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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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Publication
Community:
Nov 15, 2023
Homelessness and child welfare system involvement pose substantial challenges for families, but supportive housing can help them stay together and access secure housing.

Authored by: Michael Pergamit, Mary K. Cunningham for Urban Institute
Topics: Advocacy, Dual-generation, Healthy homes, Homelessness, Housing, Low-income, Stability
Shared by Molli Caite Hughes on Nov 15, 2023
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Publication
Community:
Nov 15, 2023
People experiencing homelessness disproportionately face systemic barriers to employment, which make finding and keeping a job neither simple nor easy.

Authored by: Maureen Sarver for Urban Institute
Topics: Advocacy, Homelessness, Low-income, Stability, Workforce development
Shared by Molli Caite Hughes on Nov 15, 2023
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Report
Community:
Feb 7, 2023
In the 2020-21 school year, more than 25 million children and youth – roughly half of all elementary and secondary students in the United States – attended schools in school districts that lacked dedicated funding to identify and support students experiencing homelessness. This significant funding gap increases the likelihood that many children and youth experiencing homelessness will not be identified, and even in cases where they are identified, that they will not receive the educational protections and services that can stabilize their education and their lives. Ensuring access to these supports is an important part of creating a school system that meets the needs of all our nation’s children and youth. SchoolHouse Connection and Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan analyzed publicly-available preK-12 federal education data for the 2020-2021 school year to examine patterns that are correlated with under-identifying and inadequately supporting children and youth experiencing homelessness.

Authored by: SchoolHouse Connection and University of Michigan
Topics: Early childhood, Education, Funding, Homelessness, Low-income, Research, School-readiness, Stability, Youth
Shared by Sandra Ware on Feb 21, 2023

Seen and Served: How Dedicated Federal Funding Supports the Identification of Students Experiencing Homelessness

Report
Feb 7, 2023
SchoolHouse Connection and University of Michigan
In the 2020-21 school year, more than 25 million children and youth – roughly half of all elementary and secondary students in the United States – attended schools in school districts that lacked dedicated funding to identify and support students experiencing homelessness.
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Publication
Community:
Nov 17, 2022
Lessons for funders and social change leaders in search of the best ways to collaborate across sectors to end homelessness.

Authored by: Seyron Foo, Raji Hunjan, & Amy Kleine for the Stanford Social Innovation Review
Topics: Funding, Homelessness, Housing, Low-income, Supportive housing, Youth
Shared by Sandra Ware on Jan 3, 2023
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Case study
Community:
Aug 1, 2022
Created by the Older Americans Act in 1973, AAAs are part of the national Aging Network. AAAs are the local leaders that develop, coordinate, and deliver a wide range of home and community-based services. These services include information and referral/assistance, case management, home-delivered meals and meals in congregate settings, in-home services, caregiver supports, transportation, evidence based health and wellness programs, long-term care ombudsman programs, and more. People who receive services provided by AAAs have improved health and well-being, helping them remain in their homes and thrive in the community.

Authored by: U.S Administration for Community Living
Topics: Disabilities, Food insecurity, Homelessness, Housing, Low-income, Seniors, Supportive housing
Shared by Sandra Ware on Oct 18, 2022
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Video
Community:
Jun 17, 2022
When public libraries and public housing authorities intentionally join forces, the benefits are real and lasting for those living in public housing. This session highlights the partnership between Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) and Cleveland Public Library (CPL). CMHA and CPL executive leaders will discuss how their agencies strategically aligned their vision for impact and are meeting community needs through the library’s free and accessible resources. CMHA and CPL leaders will also share strategies for creating effective cross-sector partnerships that can drive greater economic mobility and better education and health outcomes for individuals and families.

Authored by:
Topics: Advocacy, Asset building, CLPHA, Education, Family engagement, Homelessness, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Literacy, Low-income, Supportive housing
Shared by Karina George on Jun 17, 2022

CLPHA Housing Is Summit 2022: Deepening Community Impact Through Housing Authority and Library Partnerships

Video
Jun 17, 2022
When public libraries and public housing authorities intentionally join forces, the benefits are real and lasting for those living in public housing. This session highlights the partnership between Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) and Cleveland Public Library (CPL).
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Video
Community:
Jun 17, 2022
The Vancouver Housing Authority collaborated with a Federally Qualified Health Center and a homeless crisis response system to develop a network of scattered-site and site-based supportive housing. This moderated discussion will cover how VHA paired Housing Choice Vouchers and public housing with a Medicaid-funded supportive housing benefit to serve people identified by the community’s Coordinated Entry as needing supportive housing. Speakers will also discuss the challenges faced through the process, model adjustments made, and evaluation of the work through matching housing data and Medicaid utilization data.

