I am so grateful to have met and worked with Nanci Amidei, social worker extraordinaire, for several decades in Seattle. I first met Nancy when I interviewed for my job at the University of Washington (UW) in 1993. She had just started the University District Partnership for Youth (PFY_, a monthly conversation, planning, and advocacy group for teens and young adults experiencing homelessness in the U District of Seattle. Young people, service providers, sometimes community police officers, and a few people from the UW met monthly at the UW School of Social Work where Nancy worked. At the time, I was living in Baltimore City, working on health care with teens experiencing homelessness. At my first PFY meeting, I was hooked on Nancy's optimism, pragmatism, kindness, and positive energy. She is a big reason why I accepted the UW job.

On June 16, 2015, I sat down with Nancy to interview her about her life and work. She began with the story of what got her involved in homeless youth issues in the U District soon after she moved from Washington, DC. Josephine Archuleta, a fierce advocate for people experiencing homelessness and poverty, walked into Nancy's UW office one day and said, "The University of Washington is the biggest neighbor in the neighborhood and when it comes to homelessness, you people aren't even at the table." That conversation led to Nancy's establishing the PFY and many other programs benefiting homeless youth, families, and adults.

In my interview, she discussed her twenty-five-year career in various political jobs in Washington, D.C. She helped fight back against the Reagan administration's attempt to declare ketchup a vegetable for school lunch programs. She worked on poverty and hunger issues before moving to Seattle, where she still lives. Of homelessness in Seattle, she said, "Housing is a human right. People should not have to live on the streets. We should not be so concerned about judging people. We should be more concerned about housing people."

Bonus interview content: Nancy's advice on advocacy 101 and her telling of the political classic, The Butter Story.

And here are more of my photos of Nancy in action: