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THRIVE FROM THE START

Every infant and toddler deserves a safe, stable, and nurturing start in life. That’s why Housing Is has joined forces with  Prevent Child Abuse America, SchoolHouse Connection, and ZERO TO THREE to launch Thrive From The Start—a cross-sector effort dedicated to addressing homelessness among infants, toddlers, and expectant parents. Visit thrivefromthestart.org to learn more and explore how you can be a part of the solution. 

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Housing Is Working Group 2024-2025 Calendar

Join the Housing Is Working Group to discuss special topics related to cross-sector initiatives and programmatic considerations particularly focused on the intersections of housing, health, and education.

This year’s public webinars cover topics such as child welfare and housing, leveraging Medicaid resources for housing services, out-of-school time, and digital connectivity in a post-ACP world. 

View Calendar
 
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Webinar
Community:
Feb 8, 2022
The Housing Is team will be joined by staff from the Department of Education and Department of Housing and Urban Development to discuss evaluation considerations and best practices when evaluating multi-sector, community-based interventions such as the Promise and Choice Neighborhoods Initiatives. They will examine how they chose outcomes to track and how they set goals for the Promise and Choice Neighborhood Initiatives. They will also reflect on evaluation design considerations for these multifaceted programs.

Authored by: Housing Is
Topics: Data sharing, Education, Metrics
Shared by Stephanie Gray on Apr 18, 2022

Webinar Recording: Evaluation and Metrics, Lessons Learned from Promise and Choice Neighborhoods.

Webinar
Feb 8, 2022
Housing Is
The Housing Is team will be joined by staff from the Department of Education and Department of Housing and Urban Development to discuss evaluation considerations and best practices when evaluating multi-sector, community-based interventions such as the Promise and Choice Neighborhoods Initiatives.
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News Article
Community:
Apr 4, 2019
Education Design Lab taps four large community colleges in an ambitious effort to raise single-mother completion rate 30 percent at each institution by 2024.

Authored by: Education Design Lab for Ciston PR Newswire
Topics: Dual-generation, Early childhood, Family engagement, Low-income, Metrics, Post-secondary
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Apr 18, 2019
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Report
Community:
Jan 31, 2019
The EMPOWERED study, conducted on behalf of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, examines the use of performance measures, work requirements and child support cooperation requirements across human services programs. This issue brief is based on three case studies and provides local perspectives on the challenges and opportunities for aligning performance indicators across a variety of federal programs promoting self-sufficiency.

Authored by: Elizabeth Brown, Kara Conroy, and Gretchen Kirby for Mathematica
Topics: Legislation & Policy, Metrics, Research
Shared by Housing Is on Apr 15, 2019

Aligning Federal Performance Indicators Across Programs Promoting Self-Sufficiency: Local Perspectives

Report
Jan 31, 2019
Elizabeth Brown, Kara Conroy, and Gretchen Kirby for Mathematica
The EMPOWERED study, conducted on behalf of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, examines the use of performance measures, work requirements and child support cooperation requirements across human services programs.
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News Article
Community:
Apr 3, 2019
The Department of Housing and Urban Development issued a proposed rule Wednesday to improve its Section 3 Program, which requires funding recipients to employ low-income people and business.

Authored by: Jessica Guerin for Housing Wire
Topics: Asset building, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Metrics, Place-based, Workforce development
Shared by Housing Is on Apr 8, 2019
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Report
Community:
Feb 1, 2019
This annual report analyzes participation in the School Breakfast Program among low-income children nationally and in each state and the District of Columbia for the 2017–2018 school year. The report features best practices for increasing participation in the program, including breakfast after the bell models and community eligibility.

Authored by: Food Research & Action Center (FRAC)
Topics: Child welfare, Education, Food insecurity, Metrics, Nutrition, Research
Shared by Housing Is on Mar 1, 2019
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Webinar
Community:
Feb 12, 2019
During CLPHA’s Education Working Group Webinar on addressing school attendance at PHAs, representatives from the King County Housing Authority and the national nonprofit Attendance Works presented on tools for addressing chronic absenteeism, as well as strategies for fostering a culture of attendance among residents.