Authored by:
Topics: Advocacy, CLPHA, Data sharing, Family engagement, Health, Healthy homes, Homelessness, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Research, Stability, Sustainability
Shared by Karina George on Jun 17, 2022
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Report
Community: Youth
Dec 1, 2020
420,000. Based on the new report, "Lost in the Masked Shuffle & Virtual Void: Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness Amidst the Pandemic" from SchoolHouse Connection and Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan, that’s how many fewer children and youth experiencing homelessness have been identified and enrolled by schools so far this school year. According to our data and insights - gathered from educators and homeless liaisons across 49 states - the number of children, youth, and families experiencing homelessness has likely increased due to the economic crisis. Yet, because of COVID-19 challenges in identifying children and youth experiencing homelessness, hundreds of thousands may not be getting the education and support they need - from internet access, to housing, to food, to child care. What’s more, only 18% of respondents indicated that federal coronavirus relief education funding provided by the CARES Act is being used to meet the needs of students experiencing homelessness. To break generational cycles of homelessness, we must take swift action to support the increasing number of children, youth, and families in need. Check out our report to learn more and take action. We have included recommendations for Congressional leaders, state and local educational agencies, homeless, housing, food, and other relief agencies, and philanthropic organizations.

Authored by: Poverty Solutions at THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN & SCHOOLHOUSE CONNECTION
Topics: Attendance, Child welfare, Early childhood, Education, Funding, Health, Homelessness, Low-income, Stability, Youth
Shared by Housing Is on Dec 1, 2020
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Report
Community: Youth
Nov 3, 2020
As housing costs have escalated and inequities persist across the country, many young people need flexible, empowerment-based investments to get stably housed and onto a path to thriving. To this end, direct financial assistance (“cash transfers”) with other supports offer a promising solution grounded in a robust global evidence base. The circumstances of COVID-19 amplify the importance of developing and evaluating youth-informed approaches to doing things differently. This report shares results and implications of a year-long research and stakeholder engagement process that Chapin Hall conducted in collaboration with Point Source Youth to inform the development of a Direct Cash Transfer Program (DCTP) for youth experiencing homelessness. We look forward to piloting and rigorously evaluating a program based on these findings, starting in NYC.

Authored by: Matthew Morton for CHAPIN HALL AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
Topics: Community development, Funding, Homelessness, Housing, Low-income, Youth
Shared by Housing Is on Nov 3, 2020
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Report
Community:
Jun 6, 2019
Trends in Housing Assistance and Who it Serves

Authored by: PAHRC
Topics: Community development, Disabilities, Education, Funding, Health, Homelessness, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Partnerships, Research, Seniors, Workforce development, Youth
Shared by Keely Stater on Sep 10, 2019
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News Article
Community:
Jun 10, 2019
More than a half million renters have been evicted in Los Angeles County over the past eight years, according to a new report by Public Counsel and the UCLA School of Law that calls on county supervisors to adopt permanent rent control measures.

Authored by: Jenna Chandler for Curbed Los Angeles
Topics: Homelessness, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Research, West Coast
Shared by Housing Is on Jun 13, 2019

New report underscores link between 'shocking' number of evictions, homelessness

News Article
Jun 10, 2019
Jenna Chandler for Curbed Los Angeles
More than a half million renters have been evicted in Los Angeles County over the past eight years, according to a new report by Public Counsel and the UCLA School of Law that calls on county supervisors to adopt permanent rent control measures.
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Publication
Community:
Opened in summer 2018 on the north side of Columbus, Ohio, Laurel Green Apartments is an affordable permanent supportive housing development for residents with mental health conditions.

