Midwest Misfits

Hey Misfits, Thanks for joining us for this weeks bonus episode as Colleen and I chat about the election and what has transpired since. Also, we want to thank you for sticking with us this past year and wanted to let you know that we are going to take a break until after the holidays. Have a very Happy Thanksgiving and we hope to see you in 2023. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/midwest-misfits/support [https://anchor.fm/midwest-misfits/support]

Hey Misfits, Today we are chatting with Mom, entrepreneur and Nebraska State Senator Megan Hunt. We were lucky to briefly catch her during her busy re-election campaign for Nebraska Legislature District 8. We are now under a week until the midterms so make sure and drop off your ballots or set your reminders for next Tuesday, November 8th and get out there and vote! Thanks for listening to this episode of Midwest misfits. Make sure and subscribe to our show so you don’t miss a thing. You can also find us on social media @Mistfitpod. For more on Senator Hunt check her out and follow her on social media at: Twitter: @NebraskaMegan [https://twitter.com/nebraskamegan] Facebook: @MeganHuntNE [https://www.facebook.com/MeganHuntNE] IG: @NebraskaMegan [https://www.instagram.com/nebraskamegan/] --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/midwest-misfits/support [https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/midwest-misfits/support]

We are back with the 2nd half of Colleen's discussion with Dr. Erin Feichtinger, Policy Director of the Women's Fund.  If you missed the first episode you can check it out here: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/aRHHyOTUrub For more on Dr. Feichtinger and to learn where you an get in touch, check out here bio here: https://www.omahawomensfund.org/staff/erin-feichtinger/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/midwest-misfits/support [https://anchor.fm/midwest-misfits/support]

Today we have a special guest, State Senator Tony Vargas who is currently running for the House of Representatives. Senator Vargas began his career as a public-school teacher and member of the Omaha Public School Board. He then went on to the Nebraska Senate is hoping to win your vote for Congress. Thank you for listening to this episode of Midwest Misfits. For more about Senator Vargas’s campaign, visit https://www.vargasfornebraska.com/ [https://www.vargasfornebraska.com/]. There are only a couple weeks until the mid-terms so mark your calendars and get out to vote on November 8th! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/midwest-misfits/support [https://anchor.fm/midwest-misfits/support]

Dr. Erin Feichtinger Represents District 2 on the Metropolitan Community College Board of Governors.She joined the Women’s Fund as Policy Director in May 2022. She brings her extensive experience working on policy to increase housing security, food security and economic security at both the local and state level. Dr. Feichtinger has worked on several successful policy initiatives including Omaha’s Rental Registration and Proactive Inspection Ordinance as well as legislation increasing tenant protections and access to justice, increasing access to SNAP and affordable childcare. Her most recent efforts to secure federal funding for rental assistance and legal representation for tenants in eviction court has resulted in increased housing stability for all Nebraskans. Dr. Feichtinger has a degree in special education and a Ph.D. in history from Loyola University Chicago. She loves reading, research, music, learning the drums and spending time watching her daughter interact with the world. https://www.todaysomahawoman.com/news/erin-feichtinger/ [https://www.todaysomahawoman.com/news/erin-feichtinger/] “While Erin Feichtinger, Ph.D., is not a journalist, she “plays one on Twitter”—thanks to her undying passion for housing justice. Her tweet threads detailing Douglas County Eviction Court give a bird’s eye view into the housing crisis, and she is often asked if she is a reporter. She works with case managers and attorneys and partners with organizations like Metro Area Continuum of Care for the Homeless (MACCH) and Legal Aid of Nebraska to problem-solve and streamline the process so people can apply for rental assistance. “I genuinely believe that most of my job is trying to make their lives easier, from writing policies to showing up to the Legislature and going to City Council meetings.” Feichtinger says during 2020, she spent a lot of time with elected officials, securing rental, food and utility assistance funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. “I couldn’t be prouder to work every day with the absolute heroes who took on our neighbor’s collective pain and panic and helped them navigate through it all.” She has championed human rights from the start. In high school, she was a counselor at Camp Munroe, a recreational therapy program from UNMC’s Munroe-Meyer Institute for kids and adults with physical and/or mental disabilities. “Camp Munroe changed my life and probably set me on this path. I find that I always want to know why things are the way they are, and working with people with disabilities made me see the bigger systems at work that can often make life difficult for people,” she says.” https://www.civicnebraska.org/20220531-sda-erin-feichtinger/ [https://www.civicnebraska.org/20220531-sda-erin-feichtinger/] Each year, Civic Nebraska’s Strengthening Democracy Awards [https://www.civicnebraska.org/sda-2022] recognize Nebraskans whose work embodies the spirit of a modern, robust democracy. Civic Nebraska honors Erin Feichtinger of Omaha with the 2022 Civic Catalyst Award for relentlessly fighting for housing justice in Nebraska. Erin leads calls to action, helps Nebraskans tackle the state’s housing affordability issues, and has been a force in the lobby at the statehouse on behalf of emergency rental assistance for the state’s residents. In the most recent session of the Nebraska Legislature, Erin was instrumental in organizing, educating, and activating hundreds of Nebraskans to fight for aid, as well as other matters of fundamental housing fairness at the state and local levels. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/midwest-misfits/support [https://anchor.fm/midwest-misfits/support]