Authored by: CLPHA, Housing Is
Topics: Attendance, CLPHA, Dual-generation, Education, Housing, Housing Is Working Group, Low-income, Metrics, Partnerships, Place-based
Shared by Housing Is on Feb 12, 2019
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Publication
Community:
Jan 1, 2019
A healthy birth and positive experiences in early childhood can promote health and development. One approach that has improved outcomes for children and their parents is home visiting, which provides individually tailored support, resources, and information to expectant parents and families with young children. This brief summarizes recently published reports from two national studies of evidence-based early childhood home visiting: the Mother and Infant Home Visiting Program Evaluation (MIHOPE) and MIHOPE-Strong Start.

Authored by: MDRC
Topics: Child welfare, Dual-generation, Early childhood, Home visiting, Metrics, Partnerships, Place-based, Preventative care, Research
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Jan 31, 2019
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Research
Community:
Mar 1, 2018
Medicaid coverage reduced the prevalence of undiagnosed depression by almost 50% and untreated depression by more than 60%. It increased use of medications and reduced the share of respondents reporting unmet mental health care needs by almost 40%.

Authored by: Katherine Baicker, Heidi Allen, Bill Wright, Sarah Taubman, and Amy Finkelstein for Milbank Memorial Fund
Topics: Depression, Low-income, Medicaid / Medicare, Mental health, Metrics, Pacific Northwest, Research
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Jan 24, 2019

The Effect of Medicaid on Management of Depression: Evidence From the Oregon Health Insurance Experiment

Research
Mar 1, 2018
Katherine Baicker, Heidi Allen, Bill Wright, Sarah Taubman, and Amy Finkelstein for Milbank Memorial Fund
Medicaid coverage reduced the prevalence of undiagnosed depression by almost 50% and untreated depression by more than 60%. It increased use of medications and reduced the share of respondents reporting unmet mental health care needs by almost 40%.
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Publication
Community:
Jan 11, 2019
This short article expands on the press release issued last month by six national organizations. It explains why HUD’s data are so contentious, and why other data sources provide a more accurate picture of children, youth, and family homelessness.

Authored by: SchoolHouse Connection
Topics: Homelessness, Housing, Metrics, Research, Youth
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Jan 11, 2019
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News Article
Community:
Jan 10, 2019
Island School is one of 247 “community schools” in New York. These are regular public schools, with a twist. They have longer days and longer school years: Island stays open 12 hours a day, six days a week, including spring and winter breaks as well as the summer. A psychologist makes weekly rounds. A dentist comes by regularly. So does an optometrist, and students who need glasses get them free.

Authored by: David L. Kirk for The New York Times
Topics: Community development, Dual-generation, East Coast, Education, Family engagement, Homelessness, Housing, Low-income, Mental health, Metrics, Partnerships, Stability, Youth
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Jan 10, 2019
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Policy Brief
Community:
Health departments provide public health protections in a number of areas, including: preventing the spread of communicable disease, ensuring food, air, and water quality are safe, supporting maternal and child health, improving access to clinical care services, and preventing chronic disease and injury. In addition, public health departments provide local protections and services unique to their community’s needs.

Authored by: The Public Health National Center for Innovations (PHNCI)
Topics: Data sharing, Health, Metrics, Partnerships
Shared by Housing Is on Dec 17, 2018

Building a strong foundation of public health infrastructure.

Policy Brief
The Public Health National Center for Innovations (PHNCI)
Health departments provide public health protections in a number of areas, including: preventing the spread of communicable disease, ensuring food, air, and water quality are safe, supporting maternal and child health, improving access to clinical care services, and preventing chronic disease and in
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Webinar
Community:
Dec 11, 2018
CLPHA’s Education Working Group hosts a webinar including presentations on efforts from the Chicago Housing Authority to work with residents on pursuing postsecondary opportunities, as well as an update from HUD’s Office of Policy Development & Research on data collection around tracking and increasing FAFSA utilization.

Authored by: CLPHA
Topics: CLPHA, Cost effectiveness, Data sharing, Education, Funding, Housing, Housing Is Working Group, Low-income, Metrics, Midwest, Post-secondary, Research, Stability, Youth
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Dec 12, 2018

CLPHA Housing Is Postsecondary Efforts and Data Webinar - December 11, 2018

Webinar
Dec 11, 2018
CLPHA
CLPHA’s Education Working Group hosts a webinar including presentations on efforts from the Chicago Housing Authority to work with residents on pursuing postsecondary opportunities, as well as an update from HUD’s Office of Policy Development & Research on data collection around tracking and inc
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Research
Community:
Nov 9, 2018
The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) was first developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 1990 to assess the health risk behaviors of youth and adults in the United States. For the first time since the survey has been widely administered, the 2017 YRBS optional question list included two questions pertaining to homelessness. Using this YRBS data from 17 states (Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin), we conducted an analysis of differences in seven self-reported risk factors and health outcomes between high school students experiencing homelessness and those not experiencing homelessness. The results were striking and heartbreaking.

