DeBorah Gilbert White

DeBorah Gilbert White is a social psychologist, diversity and inclusion specialist, social justice and community advocate for people experiencing homelessness, at risk of homelessness, or formerly homeless.  She experienced homelessness in late 2011 and, in early 2012, found herself in a shelter for women in Wilmington, DE.  The experience provided her with insights that pushed her toward the work of obtaining a homeless bill of rights for the State of Delaware and served as a call to action to address the issues of housing justice and homeless rights across the State.

DeBorah most recently joined the leadership team of the National Coalition for the Homeless in Washington, D.C., as the Director of Education. In this capacity, she assists in advancing the policy and advocacy work of the Coalition and provides leadership for the Coalition’s Faces of Homelessness Speaker’s Bureau, which she has been a member of since 2018.

She is the founder of HerStory Ensemble LLC, an awareness, education, and advocacy community-based group focused on women and homelessness. HerStory Ensemble LLC is a member organization of the National Coalition for the Homeless, Delaware Continuum of Care (DE CoC), Delaware Working Families Party, and the Delaware H.O.M.E.S. (Housing, Opportunity, Mobility, Equity, Stability) Campaign.  Her housing and homelessness advocate work connects with individuals, groups, and organizations locally and nationally.

Dr. Gilbert White is a member of the Delaware Valley Association of Black Psychologists and author of Beyond Charity: A Sojourner’s Reflections on Homelessness, Advocacy, Empowerment and Hope, her memoir released September 2021. She is mother to two young adult children; daughter Jasmine, and son Malcolm.