Anchorage Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Forum Podcasts
The Speaker's Forum is held each Sunday morning from 9:00 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. Forum topics often address and spur dialogue about a current local community, statewide, national or international issue. Some forums feature a local author and the topic of the author's new book, or a representative of a local non-governmental organization (NGO) describing the organization’s work, programs, and accomplishments.
Anchorage Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Forum Podcasts
Beyond Sullivan: Providing a Safety Net for Our Most Vulnerable Homeless - Restorative and Reentry Services CEO Cathleen McLaughlin
Cathleen McLaughlin has worked in law and advocacy for 35 years. In 2014, she became the Director of the Partners Reentry Center, a community-based center that provided pre- and post-release reentry services to vulnerable individuals who would otherwise release from incarceration to homelessness. This experience inspired her to open Restorative and Reentry Services in 2016 to provide guidance to communities around the United States seeking to create their own community-based reentry programs. In April 2020, RRS was hired to manage the emergency homeless shelter at the Sullivan Arena for the operator, Beans Cafe. During the height of the pandemic, it was the largest congregate shelter in the US. The Municipality hired RSS in March to provide oversight of the Sullivan Arena emergency shelter and the two remaining hotels housing otherwise homeless individuals in preparation for their expected closing and is also advising about homeless policy after the closure of these facilities. Cathleen received both her law degree and her MBA from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. She also holds a bachelor's degree in History/Political Science from the University of Montana.