Internship Location: Madison WI
Organization Type: Nonprofit
Policy Areas: Housing, Social Justice
Over the course of this internship I got to see the individual impacts of the current Madison housing policy and how a nonprofit can advocate for political change. I really believe that the micro-level interactions with the affected population really made this internship impactful for me and helps shape what I think housing policy should look like, especially in relation to eviction laws. La Follette gave me the vital political context that helped me recognize the real-world impacts of the current housing policy which I could see in each individual client that I worked with. It was especially interesting to see how a non-profit that has to remain unbiased while also advocating for better rights for tenants. This delicate balance could be a hindrance, but for me it just meant that creative solutions had to be brainstormed which was really beneficial to see how TRC approached that. This internship was perfect for my academic career and a good combination of my majors: Social Work, Economics and the certificate in Public Policy. I would recommend this internship to anyone that is interested in housing justice and wants to also gain interesting direct experience with the affected population. I hope to build off of my experience with TRC to continue working with housing policy and continue working towards social justice goals in relation to those who are unhoused or have unstable housing conditions.