Renewing Our Commitment to Justice: Insights from Financial Empowerment and Child Advocacy Experts
With less than a week remaining until RE:Conference 2024, we're excited to share perspectives from two inspiring individuals working towards racial, housing, and economic justice in Oregon.
Devin Stubblefield, a financial empowerment training and coaching consultant, and Dana Hepper, Director of Policy & Advocacy for Children's Institute, offer valuable insights on renewal, misconceptions in their fields, and recent successes. Their experiences provide a glimpse into the evolving landscape of social justice work in our state.
Devin Stubblefield
In our video interview, Devin Stubblefield, a financial empowerment training and coaching consultant, shares his journey from the banking world to nonprofit work. Devin emphasizes the importance of self-care through mindful breathing and pacing oneself in demanding work environments.
He addresses the misconception that people are unwilling to discuss money, highlighting how creating a comfortable environment can lead to open, transformative conversations about finances. Devin also discusses the recent surge in demand for financial coaching, particularly in light of the pandemic, and how this trend is energizing his work. He sees access to resources and financial services as key to evolving racial, housing, and economic justice in Oregon.
Dana Hepper
1. Could you briefly introduce yourself? Tell us what brought you to your current work and what you do now.
I was an elementary school teacher working in a Title 1 school in Clackamas County. My experience as a teacher was that I had incredible students, but that the education, housing, early childhood, etc., etc. systems were not set up to support my students or teachers to thrive. Half of my class moved over the course of 1 school year due to lack of access to stable, affordable housing. Coaching and professional development for educators was minimal at best. The impacts of poverty and substance use disorder and intergenerational trauma were present in my classroom every day. Children are resilient and amazing, and we don’t adequately support them or their families.
2. This year's RE:Conference theme is "renewal." How do you practice self-renewal or self-care in your work? In moments when progress seems difficult or uphill, what renews your commitment to your work?
I love to spend time with my own kids, even just snuggled on the couch and watching a movie together.
3. What's a common misconception about the field you work in? How do you address it?
Sometimes lobbyists get a bad rap for wheeling and dealing, but there are plenty of people who lobby and advocate for important issues (like housing, child care, early learning). Shifting perceptions (and realities!) of lobbyists requires me to get out into communities across Oregon to really listen to how state decisions are impacting children and families and providers. I take seriously my responsibility to have those stories drive what I work on and how I work on it.
4. Can you share a recent success or breakthrough in your work that energized you?
I am one member of the Child Care for Oregon Coalition that won $172 million from the Oregon Legislature for Oregon’s childcare subsidy program (Employment Related Day Care, or ERDC) in the 2024 legislative session. I also helped advocate to have the Measure 110 package include some funding for prevention (through home visiting services and Relief Nurseries that work with families that may be experiencing addiction to build healthy family relationships).
5. How do you see the landscape of racial, housing, and economic justice in Oregon evolving, and what role does your work play in that evolution?
It is wonderful to see housing get such a prominent focus from Governor Kotek and the Oregon Legislature. I want to make sure that the funding and policy changes in this area really do help achieve racial justice. I also want to make sure that our investments in housing result in safe, stable housing for families with young children. Children from birth to their 1st birthday are the most likely people to face eviction – at a time when safety and stability are critical to their developing brains and bodies. I advocate for our housing dollars to intentionally build and maintain housing for families.
Devin Stubblefield and Dana Hepper offer valuable perspectives on the challenges and opportunities in their respective fields of financial empowerment and child advocacy. Their commitment to renewal - whether through mindful breathing or time with family - underscores the importance of sustaining oneself in demanding social justice work. As we look towards RE:Conference, these conversations remind us of the ongoing need for collaboration, access to resources, and systemic change in pursuit of racial, housing, and economic justice in Oregon. Their experiences and insights invite us all to reflect on our roles in this evolving landscape and how we can contribute to meaningful, lasting change for individuals, families, and communities across our state.
