Lecturer in the Discipline of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research at Columbia University
Research Projects | Unstably Housed Youth
I lead a number of applied research projects in collaboration with partner organizations, advise undergraduate and Master's students, and pursue my own research in healthcare and public policy.
October 2024 - May 2025
Together Organizing Data Access for Youth programs (T.O.D.A.Y.)
Research Team: Drs. Geri L. Dimas, Meredith Dank, Andrea Hughes, Kayse Lee Maass, and Renata Konrad
This project explored the potential of designing a data platform to improve service delivery for runaway and homeless youth (RHY) in NYC. Focusing on creating a unified data entry system we explored the potential of enhancing real-time responsiveness and efficiency across various RHY organizations, streamlining service provision and resource allocation.
Supported by NSF 24-534 Civic Innovation Challenge
Project Partners: NYC youth with lived experience, NY Department of Youth & Community Development, NY State Office of Family and Children Services, NYC Mayor’s Office to End Domestic Gender-Based Violence, NY Coalition for Homeless Youth, Safe Horizons Streetworks, Covenant House, and Ali Forney Center
January 2022 - February 2025
A Survey: Understanding the Needs of Youth Human Trafficking Victims in New York City
Research Team: Drs. Meredith Dank, Andrea Hughes, Geri L. Dimas, Kayse Lee Maass, Renata Konrad, and Andrew Trapp
The purpose of this study is to learn from unstably housed youth which services would be most helpful to better connect them to services that best fit their needs, thereby decreasing vulnerability to trafficking.
Supported by NSF, Operations Engineering grant CMMI-1935602
Project Partners: NYC youth with lived experience, NY Department of Youth & Community Development, NY State Office of Family and Children Services, NY Coalition for Homeless Youth, Safe Horizons Streetworks, Covenant House, and Ali Forney Center
January 2022 - July 2023
Queue Routing Strategies to Improve Equitable Housing Coordination
Adviser: Dr. Kayse Lee Maass
This project uses simulation modeling to explore how crisis and emergency housing for runaway and homeless youth (RHY) in NYC can be made more responsive and efficient. By modeling shelter arrivals, service times, and provider capacity, we evaluate different coordination and routing strategies to identify approaches that improve access and overall system performance.
January 2021 - May 2023
Reducing Vulnerability to Human Trafficking: Improving Access to Housing and Support Services for Runaway and Homeless Youth in New York City
Research Team: Drs. Geri Dimas, Kayse Lee Maass, Andrew Trapp, Renata Konrad, Meredith Dank, and Andrea Hughes
We develop an integer linear programming model, building on the multiple multidimensional knapsack problem, to estimate the housing and service capacity required to support runaway and homeless youth (RHY). This RHY-centered framework provides a clearer picture of the resources needed to meet the survival needs of youth, particularly those at higher risk of exploitation.
Supported by NSF, Operations Engineering grant CMMI-1935602
Project Partners: NYC youth with lived experience, NY Department of Youth & Community Development, NY State Office of Family and Children Services, NY Coalition for Homeless Youth, Safe Horizons Streetworks, Covenant House, and Ali Forney Center
January 2021 - May 2022
Simulation Model to Evaluate LGBTQ+ RHY Access to Housing Resources
Team Members: Sophia Mantell, and Drs. Geri Dimas, Kayse Lee Maass, Renata Konrad, Andrew Trapp, Meredith Dank, and Andrea Hughes
We develop a discrete-event simulation of an LGBTQ+-focused crisis-emergency housing and drop-in program in NYC to evaluate operations and explore capacity-expansion strategies. The model supports conversations with policymakers, funders, and service providers about system needs and potential improvements.
Project Partners: NY Coalition for Homeless Youth, Safe Horizons Streetworks, and Ali Forney Center
Other Projects
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Covenant House NY, Building An Automated Performance Tracking Dashboard
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On the Optimization of Benefit to Cost Ratios for Public Sector Decision Making, https://arxiv.org/abs/2212.04534
May 2023 - Present