Authored by: PD&R Edge Online Magazine
Topics: Homelessness, Housing, Low-income, Mental health, Supportive housing
Shared by Housing Is on Jun 11, 2019
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Video
Community:
May 24, 2019
With ever-growing interest in the intersection between housing and health, researchers are evaluating the impact of cross-sector interventions. This session will bring together researchers to share insights from their work relevant to practitioners and policymakers.

Authored by: Housing Is, CLPHA
Topics: CLPHA, Health, Homelessness, Housing, Low-income, Partnerships, Research, Seniors
Shared by Housing Is on May 24, 2019
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Research
Community:
May 21, 2019
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. SchoolHouse Connection analyzed demographic and risk factor data from the YRBS in 17 states[1], comparing high school students experiencing homelessness and those not experiencing homelessness. This series shares the striking and heartbreaking results of that analysis, with tangible action steps schools can take to promote safety and health for students experiencing homelessness.

Authored by: SchoolHouse Connection
Topics: Education, Homelessness, Low-income, Research, Youth
Shared by Housing Is on May 21, 2019
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Video
Community:
Resident story gallery

Authored by: National Housing Trust and Enterprise Community Partners
Topics: Communications, Homelessness, Housing, Low-income
Shared by Housing Is on May 13, 2019
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Policy Brief
Community:
May 1, 2019
Stable housing plays a vital role in people’s recovery from substance use disorders (SUDs). An inability to pay rent and the threat of losing housing can lead to stress that triggers substance misuse and relapse. People experiencing homelessness who also have SUDs typically find it difficult to address their substance use without a safe place to live, because they often use alcohol or drugs to cope with the dangers of life on the streets. In 2018, Congress passed the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act (known as the SUPPORT Act), which provided a variety of new programs and funding opportunities to help states and localities address the opioid epidemic and broadly help people with substance use disorders.

Authored by: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
Topics: Homelessness, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Mental health, Research, Substance abuse
Shared by Housing Is on May 2, 2019
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Interactive
Community:
NHC’s annual release of Paycheck to Paycheck provides insights into the ability of working households to afford typical housing in metropolitan areas across the country. The published report highlights the housing affordability challenges of workers within the construction industry across 259 metropolitan areas. See our methodology for more information on how we come up with our numbers (or use the same methodology to do your own analysis).

Authored by: National Housing Conference
Topics: Homelessness, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Low-income
Shared by Housing Is on May 1, 2019
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News Article
Community:
Apr 15, 2019
Rapid re-housing was designed for people experiencing homelessness who have a good chance of paying for their own housing after a one-time boost. The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, which manages Measure H spending, is using the program to house a much wider segment of the homeless population.

Authored by: Madeleine Brand for KCRW
Topics: Funding, Homelessness, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, West Coast
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Apr 18, 2019
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Publication
Community:
Founded in 1995 as Project Women, Family Scholar House (FSH) provides comprehensive, holistic services for disadvantaged single parents, their children, and foster alumni. The nonprofit seeks to end the cycle of poverty and transform communities by empowering families and youth to succeed in education and life-long self-sufficiency. FSH provides supportive housing, educational programming, and participant advocacy to help families gain independence.

Authored by: American Planning Association
Topics: Dual-generation, Early childhood, Education, Homelessness, Housing, Low-income, Partnerships, Place-based, Post-secondary, South, Stability
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Apr 18, 2019
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News Article
Community:
Apr 14, 2019
In 2014 Caselli started Haven Connect, which is now based in Austin, to make it easier for property managers to communicate with affordable housing applicants, including those who are and aren’t homeless, and for applicants to update their information online.

Authored by: Anne Field for Forbes
Topics: Broadband, Homelessness, Housing, Low-income, Partnerships, South
Shared by Housing Is on Apr 16, 2019
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Report
Community:
Jan 1, 2019
This report focuses on the homelessness and health care use of older homeless adults in New York City, specifically those 55 years of age or older. Recent evidence suggests a unique cohort effect of postWorld War II “baby boomers” born between 1955 and 1965 who have shown a disproportionately high risk of homelessness over the last two decades.