Authored by: SchoolHouse Connection
Topics: Health, Homelessness, Housing, Low-income, Metrics, Research, Youth
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Nov 29, 2018

Risk and Resilience: Differences in Risk Factors and Health Outcomes Between Homeless and Non-Homeless Students in 2017 YRBS Data

Research
Nov 9, 2018
SchoolHouse Connection
The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) was first developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 1990 to assess the health risk behaviors of youth and adults in the United States.
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Research
Community:
Nov 19, 2018
For decades, free and reduced-price lunch (FRPL) status has been used as a proxy measure for student poverty. Families filled out paper lunch forms, and these were the basis for allocating resources to schools, defining accountability goals, and conducting research. But recent changes to the National School Lunch Program mean that FRPL status is in decline as a measure of student need, and states are turning to alternatives.

Authored by: Erica Greenberg for The Urban Institute
Topics: Child welfare, Education, Food insecurity, Health, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Metrics, Research, Youth
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Nov 19, 2018

New measures of student poverty solve some challenges - and create others

Research
Nov 19, 2018
Erica Greenberg for The Urban Institute
For decades, free and reduced-price lunch (FRPL) status has been used as a proxy measure for student poverty. Families filled out paper lunch forms, and these were the basis for allocating resources to schools, defining accountability goals, and conducting research.
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Research
Community:
Nov 5, 2018
Using multiple panels from the US Census Bureau’s Survey of Income and Program Participation, we find that participation in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or public health insurance reduces the number of hardships low-income families with children experience by 48 percent and reduces the share who experience food insufficiency by 72 percent.

Authored by: Signe-Mary McKernan and Caroline Ratcliffe for The Urban Institute
Topics: Child welfare, Cost effectiveness, Food insecurity, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Medicaid / Medicare, Metrics, Research, Stability
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Nov 5, 2018

New evidence shows the safety net reduces Americans' material hardship by 48 percent

Research
Nov 5, 2018
Signe-Mary McKernan and Caroline Ratcliffe for The Urban Institute
Using multiple panels from the US Census Bureau’s Survey of Income and Program Participation, we find that participation in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or public health insurance reduces the number of hardships low-income families w
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News Article
Community:
Nov 1, 2018
Number of homeless vets falls to approximately 38,000, a 5.3% decline since last year and about half the 73,367 veterans tallied in 2009.

Authored by: Ben Kesling for WSJ
Topics: Homelessness, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Metrics, Partnerships
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Nov 2, 2018
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News Article
Community:
Nov 1, 2018
Many youth experiencing homelessness report avoiding shelters because they don’t feel safe there or can’t relate to the older adults, but they often don’t have another option. It’s a problem that many jurisdictions are working to correct, understanding that although homeless youth and homeless adults have similar needs, reaching these young people may require different spaces and different strategies.

Authored by: Serena Lei for How Housing Matters
Topics: East Coast, Education, Homelessness, Housing, Low-income, Metrics, Post-secondary, Safety, Youth
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Nov 1, 2018
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Policy Brief
Community:
Oct 29, 2018
In this Focus on Unaccompanied Youth brief, we review data and information that help us answer the following questions: • What is the scale of youth homelessness? • What do we know about unaccompanied youth who experience homelessness? • What do we know about patterns of homelessness among unaccompanied youth? • What do we know about youths’ risks for experiencing homelessness? • What are the most significant gaps in available data and our current understanding of unaccompanied youth who experience homelessness?

Authored by: U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness
Topics: Data sharing, Homelessness, Housing, Low-income, Metrics, Research, Youth
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Nov 1, 2018
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Webinar
Community:
Oct 8, 2018
During this All In webinar, Caroline Fichtenberg of SIREN reviewed the current landscape of assessment tools and outcomes measures for social needs. Karis Grounds of 2-1-1 San Diego explained how they incorporated social needs assessment into their Risk Rating Scale, which helps them better serve clients while showing the impact of their services.

