Andrew Johnson’s work to integrate housing and wraparound services for groups navigating complex challenges stems from his early experiences in direct service for people with housing instability.
“I walked alongside them as they tried to navigate siloed services and systems,” he said. “They couldn’t get what they needed when they needed it. Their voices weren’t even in the mix.”
Today, Johnson serves as the associate director for Family and Youth Systems Transformation at the Corporation for Supportive Housing, a national nonprofit.
His vision for change: a holistic, equitable investment in families that begins with housing.
“Housing is often used as a carrot at the end of a long, hard road instead of the foundation for progress,” he said. “Safe and affordable housing is a necessary prerequisite for preventing foster care.”
Johnson sees an opportunity in the way the pandemic and racial justice reckoning have upended many systems.
“My goal is to not put the pieces back together the way they were,” he said. “We have a chance to reimagine and radically transform the experiences that children and families have so they reach their full potential.”