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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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Research
Community:
Jan 25, 2019
The employment social enterprise (ESE) model can provide an opportunity to create a financially viable business that helps individuals with employment barriers become integrated into the labor force. This research studied eight ESEs. Findings suggest that by applying private‐sector business principles to a workforce development programs, social enterprises can provide participants with meaningful and valuable work experience, while offsetting program costs. Analysis identified four promising practices that social entrepreneurs should adopt when setting up a new enterprise. Enterprises should (a) provide soft‐skill training and social services to participants; (b) operate at a size that allows for economies of scale in production and the provision of support services; (c) have few occupational skill requirements; and (d) hire supervisors with both industry knowledge and the capacity to support individuals with employment barriers.

Authored by: Mathematica Policy Research
Topics: Asset building, Low-income, Research, Workforce development
Shared by Housing Is on Mar 18, 2019

Doing Good While Doing Business Using Financial Viability to Enhance Employability for the Disadvantaged

Research
Jan 25, 2019
Mathematica Policy Research
The employment social enterprise (ESE) model can provide an opportunity to create a financially viable business that helps individuals with employment barriers become integrated into the labor force. This research studied eight ESEs.
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Research
Community:
Nov 19, 2018
With persistent concerns about health care expenditures, the health care field has recognized a group of patients known as super utilizers—people with complex health needs and socioeconomic challenges who have very high levels of hospital use. A well-publicized team-based care management model to address the needs of these patients is the hotspotting model pioneered by the Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers in New Jersey, first brought to national attention by an article in the New Yorker in 2011. So far, interest in programs to help super utilizers has outpaced the available evidence on their effectiveness.

Authored by: Mathematica Policy Research
Topics: Health, Low-income, Medicaid / Medicare, Research
Shared by Housing Is on Mar 18, 2019

High-Intensity Care Management Program Shows Promise for Reducing Hospital Use and Spending for Super Utilizers

Research
Nov 19, 2018
Mathematica Policy Research
With persistent concerns about health care expenditures, the health care field has recognized a group of patients known as super utilizers—people with complex health needs and socioeconomic challenges who have very high levels of hospital use.
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Research
Community:
Feb 28, 2019
Findings from a national descriptive study of Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships reveal new information about how partnerships expand access to high quality, affordable care for infants and toddlers. The study describes characteristics of these partnerships, including how they were formed and operated, as well as strategies for implementing partnerships in both center-based child care and family child care homes. It also describes the wide range of services that partnerships offer to children and families who receive care through Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership grant funds. Lessons learned from this study can inform ongoing and future activities of partnerships in early care and education programs as well as training and technical assistance efforts.

Authored by: Del Grosso, Thomas, Makowsky, Levere, Fung, and Paulsell for Department of Health and Human Services
Topics: Child welfare, Early childhood, Low-income, Research
Shared by Housing Is on Mar 15, 2019

Working Together for Children and Families: Findings from the National Descriptive Study of Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships

Research
Feb 28, 2019
Del Grosso, Thomas, Makowsky, Levere, Fung, and Paulsell for Department of Health and Human Services
Findings from a national descriptive study of Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships reveal new information about how partnerships expand access to high quality, affordable care for infants and toddlers.
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News Article
Community:
Mar 15, 2019
Although such a complex problem such as lack of affordable housing demands numerous solutions, modular construction looks promising, barreling toward a tipping point with a new generation of startups bringing a manufacturing mindset to multifamily construction.

Authored by: Matt Alderton for Arch Daily
Topics: Community development, Cost effectiveness, Housing, Low-income
Shared by Housing Is on Mar 15, 2019

How Modular Construction Could Offer a Lasting Solution in the Affordable Housing Crisis

News Article
Mar 15, 2019
Matt Alderton for Arch Daily
Although such a complex problem such as lack of affordable housing demands numerous solutions, modular construction looks promising, barreling toward a tipping point with a new generation of startups bringing a manufacturing mindset to multifamily construction.
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News Article
Community:
Mar 15, 2019
The venture is a small yet innovative player in a growing number of nonprofits developing new models for work force training. Their overarching goal is upward mobility for low-income Americans and the two-thirds of workers without four-year college degrees.

Authored by: Steve Lohr for The New York Times
Topics: Asset building, Broadband, Low-income, Workforce development
Shared by Housing Is on Mar 15, 2019

Income Before: $18,000. After: $85,000. Does Tiny Nonprofit Hold a Key to the Middle Class?

