“Every time I had the opportunity to connect with Amy, I left the conversation with a deeper perspective / a new idea / renewed passion. Amy is a change agent. She brings a unique lense to complex social issues because she is able to clarify, simplify, and think of a strategic way forward by untying knots, making connections, and holistically spurring improvement. I first met Amy back in 2008 when she was a national representative on ending and preventing homelessness and was based in my community. As her work took her to different places, to this day, I still look forward to connecting with her because I appreciate learning from her. I reach out to Amy when I need her help understanding something or if I am thirsty for some new insight. She is a rare gem, especially around the complex social issue of homelessness.”

“Amy Sawyer was my go-to person at the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness when I wanted to get something done. She is deeply passionate about the human rights of persons experiencing homelessness, and worked daily to creatively and effectively use all the levers of the federal government to end and prevent homelessness in America. Her knowledge and experience are broad, but I am most grateful to her for our multiple collaborations in bringing a human rights analysis to the issue of criminalization of homelessness, and I believe our joint legacy in this area is that we changed the baseline of the federal conversation on criminalization to one that recognizes it as a human rights violation, and demands (and has obtained) policy changes as a result. Most people experiencing homelessness in America will never know her name, but her work has meaningfully improved literally hundreds of thousands of lives, and those of us who do know will always be happy to thank her for it!”