Exploring the Roots of Homelessness and Philanthropy's Role

What can donors do to address the seemingly intractable problem of homelessness? Susan Thomas, president of the Melville Charitable Trust, joins Phil and Grace to discuss the systems and barriers in place in the U.S. that result in well over a half million unhoused Americans. Susan draws on her own personal and familial story as well as decades of experience, arguing that homelessness and structural racism are intrinsically linked, both historically and today.

Additional Resources

Melville Charitable Trust

The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein

The Color of Money: Black Banks and the Racial Wealth Gap by Mehrsa Baradaran

The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together by Heather McGhee

Listen to “Heather McGhee on the Zero Sum Lie” on the Giving Done Right podcast