By Matthew Hersh
As Housing Initiatives of Princeton (HIP) marks 25 years of serving Mercer County residents facing housing insecurity, the organization is framing its work not simply as emergency assistance, but as part of a long-term effort toward dignity, belonging, and community support.
That message took center stage during HIP’s Festive Spring Gathering fundraiser on May 3 with a keynote discussion led by Kathryn J. Edin, one of the nation’s leading researchers on poverty and housing insecurity.
Edin, a professor of sociology and public affairs at Princeton University and director of the University’s Bendheim-Thoman Center for Research on Child Wellbeing, has spent decades studying low-wage work, housing instability, and the lived experience of poverty in America. Her books, including $2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America (with H. Luke Schaefer) and The Injustice of Place: Uncovering the Legacy of Poverty in America (with H. Luke Schaefer and Timothy Jon Nelson), examine how structural inequality, fragile social safety nets, and stigma shape the lives of poor families.
Following the event, Edin spoke with Town Topics about how well-intended policies designed to help people often fail because they are rooted in shame rather than dignity.
“We’ve been operating under the assumption in American social policy for 350 years that the only way to reduce poverty is to shame people,” said Edin. “And there’s very little evidence to suggest this premise is true.”
Instead, she pointed to a growing body of social science research suggesting that dignity and social inclusion improve civic participation, mental health, and long-term stability.
“What HIP does really well is that recognition piece,” Edin said. “Seeing people as neighbors. Recognizing their fundamental humanity. And treating them in a way that says, ‘You are part of us. You are part of our community.’”
HIP works to prevent homelessness through rental assistance, transitional housing support, and community-based outreach. Edin said preventing housing instability early is both “more humane and more effective” than responding after families lose housing entirely.
“If you’re evicted, for example, it could take you many, many thousands of dollars to reestablish what you had,” she said. “Whereas a simple one-time offer of assistance from an eviction prevention program could prevent that very costly journey from ever taking place.”
But Edin stressed that poverty carries psychological and physiological costs as well.
“Being poor is like being hit in the stomach again and again and again,” she said. “We say we want them not to be poor, but we beat them up to the extent that their capacities are actually weakened or even broken down.”
Edin pointed to housing’s role as a determinant of health. Drawing on her research, Edin described how stigmatized public housing environments often harmed mental health and parenting, while housing voucher programs that gave families more choice and integration into neighborhoods produced measurable health outcomes.
“It’s not just about being unhoused,” she said. “It’s about how you house people.”
Edin also argued that communities should rethink the role poor residents play within civic life. Rather than viewing low-income people solely as recipients of aid, organizations should recognize their desire to contribute and participate.
“A fully dignified life includes contribution,” she said.
That philosophy aligns closely with HIP’s community-centered approach, which emphasizes relationships and neighborhood support alongside direct services.
The Spring Gathering also honored Shah Happiness Foundation for its support of HIP’s work. The foundation, whose mission focuses on improving health, education, and wellness while preparing communities for 21st-century opportunities, made its gift in memory of Jaya Shah and Pranjivan Shah, honoring their lifelong commitment to service and philanthropy.
As HIP enters its 25th year, Edin underscored a growing consensus among researchers and local advocates alike: housing policy and its connection to dignity, health, and human connection should be viewed as one.
“The way you give something to someone,” said Edin, “is maybe as important as the amount you give.”