Fresh Start Housing, LLC

05/28/2026

We are here! Vancouver for CASAE-AERC 2026 "Crossing Borders, Building Bridges: Adult Education in Times of Transformation." Follow along this week as I share from the roundtable and from the conversations happening at the conference. So grateful for the community that made this possible.

05/15/2026

Big news! My presentation proposal was accepted for the 5th World Conference on Transformative Education in Coquimbo, Chile this October! This is one of THREE conference acceptances I have received recently, and I am still letting that sink in.

The work is close to my heart: it asks how we reach adult learners who are living through crisis, when the very planning-oriented mindset that education assumes is exactly what crisis takes away.
So grateful for everyone who has encouraged and supported this journey. Chile, here I come!

05/05/2026

Insight #2 from my CASAE-AERC 2026 roundtable:

Standard financial literacy curricula fail crisis-affected populations not because those learners lack capacity — but because the approach embeds assumptions that break down under crisis conditions.

Three assumptions embedded in most programs:

1. That learners can project meaningfully into the future
2. That linear progression indicates effectiveness
3. That knowledge deficits — not structural barriers — cause instability

All three fail in crisis contexts.

At Fresh Start Housing, we designed around a multimodal curriculum — behaviorist, cognitivist, constructivist, sociocultural, and embodied approaches — not as competing theories, but as complementary entry points. Because a learner in crisis-time consciousness may have cognitive and emotional access to only one pedagogical pathway on any given day.

A multimodal design ensures that regardless of where a participant is on any given day, at least one pathway remains open to them.

The goal is not standardization. It is meeting the learner at their point in the continuum, every day.

More insights coming. , May 28–30, UBC Vancouver.

04/25/2026

Insight #1 from my CASAE-AERC 2026 roundtable:

For someone in stable housing, budgeting is a planning tool.
For someone facing eviction, budgeting is calculating the incalculable.

These are differences of kind, not degree.

Heidegger's concept of temporality helps explain why: in planning-time consciousness, we project into a future that feels open and imaginable. In crisis-time, that future collapses. The present demands immediate response. The past provides trauma rather than stability.

This is the foundation of the Crisis-Time Consciousness Framework (Roussel, 2026): a phenomenologically grounded distinction that explains why a learner who seems resistant or unmotivated may actually be operating from a radically different relationship with time, possibility, and financial decision-making.

The implication for educators: the problem is not the learner. It is the mismatch between the approach and the learner's actual reality.

More insights coming. Roundtable at , May 28–30, UBC Vancouver.

04/20/2026

I am honored to announce that my paper proposal has been accepted for presentation at the International Transformative Learning Conference (ITLC 2026).

📝 Paper Title: "A Phenomenological Framework for Transformative Learning in Financial Literacy: Distinguishing Crisis-Informed and Generic Approaches"

This work proposes Roussel’s Conceptual Framework — a phenomenologically grounded model that reconceptualizes financial literacy education for adults in crisis contexts. Drawing on 17 years of practice-based evidence from Fresh Start Housing, the framework integrates Husserlian intentionality, Heideggerian temporality, and Merleau-Pontian embodiment to address a critical gap in adult education theory: how do we facilitate transformative learning when learners are navigating housing instability, trauma, and structural barriers?

The reviewers noted the framework’s value in advancing transformative learning scholarship and its practical relevance for educators, practitioners, and policymakers — especially given the growing number of people living in conditions of crisis globally.

Final submissions are due July 7, 2026. I look forward to connecting with scholars and practitioners at the conference.
https://www.intertla.org/

The International Transformative Learning Association is a network of people, organizations and communities from over 60 countries.

04/15/2026

Big news to share! My doctoral research has been accepted as a roundtable presentation at CASAE-AERC 2026 in Vancouver, May 28–30!

Most financial literacy programs were designed for people who already have stable housing. After 17 years at Fresh Start Housing working alongside 400+ individuals navigating homelessness, I can tell you — that design does not work for everyone.

I have built a framework that recognizes this difference, and over the next six weeks I will be sharing key insights right here.

Early bird registration closes April 20. If you are in adult education or housing services, this conference is for you!
https://www.casae-aceea.ca/conferences/

04/06/2026

📣 This Wednesday, April 8th at 1:15 PM — I'll be at the Richmond Senior Recreation Center!

I've been invited to speak as part of the Blueprint for Health series on a topic close to my heart: Building Your Support System.

For over 17 years, Fresh Start Housing has walked alongside adults experiencing housing instability — and that journey began with my own story. This Wednesday, I'll be sharing that story, along with practical ideas for building and strengthening your personal support network at any stage of life.

Come ready to share your own experiences too — this is a conversation, not just a presentation. Your story matters!

📍 Richmond Senior Recreation Center | 765.983.7300
📅 Wednesday, April 8th | Doors open at 1:00 PM | Program begins at 1:15 PM

💡 We'll also be exploring how our senior community can get involved with Fresh Start Housing — including a simple, meaningful way to welcome someone into their very first apartment. Details inside!