News Article
Mar 15, 2019
Steve Lohr for The New York Times
The venture is a small yet innovative player in a growing number of nonprofits developing new models for work force training. Their overarching goal is upward mobility for low-income Americans and the two-thirds of workers without four-year college degrees.
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News Article
Community:
Mar 12, 2019
Kaiser is investing $200 million in low-interest loans for affordable housing nationwide. This may be part of a growing national trend of health maintenance organizations investing in housing to improve community health. In Phoenix, United Healthcare lent money to a community development corporation, Chicanos Por La Causa, to purchase apartment complexes for Medicaid recipients. In Chicago, the University of Illinois Hospital helps to find permanent housing for homeless people who regularly present at its emergency department.

Authored by: Raquel Maria Dillon for Market Place
Topics: Affordable Care Act, Community development, Health, Homelessness, Housing, Low-income, Partnerships, West Coast
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Mar 14, 2019
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Report
Community:
Mar 1, 2019
The #RealCollege survey is the nation’s largest annual assessment of basic needs security among college students. The survey, which specifically evaluates access to affordable food and housing, began in 2015 under the Wisconsin HOPE Lab. This report describes the results of the #RealCollege survey administered at nearly half of the schools in the California Community College system in the fall of 2016 and 2018.

Authored by: The Hope Center, California Community Colleges, and #RealCollege
Topics: Homelessness, Low-income, Post-secondary, Research, West Coast, Youth
Shared by Housing Is on Mar 13, 2019
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Research
Community:
The lead article, “Landlords: Critical Participants in the Housing Choice Voucher Program,” provides a basic overview of the HCV program and the role that landlords play in it; examines the implications of voucher acceptance for assisted households; surveys existing research on landlord participation; and provides examples of the types of program and initiatives that HUD, PHAs, and local governments are pursuing to increase voucher acceptance. The Research Spotlight, “HUD-Sponsored Research Sheds New Light on HCV Landlords,” by Meena Bavan and Paul Joice, discusses the findings of two recent HUD-sponsored studies, “A Pilot Study of Landlord Acceptance of Housing Choice Vouchers,” and “Urban Landlords and the Housing Choice Voucher Program: A Research Report.” Finally, the In Practice article, “PHAs Encourage Landlord Participation With Incentives,” discusses initiatives in Marin County, California, and Cambridge, Massachusetts, that offer financial benefits, education, and streamlined administrative processes to encourage landlords to lease to voucher holders.

Authored by: HUD, Office of Policy Development and Research
Topics: Housing, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Research
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Mar 12, 2019
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News Article
Community:
Mar 7, 2019
Democrats this week announced new legislation that would slash child poverty by paying low-income parents the kind of monthly allowance that is standard in other developed countries. But the lawmakers who introduced the bill, called the American Family Act, didn’t use the terms “child benefit” or “child allowance” at their Capitol Hill press conference Wednesday. Instead, they all called it a tax credit or a tax cut.

Authored by: Arthur Delaney for HuffPost
Topics: Child welfare, Dual-generation, Early childhood, Funding, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Research
Shared by Housing Is on Mar 12, 2019
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News Article
Community:
Feb 5, 2019
We beef up law enforcement to attack crime, devote more funding to try and improve inadequate schools and tackle health disparities by getting more people to the doctor. But what if Baltimore could solve all of its persistent social problems by getting rid of poverty?

Authored by: Baltimore Sun Editorial Board for The Baltimore Sun
Topics: Asset building, Criminal justice, Funding, Health, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Mental health
Shared by Housing Is on Mar 11, 2019

What if we just focused on poverty to solve the city's issues?

News Article
Feb 5, 2019
Baltimore Sun Editorial Board for The Baltimore Sun
We beef up law enforcement to attack crime, devote more funding to try and improve inadequate schools and tackle health disparities by getting more people to the doctor. But what if Baltimore could solve all of its persistent social problems by getting rid of poverty?
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News Article
Community:
Oct 1, 2018
When children get sick from poor living conditions inside their rundown apartments, they miss school. And when 95 percent of students of one school live in the same apartment complex—where evictions are routine and black mold is rampant—classrooms are often left empty.

