Tiffany Manuel, PhD

Do you ever struggle to explain why housing matters? As professionals in the housing industry, it can often be difficult to convey the importance of housing and to build public support for investing in the housing needs of those in our communities. However, in a time of budget cuts related to housing and the increased need to build more housing to address affordability issues, it is more important than ever that housing professionals have a strong and persuasive message to share. This keynote presentation by Dr. Tiffany Manuel will provide proven strategies for advancing housing issues taken from hundreds of housing campaigns across the country.  Dr. Manuel will provide an overview of how public audiences think about housing as an issue area; explain how/why some of our messaging is backfiring; and help you think through what language will help elevate your work. She will also help you understand how to counter the thorny challenges of community opposition to affordable housing.  Join us for this important and engaging keynote on messaging that will help you create and implement more effective messaging techniques!

Across the country, efforts to address the issues of homelessness and affordable housing are gaining traction.  The sheer scale of the challenges facing average Americans in finding decent housing is pushing these issues onto the national and local political agendas. Yet much of our messages to advance homelessness often backfire and the deals being brokered to address affordable housing, often leave unsheltered populations out in the cold.  So, even with this growing momentum, we need more firepower to move helpful policies, investments and programs forward.  We need stronger alignment across stakeholders in our communities and we need greater public support.  Building public and political will to move transformative solutions forward – especially those that have an equity lens – remains tough.  In this keynote Dr. Tiffany Manuel, an expert in public will building, will talk about the ways that we can foster stronger community engagement and multi-sector alignment in ways that allow us to take advantage of the current momentum in the field.  

We have more evidence than ever before that housing is one of the most important social determinants of health and one of the most efficient platforms for improving health outcomes. Over the last 20 years, we’ve seen an explosion in the availability of data that provide strong evidence about the types of programs, policies, and initiatives that result in improved population health outcomes. But access to more data and empirical evidence has not been the game-changer that many of us thought it would be. It can be tough to make a compelling case for systems changes that would make meaningful improvements in health outcomes. Worse, when we are not careful in how we talk about our work or use the data we have, our attempts to build support can actually backfire and reduce support for our work. Dr. Manuel will help you understand how to make a stronger case for scaling health programs, policies and investments that fundamentally transform our health ecosystems for the better.

We are living in a powerful moment in history. Leaders across our country are being challenged to embrace equity and inclusion in new and meaningful ways.  Some are new to this journey, while others have been using an equity lens for some time and are excited to use this opportunity to reinforce their commitment to that work.  Wherever you are on this journey, we recognize that this is important work that has the power to transform the future of our country. And we also recognize that this work needs more firepower and a stronger groundswell of support.  In this keynote presentation, Dr. Manuel will share proven strategies for advancing the goal of equity in our work.  You don’t want to miss this session!

There is a growing awareness that housing segregation, displacement, and gentrification are deeply destructive and unnecessary, given the existence of proven strategies for growing prosperous and inclusive communities without displacing or segregating long-term residents. While many of the nation’s leaders understand these issues and are growing their sophistication in tackling them, their long-term success relies in part on their ability to engage a wider net of community stakeholders with a strong case for change.  This keynote presentation focuses squarely on how we can advance the work to do that, within the context of the current political and economic environment.

Early childhood professionals and educators know firsthand the need for more public investment to support equitable access to high-quality services and supports for families with infants and toddlers. Sharing experiences with policymakers, educators and community leaders can be an important catalyst for change. Dr. Tiffany Manuel (Dr. T), President and CEO of the TheCaseMade will share her expertise in powerfully and intentionally making the case to improve systems. With a strong focus on racial equity and inclusion, Dr. T will share guidance on advocacy messages and strategies that can help you to effectively advocate through public policy and engagement in local communities, for what infants, toddlers and families need.

Doubling Down on Equity: A Strategic CaseMaking Workshop (3 Hour Workshop)