HOMELESSNESS ACTION TEAM
(909) 621-8000
What We Do.
Homelessness Action Team/HAT raises student body and faculty's awareness of the homelessness crisis in the City of Pomona and LA County as a whole, primarily by holding speaker events. While LA has the nation's second highest citywide homeless population, homelessness is not frequently discussed on campus relative to many other social justice issues because Pomona has few (if any) homeless students. This past semester, HAT reversed this trend by holding "How Policymakers Fight Homelessness" and "Life of a Black Woman on Skid Row." For "How Policymakers Fight Homelessness," HAT invited panelists Greg Devereux (CEO of San Bernardino County), Philip Mangano (former head of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness and current head of nonprofit American Roundtable to Abolish Homelessness), who informed attendees of various business-oriented strategies (primarily Housing First) that have greatly reduced homelessness in various contexts. Murray also provided insights on the homelessness crisis in LA. For "Life of a Black Woman on Skid Row," HAT invited Suzette Shaw, black female poet, activist and former skid row resident, to speak about the challenges faced by women, particularly black women, on LA's Skid Row. Shaw also recounted her own path to Skid Row, a story that demonstrates how many homeless women have lived through severe trauma and/or abuse.
Who We Are.
Jia Wu
Head of Media
Major: Mathematics & Computer Science
As a Research Assistant studying the homeless crisis along the Santa River and housing crisis throughout California, it is clear to me that these are problems that need to be addressed immediately. Through my involvement with HAT, I hope to dispell misconceptions about the "undeserving" homeless population and encourage community members to pressure their local government officials to prioritize housing development and providing resources for the unhoused and at risk population.
Sophie Roe
Program Director
Major: Public Policy Analysis Biology
I became involved with homelessness last year by researching homelessness as a public health issue for my medical anthropology ethnography on Pomona’s homeless population and for my Health Policy and Management final project on Medical Respite Care. I am currently interning at Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program and also doing homeless advocacy work with the American Round Table to Abolish Homelessness. On campus, I also enjoy OTL trips, running, doing yoga, and climbing trees!
David Cremins
Policy Analyst
Major: Cognitive Science
I've been involved with the Draper Center's Homelessness and Hunger Initiative since 2014. I have participated in the Food Recovery Network (delivering leftovers to churches), Homelessness and Hunger Awareness Week (hosting speakers), and am one of the founding members of the Homelessness Action Team where I work on local policy issues. Outside of class and volunteering, he spends most of his time playing music.
Nina Thiebaut
Job Researcher Coordinator
Major: Mathematics
I first became involved with HAT after my weekly food deliveries to the local homeless shelter made it clear not enough action is being taken to address the homeless crisis. I hope to both continue hosting speaker events to fight misconceptions about the homeless population as well as work towards helping the homeless integrate back into society through helping them secure jobs.
Hannah Black
On-Site Volunteer Coordinator
Major: Economics
I got involved the fight against homelessness as a freshman at Pomona College. I started out driving food to the local soup kitchen and have since been involved in organizing two major speaker events. As an Economics major and pre-med student, my focus lies at the intersection between healthcare and homelessness. On campus, I am also involved in club soccer and various creative writing groups.
Savannah Jett
Head of Public Relations
Major: Linguistics
I first became engaged with the problems surrounding homelessness through my participation in the HHI and Food Recovery Network. I hope that our work through HAT raises awareness and fosters conversation and action about issues related to homelessness, including hunger, access to affordable medical and mental health care, and the over-criminalization of homeless and impoverished populations. Outside of HAT, I enjoy tumbling, dance, and useless trivia.
Connor Woods
Events Coordinator
Major: Economics
I started volunteering in high school in my hometown of Charleston, SC, where I was a teacher’s assistant at a preschool and a youth baseball coach. I got involved with HAT in the spring of my first year at Pomona, where I learned that homelessness was a serious problem in the LA area. My goal is to help educate the student body at the Claremont Colleges about the growing homelessness problem and to find ways in which we can do our part to help people find homes, jobs, and stability in their lives.
Katherine Lauerman
Events Coordinator
I have been volunteering to aid the homeless population since I was in Girl Scouts, but my participation in HAT last year helped me to see that local and national policy change and raised public awareness are much more effective ways to help the homeless find jobs and homes than handing out meals as I have done in the past. I hope to learn more about what I can do for the homeless population this year and continue to help raise awareness and observe and support policy change that will aid the homeless in finding careers and homes.