Who is HOME?
We believe in the craft and practice of research and are committed to conducting field work and collecting data that meet the needs of NYC. We come from a variety of disciplines, but all contribute to the design of our research and use our experience in the field to interpret the data we collect. The most effective policies are those grounded in the lived experiences that New Yorkers share with us.
Elyzabeth Gaumer
Lyz is HPD’s Chief Research Officer and founding director of the Center for Research on HOME. She has 20+ years of experience in survey research, specializing in rent regulation, neighborhood effects, and social networks. PhD, Sociology, University of Chicago.
Caitlin Waickman
Caitlin is the Director of Research and oversees research design and data collection, with expertise in rent regulation, mobility, and language access. She’s a PhD student at CUNY Graduate Center and holds an MA in Urban Studies from Fordham University.
Danny Goldstein
Danny is the Senior Research Scientist and specializes in survey methodology, administrative data, and privacy protocols. He has over a decade of experience integrating city data systems. BA, English Literature, City College of New York.
Pablo Sanchez
Pablo, Research Implementation Coordinator, has 15+ years of experience managing field operations and engaging hard-to-reach populations. He focuses on improving survey data quality. Studied Human Services at City College of New York.
Edward Castro
Edward, Project Coordinator, Data Collection & Surveys, manages survey logistics and field staff training. His interests include rent regulation and disability in housing. BA, Sociology; MA, Urban Policy, Hunter College.
Maggie Phan
Maggie, Learning and Development Coordinator, leads the HOME Scholars Program and supports student researchers. Her focus includes parks access, housing and health, and immigrant food behaviors. PhD, University of Illinois; BA, University of Pennsylvania.
Josh Hellyer
Josh, Fair Housing Research Analyst, supports data collection and quantitative analysis on housing-related projects. His background includes field research on discrimination in the U.S., Germany, and Turkey. He holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of Mannheim and a BS from Iowa State University.
Harry Sun
Harry, Fair Housing Research Analyst, supports analysis and visualization for the NYC Housing and Vacancy Survey. He specializes in survey data, paradata, and GIS to explore resource disparities across neighborhoods. He holds a BA in Sociology and an MS in Data Science from Fordham University.
Center Affiliates
Allison Corbett
Allison is a language justice consultant, trainer, and oral historian with nearly 20 years of experience providing Spanish-English interpretation. Her work advances multilingual research and investment in multilingual community-building. She holds an MA in Oral History from Columbia University.
Yenny Fernández
Bilingual field researcher with over 15 years’ experience in qualitative and quantitative data collection, training, and translation. MS, Applied Social Research, Hunter College.
Daphne Jennings
Daphne Jennings is a Field Interviewer at the Center for Research on HOME, supporting the Community Choice Demonstration. She brings experience from nonprofit and government work focused on families and children, with interests in gender, race, and neurodivergence.
Ahuva Jacobowitz
Affiliate researcher focused on housing and health outcomes, with expertise in epidemiology, data analysis, and grant development. PhD candidate, Epidemiology; MA, Columbia University.
Sophia Abbasi
Sophia leads strategic communications and public engagement, with a background in racial equity, nonprofit marketing, and digital strategy. MA, Strategic Communications, SUNY Albany.
Language Justice Team
Christine Wong
Christine is a trilingual language justice practitioner with 5 years of experience in community organizing, interpretation and translation. She commits to decentralizing English as the dominant language. Studied Biology and Psychology at CUNY.
Vicky Kan
Vicky is a Bilingual Research Assistant (Chinese) with expertise in cross-cultural communication and engagement. With over eight years of experience in the U.S. and Hong Kong, she leads community programs and culturally responsive marketing initiatives to connect people and foster understanding. She holds a BA in Sociology from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Aleksandr Sabirov
Aleksandr, a bilingual researcher and data scientist, contributes to Russian-language work on the NYC Housing and Vacancy Survey (NYCHVS). His research interests include housing, migration, and language accessibility in public data. With over a decade of experience in IT and telecommunications, he brings technical expertise in data analysis, machine learning, and multilingual survey research. He’s an alum of MIT’s Emerging Talent Program and a volunteer with NYC non-profits, supporting LGBTQ+ asylum seekers from post-Soviet countries.
Anya McComsey
Anya is a skilled bilingual research assistant with extensive expertise in languages, linguistics and psychology. She holds multiple advanced degrees from Moscow Pedagogical University, Teachers College at Columbia University, and Fordham University. With a strong international background and interdisciplinary expertise, she brings valuable insight and precision to her research work.
Allison Corbett
Allison is a language justice consultant, trainer, and oral historian with nearly 20 years of experience providing Spanish-English interpretation. Her work advances multilingual research and investment in multilingual community-building. She holds an MA in Oral History from Columbia University.
Deepsikha Chatterjee
Deepsikha Chatterjee teaches theatre, design, and cultural studies at Hunter College CUNY. She researches costumes, masks, and performance design across South and Southeast Asia and won USITT’s Herbert D. Greggs Honor Award in 2021. She also produces and presents Indian dance in New York with the Indo American Arts Council.
Tisha Nazish
Nazish Tisha is a tenant organizer, Bengali language researcher, and a freelance interpreter and translator. Born in Bangladesh, she attended the Faculty of Fine Arts at Dhaka University, where she majored in Sculpture. She is a mixed-media artist, as well as a cultural worker and organizer.
Patri González Ramírez
Language Justice practitioner and Spa<>Eng interpreter/translator with 15+ years of experience working with NYC communities and nonprofits. They specialize in review and consulting for inclusive language, including gender neutral and person first language, among others.
Jennifer Salgado
Jennifer has over 10 years of experience working with diverse communities across NYC in labor and the education system. Her most recent work has focused on advancing language access as an interpreter and translator for every day New Yorkers. BA Political Science, CUNY Lehman College.
Denise Felix
Denise M. Felix is a Bilingual Research Assistant and Translator specializing in Haitian Creole–English translation, interpretation, and cultural adaptation. She leads Reliance 7 Consulting LLC and collaborates with AfroResistance to advance multilingual accessibility and advocacy for Haitian Creole–speaking communities.
Souzen Joseph
Trilingual Communication specialist with over 18 years of experience in gender advocacy, Culture, Education, and humanitarian work. Degree in Social Communication, Multimedia Journalism, MS in Media Management.
HOME Summer Scholars Program
This program offers undergraduate and graduate students hands-on experience in housing research at NYC’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development. Scholars support data analysis, fieldwork, and policy projects aligned with their interests—gaining real-world skills in public service and urban policy.
Jasmin Garcia
Jasmin is pursuing a master’s in Applied Psychological Methods at Fordham University. She brings experience in research on housing stability, economic security, and gender-based violence, and supports fieldwork to advance housing equity in NYC.
Max Greenstein
Max is a senior at Tufts University studying sociology, political science, and English. With a background in LGBTQ+ advocacy and research on care providers, they support HOME’s mission through research, storytelling, and community engagement.
Sayuri Govender
Sayuri is a senior at Barnard College studying Sociology. As a student journalist, she focuses on uplifting marginalized voices and brings that passion to her work at HOME, supporting research and advocacy for housing equity in NYC.