Shams DaBaron, known as "Da Homeless Hero" and "Da Housing Hero," is a Bronx-born leader whose lived experience has directly shaped housing policy in New York City. Raised in foster care and first unhoused at ten, he educated himself in libraries while navigating street homelessness and later the family shelter system with his son. In 2020, while living at the Lucerne Hotel, DaBaron became a national voice on behalf of fellow residents during a high-profile fight over their removal. He later organized the 2021 Mayoral Candidates Forum on Homelessness and worked with the Adams administration on the Subway Safety Plan, Safe Haven expansion, Housing Our Neighbors Blueprint, removal of the 90-day CityFHEPS voucher rule and much more. In 2023–24, he championed the City of Yes zoning reform and launched LionFox Development to build affordable housing. In 2024, Adams appointed Shams to the NYC Charter Revision Commission to advance housing development.