CHSS Connection

Working papers discuss inclusionary and emergency housing, social vulnerability to COVID-19 and residential segregation in California cities

The Applied Housing Research Initiative (AHRI) at SF State announces the upcoming release of three working papers on the emergency housing policy response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the advancement of equity. AHRI will also be hosting an upcoming Zoom webinar on Wednesday, October 5, 12-1 p.m. to discuss the findings of these papers. The papers were written by AHRI’s research team consisting of Professors Ayse Pamuk, Jennifer Shea, Laura Mamo and XiaoHang Liu and AHRI research associate and MPA graduate student Temur Umarov (pictured above left to right).

Liu’s working paper examines the association between a city’s inclusionary housing program, its vulnerability to COVID-19 and its change in racial residential segregation. Shea and Mamo analyze the results of a survey distributed to 482 local California governments to better understand the relationship among housing policy and three interrelated dimensions of equity goals and targets in areas of economics, race, and public health. Pamuk and Umarov provide an overview of the emergency housing policies implemented in California and a preliminary analysis of their reasons for implementation, effectiveness and potential issues. Additionally, three interactive mapping platforms created by Liu visualize COVID vulnerability, emergency housing policies, and racial residential segregation throughout California.

To read the working papers, explore the dashboards and register to attend the Zoom webinar, please visit the AHRI website. 

Andreana Clay, professor and chair of Sociology & Sexuality Studies, will be participating in a panel discussion with Associate Professor of Anthropology Dawn-Elissa Fischer and Africana Studies Lecturer Dave Cook aka Davey D. The three will discuss their submission to the “Smithsonian Anthology of Hip Hop and Rap.” The event will take place in the Annex on October 6, 12-1:30 p.m.

Professor of Public Health Emma Sanchez-Vaznaugh was awarded a National Institute of Health grant to study the impact of public health nutrition policies on academic performance among California’s children. Sanchez-Vaznaugh is co-principal investigator with Brisa Sanchez, the Dornsife Endowed Professor of Biostatistics at Drexel University.

This longitudinal study will examine the separate and combined population-level influences of nutrition policies and characteristics of food environments around schools on academic performance and related racial/ethnic disparities. The study will generate new evidence on the extent to which population-level nutrition policy interventions targeted at public schools reduce racial/ethnic gaps in academic performance, a strong predictor of educational attainment, which, in turn is a salient determinant of health. The $3.2 million award is funded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities.

Clare Sears, associate professor in the Department of Sociology & Sexuality Studies, will speak at an event titled “Clothing, Coding, and Defiance in the 19^th Century West” at the Autry Museum of the American West in Los Angeles on September 22. The event will feature the Los Angeles premiere of “The Cosmopolitan West,” a short film inspired by Pearl Hart, the so-called “Bandit Queen” profiled in Cosmopolitan magazine in 1889. A panel discussion with Sears and the filmmaker, Molly Ratermann, will follow the screening.

The Willie L. Brown, Jr. Fellowship Program is currently accepting applications Fall 2022. The fellowship provides SF State students who have faced barriers pursuing a college education with an opportunity to gain professional experience in the public sector while developing a lifelong commitment to public service.

Students who have completed 60 units, are in good standing (GPA of 2.0 or above) at the beginning of the Fall 2021 semester and are interested in public service are eligible to apply. Students from all majors are welcome. Selected students are awarded a $3000 stipend. The application deadline is Tuesday October 11, 2022. Information sessions will be held on September 13 & 22 and October 3. 

For more information, including links to the application and details about the information sessions, visit the Willie L. Brown, Jr. Fellowship webpage.