Graduate School
Boston University School of Public Health

Undergraduate School
University of Massachusetts Amherst

Mentor
Jeffrey Sánchez, Rasky Partners, Inc., Rappaport Institute Advisory Board Member and former Rappaport/Boston Urban Scholar and Ashley Barnes-Cocke, ACI Project Director, A Way Home Washington and former Rappaport Public Policy Fellow

Agency
Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ+ Policy

Supervisor
Sasha Goodfriend, Commission Chair; Chastity Bowick, Executive Director, Transgender Emergency Fund

Description of Fellowship
Madeline’s fellowship this summer was with the Transgender Emergency Fund of Massachusetts (TEF), through the Harvard Kennedy School’s Rappaport Institute, and in collaboration with the Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ Youth. In total, Madeline produced three reports for TEF this summer relating to the organization’s upcoming transitional housing project.

Madeline’s first report, based on a Community Needs Assessment TEF conducted, is being used to define many aspects of this housing project.

Madeline’s then condensed existing research on homelessness among transgender communities into a second report, to be used in discussions with key stakeholders to bolster arguments about the necessity of developing this housing project.

Madeline’s final report was based on a series of interviews she conducted with representatives of other organizations running their own housing projects for transgender people and translated these interviews into achievable recommendations for TEF regarding the operation of their future transitional housing project.