Meagan Vincello, MSW (she/her), is a doctoral student at the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work whose career bridges law enforcement, housing policy, and homelessness systems. With more than a decade of experience in law enforcement, she developed a grounded understanding of how policy, trauma, and public perception shape the lives of individuals and communities. That experience continues to guide her commitment to equity-driven, systems-level reform and her belief that meaningful change happens when diverse stakeholders are willing to work together toward a shared purpose.
Before joining the University of Pittsburgh, Meagan worked within Spokane, Washington’s homelessness response system, helping to integrate data, compassion, and coordinated strategy into the city’s decision-making. Her early work supporting Spokane’s Point-in-Time count and related housing initiatives deepened her interest in how communities define and respond to homelessness. She later served as the Program Director in Spokane for Washington State’s Right of Way / Encampment Resolution Project, a statewide initiative created to address unsheltered homelessness at scale. In that role, Meagan guided a multidisciplinary partnership to help residents from the Pacific Northwest’s largest homeless encampment move into stable housing by expanding local capacity, developing new services, and bringing city, county, state, and nonprofit partners into closer alignment. The project became a reference point for collaborative systems change, illustrating how coordination and accountability can shift what is possible within public systems.
At the University of Pittsburgh, Meagan’s research explores how narrative framing and community participation influence public and policy responses to homelessness. Her work focuses on how perspective shifts across stakeholder communities can reshape systems, reduce stigma, and build more equitable pathways toward belonging.
Featured Work
Chapter 5, Applied Social Research: A Tool for the Human Services (11th edition, 2024), a case study highlighting Meagan’s leadership and programmatic efforts on Washington State’s Right of Way / Encampment Resolution Project.
Hilton, T., & Maus, A. (2024). Applied social research: A tool for the human services (11th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Research Interests
• Homelessness policy and systems reform
• Participatory action research and community-engaged methods
• Stakeholder engagement and cross-sector collaboration
• Narrative framing, stigma, and public discourse
• Social work, planning, and governance intersections
• Structural inequities, belonging, and power in human services
