Capstones
Graduation Date
Fall 12-13-2025
Grading Professor
Andrew Calderon
Subject Concentration
Engagement Journalism
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Abstract
Security Blanket: an idea of "home" across the housing spectrum addresses the logistical and emotional gaps left by policy-makers who prescribe a one-size-fits-all approach of housing to New York City’s houseless crisis. Independent living can be a major adjustment for people who have never lived on their own (eg. lived with parents, were formerly incarcerated, were in long-term hospital care), and shelters do not adequately prepare residents for the life-building steps after move-out. I asked New Yorkers experiencing homelessness where they are now, what home means to them, and what it would or has taken to ground themselves as they move out of the system. Their input shaped the format into a pocketbook zine, which will be distributed to shelters through housing counselors and case managers, to local underground comic stores, and to policy-makers alongside a short accompanying article. New York’s houseless population is one that many New Yorkers are uncomfortable addressing, both on the personal and policy levels. I am distributing the zine to a wider audience with the hope of it being a stepping stone into empathy.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QFlRc0mStiSeEdN69HG6Tykxm4FdCgiI/view?usp=drive_link
Recommended Citation
Odefey, Willa D., "Security Blanket: an idea of "home" across the housing spectrum" (2025). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gj_etds/811
