Connecticut Valley Tobacco – Brianna Dunlap (CW) The Gypsy Moth Summer – Julia Fierro (CW) – Biblio Adventures – Chris, Emily and their friend Russell had a trifecta visiting Breakwater Books, RJ Julia Bookseller and the Book Barn all in one day! Chris, Emily and their friend Julia visited the Emily Dickinson Museum while Russell visited Amherst Books. Emily went to Powell’s Books in Portland, OR both the main store and the store on Hawthorne to see David Callahan author of The Givers: Wealth, Power, and Philanthropy in a New Gilded Age. Emily saw the outside of the bookstore Another Read Through but didn’t get to visit so there is a reason to go back to Portland! Emily went to RJ Julia Booksellers to see Cathryn Jakobson Ramin discuss her book Crooked: Outwitting the Back Industry and Getting on the Road to Recovery. Emily went to RJ Julia Booksellers to see the Connecticut Coalition of Poets Laureate. They performed readings from Laureates of Connecticut: An Anthology of Contemporary Poetry. – Upcoming Jaunts – Emily and Chris are planning a joint jaunt to Yale’s Beinecke Library to see an exhibit. May 24 – Chris is headed to Bookclub Bookstore & More to see Brianna Dunlap author of Connecticut Valley Tobacco. May 23 – Girls Write Now Awards May 31-June 2 – Book Expo America – Upcoming Reads – Queer, There and Everywhere: 23 People Who Changed the World – Sarah Prager (CW) The Givers: Wealth, Power, and Philanthropy in a New Guilded Age – David Callahan (EF) It’s Okay to Laugh (Crying is Cool Too) – Nora McInerny (EF) – Also Mentioned – Half of a Yellow Sun – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (CW) Maine – J. Courtney Sullivan (EF) Inside Philanthropy is an online resource to learn Who’s Funding What, and Why Terrible, Thanks for Asking podcast

Podcast of CT-N's Coverage of Campaign 2010 - 9-28-10

Podcast of CT-N's Coverage of Campaign 2010 - 9-28-10