Colleen joined Newark Community Solutions, the Center’s community justice initiative in New Jersey, as the Clinical Coordinator in 2014. A Licensed Clinical Social Worker and the Director of New Jersey Programs at the Center for Justice Innovation, she now oversees Newark Community Solutions and supports the Center’s work throughout the state of New Jersey. Colleen possesses over a decade of experience working with people involved in the legal system in both community and custodial settings. In addition to her work at the Center, Colleen works in higher education and is an alumnus of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Clinical Scholars program, a national leadership program that helps interdisciplinary teams of clinicians build a culture of health in their communities.
Colleen holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work from New York University and a Bachelor’s Degree from McGill University.
As the nationwide shortage of stable, affordable housing has come into sharp relief, an important question is ringing out in cities and neighborhoods across the country: How can we help people stay in the homes they already have?
Finding support for housing concerns is often an uphill battle—especially for the thousands of New Yorkers living in public housing. But there's power in community.
From Idea to Action: Making Policies Work for People
A policy win is a major step, but how do you make it work on the ground? Our Community Justice team has grappled firsthand with that question in Los Angeles, where they’ve helped transform what the legal system looks like for people with mental illness.
