An interview with Sherri Crane
On looking for long-term solutions for those seeking affordable housing.
What if where we lived helped us connect-in-place and build community?
Sherri Crane, the Manager of Housing Services & Engagement at Brightside Community Homes Foundation, and her incredible team provide affordable housing to residents struggling to meet the demands of the market housing. But beyond providing homes, they also work to ensure these spaces foster social connection and community resilience.
“When you’re in a crisis, your choices are so limited– you’re just trying to put out fires rather than look for long-term solutions. I don’t think decisions made in crisis are ever super sustainable. And that’s why we’re trying to work ahead of the crisis, or at least at the beginning stage of the crisis, to try to look for long-term solutions.”
Background
This interview is part of a collection of interviews emerging from Living Together 2025: Connecting housing, social health, and resilience.
Living Together 2025 was a two-day ‘collective action’ symposium that convened over 200 housing experts, public health professionals, municipal planners, architects, place-based community organizations, emergency management professionals, senior government policymakers, academics, and students.
We are deeply grateful to the many attendees who took the time to share their reflections and insights in brief interviews. From student research assistants to housing operators, policymakers, and public health practitioners, these voices capture the rich diversity present at the symposium.
