Niamh (she/hers) is a PhD candidate in Social Welfare. Her research focuses on barriers to resolving poverty and homelessness within social welfare systems and the potential of transformative social protection interventions. Her doctoral research examines the homeless response system in Los Angeles, exploring barriers to permanent housing access and the disproportionate incidence of these barriers for unhoused people of colour. Using ethnographic methods, this work draws on two years of participant observation in the South Los Angeles homeless service community and centres the critical perspectives of Black-led homeless service providers.
Niamh holds an MSc in Public Policy and Human Development from Maastricht University, and a BA in English Literature from the University of Bristol. Prior to her time at UCLA, Niamh worked at Housing Justice in London.