Welcome Jay Braatz
Knox County Homeless Coalition welcomes Jay Braatz of Camden to the board.
Homelessness is in too many places one of those invisible issues — or at least one that all too often doesn’t surface as a priority in debates about pressing social problems. And too often it is seen as too complex an issue to tackle and eradicate.
Several years ago I was part of a conversation that resulted in the creation of the Institute of Global Homelessness, dedicated to ending street homelessness. Frankly, before that conversation, homelessness wasn’t an issue that I knew much about. However, I learned a lot very quickly from a very, very smart woman, Dame Louise Casey, who has spent her career advocating for the homeless and creating programs and policies in Britain to ensure “rough sleepers” have the programs and services they need to get off the street. But perhaps the most important thing Louise taught me was that we can solve homelessness — and, therefore, that we have an obligation to do so.
Today, in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis, services for the homeless are even more critically needed.
When I returned to Maine full time I knew I wanted to get involved locally with one of the organizations that was making a difference for those at the margins in Knox County. And I kept hearing good things about what was going on at KCHC. When I was invited to join the board I jumped at the chance. Homelessness is an issue I care about deeply and I could not be more excited to help KCHC’s work to create solutions for the homeless locally. I look forward to turning some of my own energy toward helping find long-term, safe accommodation for some of the Midcoast’s most vulnerable individuals.
We are more than pleased to welcome Jay Braatz as the newest member of our board. Jay worked for 14 years at DePaul University in Chicago where she was Vice President for Planning and the president’s chief of staff. She served on the president’s Cabinet, was responsible for the university’s strategic plan, and supervised the Office of Community, Government, and International Affairs. She retired from DePaul in 2018 and moved full time to Maine in the fall of 2019. Prior to joining DePaul, she served as a senior program officer at the Spencer Foundation, managing fellowships and research grants related to improving education and educational opportunities throughout the world. She also spent 15 years working for the Hurricane Island Outward Bound School, and was part of the leadership team on Thompson Island that brought Outward Bound to the Boston public schools. She has a B.A. degree in art history, and a M.A. and doctorate in educational administration, planning, and social policy. She recently served as a trustee to the Hurricane Island Outward Bound School and as an elected director to the Harvard Alumni Association. She is currently on the Advisory Board of the Institute of Global Homelessness, the Chicago-based organization leading a global movement to bring an end to street homelessness worldwide.