Brochures will be available. Bring a friend. See you Wednesday! 💙

03/01/2026

Fresh Start Housing, LLC Marks 17 Years of Transforming Lives
Education-Based Transitional Housing Program Celebrates Impact Serving 400+ Richmond Residents

RICHMOND, IN — Fresh Start Housing, LLC, an education-based transitional housing program founded and led by Sandra E. Roussel, today marks 17 years of continuous service to the Richmond community. Since its founding, the organization has served more than 400 participants, providing a structured 15-month program that equips individuals and families experiencing transitional homelessness with the financial knowledge and stability tools needed to achieve lasting housing independence.

Unlike chronic homelessness — which represents approximately 19% of the unhoused population — transitional homelessness accounts for an estimated 81% of individuals experiencing housing instability at any given time. Fresh Start Housing was designed from its inception to serve this often-overlooked population, offering not emergency shelter but an integrated educational environment that treats participants as capable adults whose survival experiences represent legitimate knowledge rather than deficits to be corrected.
"I founded this program because I lived this experience," said Roussel. "I understand that the people who come through our doors already know how to survive. Our job is to build on that knowledge and help them move from crisis-time thinking to the kind of financial planning that sustains stability. Seventeen years of outcomes prove that this model works."

Participants in the Fresh Start Housing program complete a structured curriculum aligned with Roussel's Crisis-Time Consciousness Framework — a theoretical model she developed through 17 years of practitioner research and formalized in her recently published volume, Reconceptualizing Financial Literacy: A Phenomenological Framework for Crisis and Stability. On average, graduates leave the program with $5,000 to $13,000 in personal savings — a measurable benchmark of the financial transformation the program facilitates.

Roussel, who is completing a Doctor of Education in Adult and Community Education at Ball State University with a cognate in Executive Development in Public Service, has spent nearly two decades building the evidential and theoretical foundation behind Fresh Start Housing's approach. Her work challenges policymakers, educators, and housing advocates to reconceptualize financial literacy as a framework that must be responsive to the lived experience of crisis — not simply an application of generic planning-time strategies.

To commemorate the 17th anniversary, Fresh Start Housing will release a series of community impact stories, social media content highlighting key program outcomes, and a video feature showcasing graduates' journeys. The organization is also accepting speaking and consulting inquiries from organizations interested in implementing crisis-informed financial literacy practices.
"This anniversary isn't just about what we've accomplished," Roussel said. "It's about naming what we now know — and sharing it widely enough that the next generation of transitional housing programs doesn't have to build from scratch."

About Fresh Start Housing, LLC
Fresh Start Housing, LLC is a Richmond-based education-centered transitional housing program serving individuals and families experiencing transitional homelessness. Founded in 2009 by Sandra E. Roussel, the program offers a 15-month structured curriculum grounded in the Crisis-Time Consciousness Framework, supporting participants in achieving financial stability and lasting housing independence. For more information, visit https://www.freshstarthousing.com/

02/10/2026

I have some exciting news to share with you all.

After sixteen years of running Fresh Start Housing and watching participants save $5,000-$13,000 in our 15-month program, I kept asking myself: Why does our financial literacy education work when traditional approaches fail?

That question led me through doctoral research, phenomenological theory, and hundreds of pages of writing. Now, I'm thrilled to announce that Volume 1 of my book series "Reconceptualizing Financial Literacy: A Phenomenological Framework for Crisis and Stability" is pending Amazon review.

This book is for everyone who's been told "just budget better" while navigating impossible circumstances. It's for practitioners who know generic advice doesn't work but haven't had the theoretical framework to explain why. It's for researchers who want to understand how consciousness emerges differently in crisis versus stability.

Most importantly, it challenges the assumption that financial literacy education should look the same for everyone—regardless of their circumstances.

I'll share the Amazon link as soon as it goes live. Thank you for being part of this journey.

01/23/2026

Did you know homelessness isn't just one issue—it's actually four different challenges?

Understanding this changes everything about how we can help people experiencing housing instability in our community.

Research shows there are four types: Chronic (affecting people experiencing long-term homelessness with health challenges), Episodic (people cycling in and out of stability), Transitional (the largest group at 81%, often from sudden job loss, health crises, or family emergencies), and Hidden (people couch-surfing or living in cars who don't show up in official counts).

Here's what frustrates me after working in this field for sixteen years: we already know what works for each type. Education and job training help those in transitional situations. Permanent supportive housing with healthcare helps those with chronic needs. Mental health support breaks episodic cycles. Outreach connects hidden populations to resources.

The money exists. The research exists. But we keep applying one-size-fits-all solutions because it's administratively convenient, not because it's effective.
Our community deserves better. People experiencing homelessness deserve targeted help that matches their actual circumstances.

What would it look like if we matched our interventions to the real typology of need in Richmond? What if we demanded precision and effectiveness instead of accepting generic approaches?

These aren't just statistics—they're our neighbors. And they deserve solutions that actually work.