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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:
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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News Article
Community:
Sep 27, 2018
Nationally, resources for providing families with housing assistance are inadequate. DC is piloting a new approach, the DC Flexible Rent Subsidy Program (DC Flex), to test whether shallow (smaller than the average subsidy, over a defined period) and flexible subsidies can help more families maintain affordable, adequate housing.

Authored by: Mychal Cohen and Josh Leopold for Urban Institute
Topics: Cost effectiveness, East Coast, Housing, Low-income, Research, Stability
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Oct 4, 2018
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News Article
Community:
Sep 21, 2018
A children’s hospital in Columbus, Ohio, is trying to treat a difficult patient: Its own struggling neighborhood.

Authored by: Laura Bliss for CityLab
Topics: Affordable Care Act, Child welfare, Health, Housing, Low-income, Midwest, Partnerships
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Sep 25, 2018
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Research
Community:
Sep 19, 2018
About 20 percent of adults in sheltered homeless families have a disability, compared with 9 percent of all US adults, yet few studies have addressed the intersection of disability and housing instability. A recent study explored the relationship between disabilities and Supplemental Security Income (SSI)/Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) income that homeless families reported when they entered emergency shelters, as well as later outcomes, such as housing stability, self-sufficiency, and food insecurity. It also examined how housing interventions affect SSI/SSDI income receipt.

Authored by: Urban Institute
Topics: Disabilities, Homelessness, Housing, Low-income, Research, Stability
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Sep 20, 2018
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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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Interactive
Community:
Sep 18, 2018
HOW IT WORKS Ivory Innovations, a new initiative of the Sorenson Impact Center at the University of Utah, is working with an advisory board and partners that represent many of our nation’s top leaders in housing to find nominees for this new award. The emphasis for the prize will be on projects that provide a pathway to homeownership; however, those that address reducing rents will also be considered. WHO IS ELIGIBLE? Private-sector organizations, non-profit organizations, and public-private partnerships. Organizations or individuals are eligible.

Authored by:
Topics: Funding, Housing, Stability
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Sep 18, 2018

Ivory Prize One Pager

Funding opportunity 

Interactive
Sep 18, 2018
HOW IT WORKS Ivory Innovations, a new initiative of the Sorenson Impact Center at the University of Utah, is working with an advisory board and partners that represent many of our nation’s top leaders in housing to find nominees for this new award.
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Interactive
Community:
Sep 18, 2018
The Ivory Prize for Housing Affordability seeks to tap the best and brightest ideas to focus on the complex challenge of housing affordability. The Prize will be designed to advance projects and reward innovators for their efforts to impact adoptable solutions to tackle housing affordability.

Authored by:
Topics: Funding, Housing, Stability
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Sep 18, 2018
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News Article
Community:
Sep 11, 2018
Harvey — and its record rains — is long gone. But life may never be the same for thousands of children who spent the past school year — and will spend the one that just began — without a home. Their schools have been rebuilt. Their lives have not.

Authored by: Kristine Phillips for The Washington Post
Topics: Child welfare, Education, Homelessness, Housing, Low-income
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Sep 18, 2018

‘A light waiting ahead’: Students displaced by Hurricane Harvey return to their schools, if not their homes

News Article
Sep 11, 2018
Kristine Phillips for The Washington Post
Harvey — and its record rains — is long gone. But life may never be the same for thousands of children who spent the past school year — and will spend the one that just began — without a home. Their schools have been rebuilt. Their lives have not.
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News Article
Community:
Sep 12, 2018
As the devastating effects of the opioid crisis continue, a growing body of research supports the efficacy and safety of this sort of medication-assisted treatment (also called MAT) for drug recovery, when combined with psychotherapy. But the use of any of these medicines — a list that includes methadone and naltrexone, as well as Suboxone — remains frowned upon by most operators of sober living houses.

Authored by: Nina Feldman for NPR
Topics: Health, Housing, Substance abuse
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Sep 18, 2018
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Case study
Community:
Jun 25, 2018
The King County Housing Authority (KCHA), in partnership with the Highline School District and the nonprofit social service organization Neighborhood House, launched the Student and Family Stability Initiative (SFSI) pilot program in 2013 to provide housing and employment supports to homeless and unstably housed families with children enrolled in Highline elementary schools. In 2016, KCHA contracted with the Urban Institute (Urban) to conduct a process and outcome evaluation of the program’s first three pilot years. This evaluation documents how SFSI works, who it serves, and how well it helps participants achieve housing stability. This report synthesizes findings from data collection conducted over approximately 10 months that included document review, interviews with SFSI stakeholders, and analysis of program and other relevant KCHA administrative data.

