Women’s Leadership in Housing Justice: UCHC at the 2025 Women’s Power Breakfast
- UCHC Detroit
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
By: UCHC Staff
Published: May 12, 2023
Takeaway from the Women's Power Breakfast
On May 7, four women leaders from United Community Housing Coalition (UCHC) (pictured above) attended Gleaners Community Food Bank’s annual Women’s Power Breakfast.—an inspiring gathering that highlights the importance of women’s leadership in housing justice and community advocacy. The event provided an opportunity for UCHC to connect with like-minded changemakers who are equally committed to equity, stability, and resilience for Detroit families.
Each of these women plays a vital role in UCHC’s work to preserve housing and prevent displacement across Detroit. Attending the event was not only a chance to connect with other women in leadership, but also to celebrate the shared values of equity, service, and systemic change.
This year’s breakfast featured powerful insights from community and corporate leaders, including Gerry Brisson (President & CEO of Gleaners), Amy Andrews (Fox 2 Detroit), Angela Halverson (Director of Community Giving, Gleaners), Michael Bickers (Regional President, PNC Bank), Stephanie McNees (CEO, Fish & Loaves Community Food Bank), and Cara Rayner (Senior Director of Operations and Project Management, Gleaners).
One of the most powerful moments came from Gerry Brisson, who used a live juggling performance to illustrate the daily reality of those Gleaners serves. As the juggler added ball after ball—representing food, rent, medical emergencies, transportation, and other urgent needs—Brisson described the constant balancing act that so many families must perform just to get by.
Eventually, the juggler dropped a ball. But instead of seeing failure, the audience instinctively responded with awe and admiration for how long and how skillfully he had kept everything in motion. Brisson reminded us that this is exactly how we should see the people we serve. When someone finally asks for help, it’s not because they’ve failed. It’s because they’ve been doing something extraordinary for a long time.
He urged us to recognize the miracle in their resilience and to respond, not with judgment, but with support. His message reinforced a core value that guides our work at UCHC: a deep respect for the inherent dignity of every person we serve. The role of organizations like Gleaners and UCHC is to help take a few of those balls out of the air—to reduce the weight of crisis and offer stability, opportunity, and compassion.
As UCHC continues its work to prevent eviction, support homeowners, and advance housing justice for tenants, events like the Women’s Power Breakfast reinforce the importance of compassion-driven leadership and the power of community collaboration; especially when led by women across sectors.
We know we can’t do this work alone. UCHC is eager to build new partnerships with mission-aligned organizations, strengthen our network of community advocates, and grow a base of dedicated volunteers. If you're interested in collaborating, supporting our work, or learning more about how to get involved, please visit www.uchcdetroit.org.
At UCHC, we believe that housing is a human right, and we know you do, too. Your generous support helps us keep our low-income neighbors safe and secure in their homes throughout the year. To help support UCHC, click here.
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