Housing has become a silent crisis that's reshaping lives across America, with each rising rent bill and rejected application chipping away at people's sense of stability and hope.

In this episode, I'm sitting down with Jeffrey Smythe, executive director of the Atlanta Regional Collaborative for Health Improvement (ARCHI), to explore a different approach to rental assistance.

Jeff explains his innovative technology solution that's changing how people access housing support, the critical connection between housing and health, and how nonprofits can build strong partnerships to tackle this challenge.

Getting housing right is fundamental to improving health outcomes and supporting community well-being.

You’ll Hear:

(02:35)  How housing instability traps families in cycles of poverty and hardship

(05:30) What is unique about housing instability in the Atlanta metro area

(08:39) What is ARCHI and how it supports rent, mortgage, and utility relief

(13:05) What was the process like for creating ARCHI, and what did it take to build the necessary partnerships across organizations to share data

(16:59) How ARCHI tracks whether someone has been served after a referral is made

(18:36) What led 18 members to say ‘yes’ to joining ARCHI

(21:43) How housing instability and homelessness are connected to negative health outcomes

(25:20) Some examples in Atlanta where the conversation around housing is integrated into the client-provider relationship, using terms like a “prescription” for housing assistance

Connect with Jeff Smythe and learn more about ARCHI.

What if the key to improving educational outcomes was already in front of us, hidden in the data schools collect every day?

Attendance records, test scores, and family surveys offer insight into equity gaps, systemic barriers, and opportunities for intervention—but too often, this data isn’t used effectively.

In this episode, we’ll discuss how nonprofit professionals can collaborate with schools to analyze and apply data in ways that close gaps in access and achievement.

You’ll learn how to identify disparities, interpret data within the community context, and use it to inform programs that directly support students and families.

This episode highlights ways nonprofits can use data to advocate for resources, measure impact, and drive equitable education initiatives.

You’ll hear:

(02:30) How achievement data like standardized test scores and graduation rates can help organizations identify trends and support curriculum improvements.

(08:57) The importance of using behavior data such as suspensions and discipline referrals to understand and address classroom disruptions and bullying patterns.

(15:19) How attendance data—like chronic absenteeism rates and daily attendance records—can be used to develop targeted intervention plans and support student engagement.

(20:11) Where to find publicly available school data and how organizations can use it to demonstrate their impact effectively.

Finding accurate, localized demographic data can be a daunting task, especially when working on grant proposals, community assessments, or strategic plans.

Publicly available data often falls short—either it’s outdated, too broad, or not specific enough to capture the unique characteristics of a particular community.

Fortunately, the Social Explorer is a user-friendly platform that transforms complex U.S. Census data into accessible maps, visualizations, and reports for nonprofits, researchers, and community organizations.

In this episode, we’ll explore how to use the Social Explorer to quickly and effectively access the data you need.

You’ll hear:

(00:47) What is the Social Explorer and what types of census data does it use

(03:30) A demonstration on how to access the Social Explorer.

(08:26) How to look at community demographics, such as race/ethnicity at the census-tract level

(12:34) How to track changes over time, like the percentage of foreign-born residents.

(15:15) Three elements that make for a good map

Resources Mentioned

• Visit the Social Explorer

• Read the blog post - Standards for Collecting Race and Ethnicity Data Are Changing. Are You Prepared?

• Download the free Data & Evaluation Made Simple Toolkit