Authored by: Dennis Culhane, Dan Treglia, Randall Kuhn, Kelly Doran, Eileen Johns, and Maryanne Schretzman for Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy
Topics: Cost effectiveness, East Coast, Health, Homelessness, Housing, Low-income, Research, Seniors
Shared by Housing Is on Apr 11, 2019

A Data-Driven Re-Design of Housing Supports and Services for Aging Adults Who Experience Homelessness in New York City

Report
Jan 1, 2019
Dennis Culhane, Dan Treglia, Randall Kuhn, Kelly Doran, Eileen Johns, and Maryanne Schretzman for Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy
This report focuses on the homelessness and health care use of older homeless adults in New York City, specifically those 55 years of age or older.
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Report
Community:
Jan 1, 2019
This report is intended to accompany a report entitled The Emerging Crisis of Aged Homelessness: Could Proposed Housing Solutions Be Funded from Avoidance of Excess Hospital and Nursing Home Costs?, which reports on findings from a multi-site study involving the analysis of data from Boston, Los Angeles and New York City. That report is motivated by recent evidence documenting a cohort effect in the single adult homeless population, wherein persons born between 1955 and 1964 have faced a disproportionate risk of homelessness over the past two decades.

Authored by: Thomas Byrne, Daniel Miller, and Jae Quinn for Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy
Topics: Cost effectiveness, East Coast, Health, Homelessness, Housing, Low-income, Research, Seniors
Shared by Housing Is on Apr 11, 2019

The Emerging Crisis of Aged Homelessness: Could Proposed Housing Solutions Be Funded from Avoidance of Excess Hospital and Nursing Home Costs? Boston Technical Report

Report
Jan 1, 2019
Thomas Byrne, Daniel Miller, and Jae Quinn for Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy
This report is intended to accompany a report entitled The Emerging Crisis of Aged Homelessness: Could Proposed Housing Solutions Be Funded from Avoidance of Excess Hospital and Nursing Home Costs?, which reports on findings from a multi-site study involving the analysis of data from Boston, Los Ang
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Report
Community:
Dec 7, 2018
This report examines health services use and population dynamics among the aging homeless population in Los Angeles. Evidence suggests that adverse health outcomes lead to homelessness, and the conditions related to homelessness lead to or exacerbate a range of health problems

Authored by: Dennis Culhane, Steve Metraux, and Randall Kuhn for Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy
Topics: Health, Homelessness, Housing, Low-income, Research, West Coast
Shared by Housing Is on Apr 11, 2019

A Data-based Re-design of Housing Supports and Services for Aging Adults who Experience Homelessness

Report
Dec 7, 2018
Dennis Culhane, Steve Metraux, and Randall Kuhn for Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy
This report examines health services use and population dynamics among the aging homeless population in Los Angeles. Evidence suggests that adverse health outcomes lead to homelessness, and the conditions related to homelessness lead to or exacerbate a range of health problems
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News Article
Community:
Apr 5, 2019
An Idaho lawsuit concerning how cities across the West enforce laws about sleeping in public—potentially changing how they treat their homeless populations—is now established as precedent. Barring a decision by the Supreme Court to address the case of Martin v. City of Boise, cities will not be able to arrest or punish people for sleeping on public property unless they provide adequate and relatively accessible indoor accommodations.

Authored by: Patrick Sisson for Curbed
Topics: Criminal justice, Homelessness, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Low-income
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Apr 11, 2019
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Report
Community:
Apr 8, 2019
While the program has changed very little since its inception, the need for the program has increased. In 1975, the number of program grantees stood at 594. Today, the number of grantees stands at 1,268 as more communities qualify to receive direct program allocations. Based on a CDBG Needs Survey conducted by the CDBG Coalition (and discussed later in this report), CDBG grantees have delayed and canceled projects and reduced or permanently eliminated programs because of a lack of CDBG funds. CDBG is an important investment tool for communities and neighborhoods, but program funding must increase to meet local need to ensure CDBG grantee communities are healthy, vibrant and thriving.

Authored by:
Topics: Community development, Funding, Health, Homelessness, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Partnerships, Research, Safety, Seniors
Shared by Housing Is on Apr 8, 2019

Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program: Impact and Funding Need

A report of the CDBG Coalition

Report
Apr 8, 2019
While the program has changed very little since its inception, the need for the program has increased. In 1975, the number of program grantees stood at 594. Today, the number of grantees stands at 1,268 as more communities qualify to receive direct program allocations.