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NLIHC Announces Four New Board Members: Geraldine Collins, Kathryn Monet, Hasson Rashid and Zella Knight

WASHINGTON, DC – The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) announces the appointment of four new members to the NLIHC Board of Directors: National Alliance of HUD Tenants President Geraldine Collins; National Coalition for Homeless Veterans Chief Executive Officer Kathryn Monet; Alliance of Cambridge Tenants Board Member Hasson Rashid; and Zella Knight of Residents United Network.

Geraldine Collins has served as president of the National Alliance of HUD Tenants since 2011Ms. Collins advocates on behalf of 1.7 million project-based Section 8 tenants living in HUD assisted housing. Ms. Collins is a long-standing member of Tenants and Neighbors advocacy group and the NAACP. “I am excited and ready to serve on the NLIHC Board of Directors,” said Ms. Collins. “Attending the NLIHC conferences from year to year, I am always impressed by the workshops, information and resources. I have long admired the work of the National Low Income Housing Coalition and look forward to contributing to its mission to end homelessness. I am honored to be serving as a board member of this wonderful organization.”

Kathryn Monet is the chief executive officer of the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, a national organization solely focused on ending veteran homeless. She has spent over a decade in the public and non-profit sectors working to address housing instability and homelessness among veterans. Ms. Monet currently serves on the VA Advisory Committee for Homeless Veterans and the US Vets DC Advisory Council, and she has worked on veteran homelessness legislation with the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. “I am honored to join the NLIHC Board of Directors, to support the critical mission of promoting equitable access to affordable housing opportunities for all Americans,” said Ms. Monet. “There is no way to end homelessness without increasing the available affordable housing stock, and I have long appreciated NLIHC’s leadership in this movement. I look forward to working more closely with their team and membership in the future.”  

Hasson Rashid serves as a community advocate and board member of the Alliance of Cambridge Tenants. He has over ten years of experience in advancing opportunities for low-income renters, through strategic planning, counseling, and crisis intervention. Mr. Rashid has served as a board member for several organizations focused on housing equality, tenant rights and ending homelessness, and he integrates his work in the local media as a vehicle to amplify his advocacy. “I am delighted and honored to join the NLIHC Board,” said Mr. Rashid. “My greatest passion and life work is to help and serve the low-income and homeless segments of my community. I look forward to furthering my work within the community as a member of the NLIHC Board of Directors.”

Zella Knight serves as an activist and member of the Residents United Network. Ms. Knight is a resident leader with lived experience of homelessness, housing instability, and housing insecurity as a person with a disability. Ms. Knight’s advocacy work is focused on keeping those with lived experience and expertise at the center of decision making and policy change in housing. As a resident leader, Ms. Knight works with local and national organizations to provide comprehensive solutions to eliminate the barriers of systemic racism, sexism, disability bias and gender bias in affordable housing.  “I am humbled and honored to be a part of NLIHC’s efforts to ensure that affordable housing is a human right,” said Ms. Knight. “NLIHC models the power of having confident, informed, and persistent voices that are change agents for solutions. I look forward to serving on the NLIHC Board of Directors and building better outcomes for the most vulnerable populations.”

“Each of these new NLIHC Board members brings years of leadership, advocacy, and invaluable insight on achieving affordable and decent homes for those with the lowest incomes,” said NLIHC President and CEO Diane Yentel. “I am pleased to welcome Geraldine, Kathryn, Hasson and Zella to the NLIHC Board of Directors. During this critically important time in history, together we will continue to advance socially just policies, racial equity, and access to affordable housing for those with the greatest needs.”

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About the National Low Income Housing Coalition

The National Low Income Housing Coalition is dedicated solely to achieving socially just public policy that ensures people with the lowest incomes in the United States have affordable and decent homes. NLIHC educates, organizes, and advocates to ensure decent, affordable housing for everyone. For more information about NLIHC, please visit www.nlihc.org.