Meet Nora Moran: Director of Policy and Advocacy

Nora Moran, from United Neighborhood Houses of New York, brings extensive experience in policy and community advocacy to the IFS board. Discover her journey and vision for the future of settlement houses worldwide.

Where do you work and what is your title?

I work at United Neighborhood Houses of New York, where I am the Director of Policy and Advocacy. United Neighborhood Houses (UNH) is a policy and social change organization representing neighborhood settlement houses that reach nearly 800,000 New Yorkers from all walks of life. We mobilize our members and their communities to advocate for good public policies and promote strong organizations and practices that keep neighborhoods resilient and thriving for all New Yorkers. UNH leads advocacy and partners with our members on a broad range of issues including civic and community engagement, neighborhood affordability, healthy aging, early childhood education, adult literacy, and youth development. We also provide customized professional development and peer learning to build the skills and leadership capabilities of settlement house staff at all levels.

Briefly summarize your background?

I am a social worker, and bring that lens to my advocacy work. My work with settlement houses began almost a decade ago when I started working as a Policy Analyst at UNH, focusing on aging issues. It was exciting to see the organizations that I had studied in social work school in action, and got to learn how settlement houses in New York City worked to support older adults through a variety of programs. Being able to support their work and advocate on their behalf was exciting. I found their approach to the work—to support older adults with social services and food assistance but also fight ageism, to empower them to recognize their potential, and encourage society to think of older adults as assets—to be refreshing. After working in policy at a crime victim assistance organization, I came back to UNH as Director of Policy and Advocacy.

 Describe what you do for your organization

In my role, I work with settlement houses across New York to understand their needs and challenges, to identify policy solutions that will support their communities, and to advocate with and for them for good public policies. I work with a team of policy analysts to hear from settlement houses about on the ground issues, and translate that into an advocacy agenda. We then take that agenda and bring it to elected and appointed government leaders across New York, to encourage them to dedicate funding to settlement house priorities, support legislation that helps settlement house communities, etc. We also run a robust civic engagement program, where we coach settlement houses to embed civic engagement activities in their neighborhoods, such as voting or completing the Census.

What are your hopes for the future of the IFS and the Settlement Movement in general?

I am passionate about the settlement house movement and model, and think that it is one of the best ways to build community and address social issues in a neighborhood. My hope for the movement is that settlement houses continue to provide the place-based services and supports that we are know for, but that we also flex our advocacy muscles and speak up and out on issues that are important to us, big or small. I think settlement houses play a crucial role in protecting and promoting democracy and empowering people to advocate on behalf of their communities, and I hope IFS can continue to foster this globally.