Associate Professor Marisa Zapata to join national research council on homelessness

Associate Professor Dr. Marisa Zapata was appointed to the Research Council for the National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH), a nonprofit that informs and helps shape national public policy.

“I look forward to joining researchers from across the country to inform national public policy on preventing and ending homelessness. We are at a pivotal moment where investments have the potential to make a significant impact, but we’re also seeing movements to direct our focus away from the only proven solution to homelessness - housing. What we do now could shape the future of this issue for generations” she said. 

The goal of the council is to bring together academics and think tank professionals to strengthen the connection between policy and research. Members often meet with policymakers to learn more about pressing policy questions, and they also identify future research needs. 

Zapata is the director of PSU’s Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative, which addresses the challenges of homelessness through research that uncovers conditions that lead to and perpetuate homelessness. She recently presented at the NAEH’s national conference, after which the nonprofit asked her to join the research council. 

Zapata is slated to serve a two-year term on the council starting this month.