Maria Foscarinis with Binyamin Appelbaum: And Housing For All: The Fight to End Homelessness in America

Groundbreaking legal advocate Maria Foscarinis joins us to discuss her book And Housing for All: The Fight to End Homelessness in America with New York Times opinion writer Binyamin Appelbaum.

This event will take place in person at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library on the 7th Floor.

In And Housing for All, founder of the National Homelessness Law Center Maria Foscarinis reveals the human impact of the housing crisis by sharing personal stories and examining the flawed policies that have perpetuated it. As millions face rising housing costs and encampments spread nationwide, she uncovers why past efforts have failed and what must change to achieve lasting solutions.

Drawing from over 35 years of national advocacy, Foscarinis shares compelling stories of individuals and families impacted by homelessness, highlighting their resilience and growing leadership. Blending personal narratives with policy analysis, she reveals how deliberate decisions have fueled the crisis and how public narratives have sustained it.

And Housing for All is essential reading for social justice advocates, policymakers, lawyers, and anyone invested in solving one of America’s most pressing challenges.

To join the event in person | Doors will open 30 minutes before the program begins. For free events, we generally overbook to ensure a full house. Priority will be given to those who have registered in advance, but registration does not guarantee admission. All registered seats are released shortly before start time, and seats may become available at that time. A standby line will form 30 minutes before the program.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Maria Foscarinis founded the National Homelessness Law Center (formerly known as the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty) in 1985 to mount a campaign for a federal response to the crisis which was just beginning to explode across the country. The Law Center won legal victories including the only major federal legislation addressing homelessness—now known and the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act—, upholding education rights for homeless children, converting vacant properties to housing, and combatting the criminalization of homelessness, while also laying the groundwork for the recognition of housing as a human right. She has been named a Human Rights Hero by the American Bar Association, and is a recipient of the Katharine and George Alexander Law Prize from Santa Clara University School of Law, the John Macy Award from the National Alliance to End Homelessness, the Public Interest Law Award from the Public Interest Foundation at Columbia Law School, and a Rockefeller Foundation Practitioner Residency in Bellagio, Italy. Foscarinis has been regularly quoted in media outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, Bloomberg, CNN, BBC, CCTV, and Al-Jazeera, among many others, and has contributed opinion pieces to influential publications including USA Today, the Christian Science Monitor, the Huffington Post, and The Hill. She teaches a seminar on Homelessness Law and Policy at Columbia Law School.

Binyamin Appelbaum is an opinion writer for The New York Times, focusing on business and economics, and a member of the paper's editorial board. He writes often about the nation's housing crisis. He worked for a decade as a Washington correspondent for the paper before joining the editorial board in 2019. His first book, The Economists’ Hour: False Prophets, Free Markets and the Fracture of Society, tells the story of how economic thinking, including faith in markets, came to dominate public policymaking. He lives in Washington, D.C.

GET THE BOOK

• Borrow: NYPL Catalog


• E-Book app: SimplyE, available on iOS and Android


• This event will also include signing and sales of the book by our Library Shop.

Don't have a New York Public Library card? Get one here!

ACCESSIBILITY NOTES

In-Person

• Assistive listening devices and/or hearing loops are available at the venue.


• You can request a free ASL (American Sign Language) interpretation or CART (Communication Access Real-Time Translation) captioning service by emailing your request at least two weeks in advance of the event: email accessibility@nypl.org or use this Gmail template.


• This venue is fully accessible to wheelchairs.

CONNECT WITH US

Sign up for our e-newsletters to stay up to date on upcoming events and Library offerings.

Please submit all press inquiries to Connor Goodwin at least 48 hours before the event: email connorgoodwin@nypl.org.
 

SUPPORT THE LIBRARY

The New York Public Library's free services and resources are made possible thanks to the support of the Friends of the Library. Join this group of Library lovers and take advantage of special membership benefits, like invitations to members-only virtual events, discounts at the Library Shop, and more. Join now.

All programs are subject to change or cancellation. All programs are subject to recording and photography.

The 7 Stories Up Series at SNFL is made possible by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF).