Leo Zhu /
Upstate Downstate Housing Alliance /
New York, USA /
My name is Leo Zhu and I am a rising junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, studying urban design and architecture with minors in law and society and Chinese. As an undergraduate student studying urban design and architecture with a developing interest in public interest law, I’m looking forward to supplementing my academic and career endeavors with firsthand experience in legal research and social involvement this summer.
I will be working with Upstate Downstate Housing Alliance (UDHA), an organization deeply committed to promoting public interest in securing housing rights for economically and socially marginalized groups. The UDHA is a coalition of over one hundred organizations that share the common goal of eliminating homelessness throughout New York State and providing stable and affordable housing for those in need.
Although I would consider myself a relative newcomer to the field of human rights, being that I have only recently shifted from a focus on economics and business, I have learned quite a bit about the various debates and interconnections within the human rights discussion through my seminar with Professor Nesiah. This summer, I hope to apply all that I’ve learned to my work with the UDHA and have a meaningful experience.
Inadequate housing has been a prominent issue all throughout history. As a result of recent events–namely, the onset of the coronavirus pandemic–it has been especially exacerbated. Many housing organizations have campaigned fiercely for tenant and homelessness relief, but forms of legal redress such as eviction moratoriums have been temporary and have required repeated mobilization. Present circumstances aside, safe and stable housing is a human right that everyone deserves to enjoy, not only during a global pandemic.
At the UDHA, I will work directly under the lead coordinator and organizer for their Housing Justice for All campaign. I will conduct legal research and draw analyses of New York State housing policies on behalf of the organization, mainly in preparation for the 2022 State Legislative session, where this data will be used for proposals for legislative reform.
I will also work as a communications intern, managing the coalition’s internal communications between its 100+ organizations, and I will coordinate and implement external outreach initiatives targeted at people and groups outside UDHA, using email, social media, and other remote communication strategies.
As I approach the beginning of this internship experience, I’m really looking forward to being able to observe how the coalition’s separate organizations operate together and mobilize under one collective mission.