Authored by: All In: Data for Community Health
Topics: Data sharing, Health, Low-income, Metrics, Partnerships, West Coast
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Oct 10, 2018
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Webinar
Community:
Oct 8, 2018
A growing recognition of the importance of social determinants of health (SDOH) has led to a proliferation of screening and assessment tools, but there are currently no national standards for how to systematically capture and address the non-health needs of patients. To provide some guidance for communities just starting out on this path, All In: Data for Community Health hosted a webinar featuring two subject matter experts.

Authored by: All In: Data for Community Health
Topics: Data sharing, Health, Metrics, Partnerships
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Oct 10, 2018
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Research
Community:
Oct 3, 2018
Using administrative data from Massachusetts, this study analyzes the health care use and Medicaid expenditures of families who experienced one or more homeless episodes between 2008 and 2015 to investigate how health care use is related to emergency housing experiences.

Authored by: Urban Institute
Topics: Asthma, Child welfare, Depression, Health, Homelessness, Housing, Low-income, Medicaid / Medicare, Metrics, Pre-natal, Research
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Oct 4, 2018

Early Detection and Intervention Could Improve Health Outcomes for Homeless Families

Research
Oct 3, 2018
Urban Institute
Using administrative data from Massachusetts, this study analyzes the health care use and Medicaid expenditures of families who experienced one or more homeless episodes between 2008 and 2015 to investigate how health care use is related to emergency housing experiences.
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Research
Community:
Sep 19, 2018
Many social issues stem from a history of unstable, unaffordable, and poor-quality housing. Research shows that housing is the first rung on the ladder to economic opportunity for individuals and that a person’s access to opportunity is intrinsically linked with that of the community at large. As the gap between rents and incomes widens, it is critical that professionals in fields outside housing—including health, education, and economic development, among others—understand its central importance.

Authored by: Veronica Gaitan for Urban Institute
Topics: Community development, Education, Health, Housing, Low-income, Metrics, Partnerships, Research
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Sep 20, 2018

How Housing Can Determine Educational, Health, and Economic Outcomes

Research
Sep 19, 2018
Veronica Gaitan for Urban Institute
Many social issues stem from a history of unstable, unaffordable, and poor-quality housing. Research shows that housing is the first rung on the ladder to economic opportunity for individuals and that a person’s access to opportunity is intrinsically linked with that of the community at large.
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Policy Brief
Community:
Aug 9, 2018
This brief outlines how state agencies can employ shared measurement and joint accountability across sectors as tools for improving population health outcomes. States can use these tools to drive coordination of preventive efforts and broaden the boundaries of population health achievements that no sector, or isolated incentive, can achieve alone.

Authored by:
Topics: Child welfare, Data sharing, Education, Family engagement, Health, Housing, Low-income, Metrics
Shared by Housing Is on Aug 9, 2018
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Case study
Community:
Aug 9, 2018
Health care payment and delivery models that challenge providers to be accountable for outcomes have fueled interest in community-level partnerships that address the behavioral, social, and economic determinants of health.We describe how Hennepin Health—a county-based safety-net accountable care organization in Minnesota—has forged such a partnership to redesign the health care workforce and improve the coordination of the physical, behavioral, social, and economic dimensions of care for an expanded community of Medicaid beneficiaries.

Authored by:
Topics: Affordable Care Act, Cost effectiveness, Health, Low-income, Medicaid / Medicare, Mental health, Metrics, Partnerships, Research
Shared by Housing Is on Aug 9, 2018

Hennepin Health: A Safety-Net Accountable Care Organization for the Expanded Medicaid Population

Case study
Aug 9, 2018
Health care payment and delivery models that challenge providers to be accountable for outcomes have fueled interest in community-level partnerships that address the behavioral, social, and economic determinants of health.We describe how Hennepin Health—a county-based safety-net accountable care org
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Research
Community:
Aug 1, 2018
We examined the impact of long-term (6 months or more) vacant housing and various durations of vacancy on a variety of health outcomes at the neighborhood level across three types of U.S. metropolitan areas (metros): (1) those that have experienced consistently strong growth, (2) those that have undergone weak growth, and (3) those hit hardest by the foreclosure crisis

Authored by:
Topics: Asset building, Asthma, Community development, Health, Housing, Low-income, Mental health, Metrics, Research, Safety, Transportation
Shared by Housing Is on Aug 1, 2018