National Housing Law Project

According to many criminal justice experts, finding housing is the single biggest challenge facing people leaving prison.  Nationally, 10 percent of people on parole are homeless.  In large urban areas, the figures are even more startling: In San Francisco, for example, that number is estimated to be as high as 50 percent.  People leaving prison often find the search for housing in the private housing market futile. For many, housing subsidized by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is the only option for decent, affordable shelter.  However, harsh admission policies may prevent them from accessing federally assisted housing.

Catherine Greensfelder will work with community organizations to improve access to federally assisted housing for formerly incarcerated people. Greensfelder ultimately aims to develop a statewide reentry council in California focused on the issue of housing for those leaving prison.  

Greensfelder graduated magna cum laude from Duke University in 2004 with a BA in public policy studies.  She will receive a JD from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law in May 2009.  Prior to law school, she spent two years at the New York State Office of the Attorney General working primarily on securities fraud and public corruption cases.  While in law school, she assisted in the representation of a death row inmate at the Office of the State Public Defender in San Francisco and helped HIV positive immigrants obtain legal status at the East Bay Community Law Center.  Greensfelder also spent a summer as a legislative fellow for U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill.

Oakland, CA