Authored by: Jamie Hwang for the American Bar Association Journal
Topics: Attendance, Child welfare, Education, Health, Housing, Low-income, Partnerships, Place-based, Youth
Shared by Housing Is on Mar 11, 2019

Atlanta pro bono proram expands to resolve elementary school students' housing issues

News Article
Oct 1, 2018
Jamie Hwang for the American Bar Association Journal
When children get sick from poor living conditions inside their rundown apartments, they miss school. And when 95 percent of students of one school live in the same apartment complex—where evictions are routine and black mold is rampant—classrooms are often left empty.
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News Article
Community:
Jan 22, 2019
In 2016, the health system teamed with Spartanburg Community College and the National Center for Construction Education and Research, a nonprofit that provides global training and certification. Together, the three entities began offering construction skills training to area residents.

Authored by: Alan Jenkins and Melinda Young for Discover Health
Topics: Asset building, Health, Low-income, Partnerships, Workforce development
Shared by Housing Is on Mar 11, 2019

Building a Community

News Article
Jan 22, 2019
Alan Jenkins and Melinda Young for Discover Health
In 2016, the health system teamed with Spartanburg Community College and the National Center for Construction Education and Research, a nonprofit that provides global training and certification. Together, the three entities began offering construction skills training to area residents.
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News Article
Community:
Mar 6, 2019
Fort Worth’s work finding housing solutions for those facing homelessness can serve as a model for the rest of the country, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson said Wednesday during a stop in Cowtown, one of several planned in Texas.

Authored by: Luke Ranker for Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Topics: Funding, Homelessness, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Partnerships, South
Shared by Housing Is on Mar 11, 2019

Fort Worth is a model for the country, HUD Secretary Ben Carson says. Here's why

News Article
Mar 6, 2019
Luke Ranker for Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Fort Worth’s work finding housing solutions for those facing homelessness can serve as a model for the rest of the country, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson said Wednesday during a stop in Cowtown, one of several planned in Texas.
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News Article
Community:
Mar 8, 2019
Typhus, tuberculosis, and other illnesses are spreading quickly through camps and shelters.

Authored by: Anna Gorman and Kaiser Health News for The Atlantic
Topics: Health, Homelessness, Housing, Low-income, West Coast
Shared by Housing Is on Mar 8, 2019
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Research
Community:
Mar 8, 2019
The number of kids enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) — two government health plans for the poor — fell by nearly 600,000 in the first 11 months of 2018, a precipitous drop that has puzzled and alarmed many health policy analysts, while several states say it reflects the good news of an improving economy.

Authored by: Michael Ollove for The Pew Charitable Trusts
Topics: Affordable Care Act, Child welfare, Early childhood, Health, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Medicaid / Medicare, Research, Youth
Shared by Housing Is on Mar 8, 2019

Child Enrollment in Public Health Programs Fell by 600K Last Year

Research
Mar 8, 2019
Michael Ollove for The Pew Charitable Trusts
The number of kids enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) — two government health plans for the poor — fell by nearly 600,000 in the first 11 months of 2018, a precipitous drop that has puzzled and alarmed many health policy analysts, while several states say it refl
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Podcast
Community:
One out of every 10 young people between the ages of 16 and 24 is neither working nor in school. These “disconnected” young people face an uphill battle finding work and are at risk of economic hardship well into adulthood. Although there are many programs that aim to reconnect young people to education and employment, findings from evaluations of these programs have been mixed. The evidence base has grown substantially in the past several months, though, as studies of three pro­grams — YouthBuild, Year Up, and New York City’s Young Adult Internship Program (YAIP) — have released new findings. MDRC’s Dan Bloom and Cynthia Miller recently wrote a brief that discusses findings from the new studies and their implications for youth programs.

Authored by: MDRC
Topics: Asset building, Low-income, Mobility, Research, Workforce development, Youth
Shared by Housing Is on Mar 8, 2019
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Research
Community:
Nov 22, 2018
Improved access to health insurance contributed to reducing worry and stress associated with paying rent/mortgage or purchasing meals among low-income people. Expanding health insurance access may have contributed to increasing the disposable income of low income groups.

Authored by: Shiho Kino, Koryu Sato, and Iciro Kawachi for International Journal for Equity in Health
Topics: Affordable Care Act, Health, Housing, Low-income, Medicaid / Medicare, Mental health, Research, Stability
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Mar 7, 2019

Spillover benefit of improved access to healthcare on reducing worry about housing and meal affordability

Research
Nov 22, 2018
Shiho Kino, Koryu Sato, and Iciro Kawachi for International Journal for Equity in Health
Improved access to health insurance contributed to reducing worry and stress associated with paying rent/mortgage or purchasing meals among low-income people. Expanding health insurance access may have contributed to increasing the disposable income of low income groups.
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News Article
Community:
Mar 1, 2019
Residents of a South Carolina public housing complex are demanding answers after two of their neighbors died from the gas.

Authored by: Suzy Khimm and Laura Strickler for NBC News
Topics: Housing, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Safety
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Mar 7, 2019
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News Article
Community:
Mar 5, 2019
In a recently published report called “A Roadmap to Reducing Child Poverty” from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, its co-authors suggest policy changes that they claim could cut child poverty in half in just 10 years.

Authored by: Rhonda Fanning and Michael Marks for Texas Standard
Topics: Child welfare, Health, Legislation & Policy, Low-income
Shared by Housing Is on Mar 7, 2019

New Policy Recommendations Aim To Reduce Child Poverty By Half, Within 10 Years

News Article
Mar 5, 2019
Rhonda Fanning and Michael Marks for Texas Standard
In a recently published report called “A Roadmap to Reducing Child Poverty” from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, its co-authors suggest policy changes that they claim could cut child poverty in half in just 10 years.
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Publication
Community:
Education Leads Home’s State Partnerships on Student Homelessness Project brings together policymakers and practitioners from with the goal of overcoming child and youth homelessness through education. Through the partnership, each state is committed to researching and implementing replicable best practices that address the most urgent needs of their unique homeless student populations. The State Partnerships on Student Homelessness Project is a nonpartisan effort to develop best practices that can be replicated by communities and states nationwide. In its inaugural year of the project, Education Leads Home (ELH) awarded six states – California, Kentucky, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington – small grants through a competitive process. ELH will provide ongoing technical assistance.

Authored by: Education Leads Home
Topics: Child welfare, Education, Funding, Homelessness, Housing, Low-income, Partnerships, Youth
Shared by Housing Is on Mar 5, 2019
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Interactive
Community:
Includes: The Strength of SNAP and SNAP Action Needed, The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), and Child Nutrition Reauthorization.

Authored by: Food Research & Action Center (FRAC)
Topics: Food insecurity, Funding, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Nutrition
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Mar 1, 2019
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Interactive
Community:
Restoring the value of the minimum wage — and helping families cover basic needs — is essential to addressing hunger. The federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour has not increased since 2009. A more adequate minimum wage would foster the nation’s economic strength and growth to be shared in more equitable ways. Low-income workers and their families would benefit the most from a higher minimum wage, leading to reduced poverty, hunger, and income inequality.

Authored by: Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), the Economic Policy Institute, and the National Employment Law Project
Topics: Asset building, Legislation & Policy, Low-income
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Mar 1, 2019
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Interactive
Community:
Federal tax credits, like the EITC and refundable CTC, provide critical supports for millions of working women, children, and families every year. They supplement low wages and can help soften the financial impact of fluctuating incomes or job losses. These credits are especially important for communities of color and women.

Authored by: Food Research & Action Center (FRAC)
Topics: Child welfare, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Research
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Mar 1, 2019

Refundable Tax Credits Are Critical to Reducing Poverty and Hunger For Women, Children, and Families and Should be Expanded

Interactive
Food Research & Action Center (FRAC)
Federal tax credits, like the EITC and refundable CTC, provide critical supports for millions of working women, children, and families every year. They supplement low wages and can help soften the financial impact of fluctuating incomes or job losses.
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Publication
Community:
Feb 28, 2019
In light of the many costs generated by child poverty for the United States, a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine provides evidence-based policy and program packages that could cut the child poverty rate by as much as 50 percent while at the same time increasing employment and earnings among adults living in low-income families.

Authored by: The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Topics: Child welfare, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Research
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Mar 1, 2019

Child Poverty Rate Could Be Cut in Half in Next Decade Following Proposals in New Expert Report

Publication
Feb 28, 2019
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
In light of the many costs generated by child poverty for the United States, a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine provides evidence-based policy and program packages that could cut the child poverty rate by as much as 50 percent while at the same time incre
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Report
Community:
The strengths and abilities children develop from infancy through adolescence are crucial for their physical, emotional, and cognitive growth, which in turn help them to achieve success in school and to become responsible, economically self-sufficient, and healthy adults. Capable, responsible, and healthy adults are clearly the foundation of a well-functioning and prosperous society, yet America’s future is not as secure as it could be because millions of American children live in families with incomes below the poverty line. A wealth of evidence suggests that a lack of adequate economic resources for families with children compromises these children’s ability to grow and achieve adult success, hurting them and the broader society.

Authored by: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Topics: Child welfare, Dual-generation, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Research
Shared by Housing Is on Mar 1, 2019