Authored by: Martha M. Galvez, Amanda Gold, and Sara McTarnaghan
Topics: Attendance, Dual-generation, Education, Family engagement, Housing, Low-income, Pacific Northwest, Partnerships, Place-based, Research, Stability, Workforce development, Youth
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Sep 18, 2018

Evaluation of the Student and Family Stability Initiative

Case study
Jun 25, 2018
Martha M. Galvez, Amanda Gold, and Sara McTarnaghan
The King County Housing Authority (KCHA), in partnership with the Highline School District and the nonprofit social service organization Neighborhood House, launched the Student and Family Stability Initiative (SFSI) pilot program in 2013 to provide housing and employment supports to homeless and un
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Publication
Community:
Aug 9, 2018
Systems for Action (S4A) is a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) that aims to discover and apply new evidence about ways of aligning the delivery and financing systems for medical, social, and public health services that support a Culture of Health. This program, as well as RWJF’s other three signature research programs, Evidence for Action, Policies for Action, and Health Data for Action (launching April 19, 2017), are investigating the impact of different types of programs, policies, and health-related systems on health, equity and well-being.

Authored by:
Topics: Funding, Health, Housing, Partnerships, Research
Shared by Housing Is on Aug 9, 2018
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Report
Community:
Aug 9, 2018
In the fall of 2011, a request for the submission of best practices was sent to public housing agencies (PHAs) and VA Medical Centers (VAMCs) that administer the program via the HUDVASH listserv. Over 50 best practices accounts were submitted in response to the request. The practices below have been compiled based on these accounts, which were cross-referenced with monthly data on agency performance and further developed through phone interviews.

Authored by:
Topics: Health, Housing, Partnerships
Shared by Housing Is on Aug 9, 2018
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Report
Community:
Aug 9, 2018
UnitedHealthcare provides health insurance benefits to more than 40 million people across the country. In the past decade, it has addressed housing as a social determinant of health at the national level through policy leadership and financial investments, and at the state level working with local communities to connect Medicaid participants to stable housing. Through this work, UnitedHealthcare has overcome a myriad of challenges associated with siloed health and housing fields at all levels of policy and implementation. This case study explores how this national health payer has integrated the housing needs of underserved populations into its strategic priorities for investment and programming.

Authored by:
Topics: Affordable Care Act, Data sharing, Funding, Health, Homelessness, Housing, Low-income, Medicaid / Medicare, Partnerships
Shared by Housing Is on Aug 9, 2018
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Publication
Community:
Aug 9, 2018
Introduction to supportive housing and notes from the field

Authored by:
Topics: Health, Housing, Low-income, Medicaid / Medicare, Mental health, Partnerships, Supportive housing
Shared by Housing Is on Aug 9, 2018
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Policy Brief
Community:
Aug 9, 2018
In a post health care reform era, Medicaid programs need to build system capacity to effectively manage increasingly complex Medicaid populations while simultaneously seeking innovative solutions to reduce costs and improve access. As states are increasingly becoming more reliant upon managed care for complex populations – such as individuals in need of long-term services and supports, those with intellectual or developmental disabilities, individuals with severe and persistent mental illness, as well as children with special health care needs – the needs of these populations range far beyond traditional health care.

Authored by:
Topics: Funding, Health, Housing, Low-income, Medicaid / Medicare, Partnerships
Shared by Housing Is on Aug 9, 2018

Why Does a Health Care Company Care about Housing? Understanding the Intersection of Housing and Healthcare

Policy Brief
Aug 9, 2018
In a post health care reform era, Medicaid programs need to build system capacity to effectively manage increasingly complex Medicaid populations while simultaneously seeking innovative solutions to reduce costs and improve access.
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Report
Community:
Aug 9, 2018
Information on PHPC Programs

Authored by:
Topics: Health, Housing, Mental health, Partnerships
Shared by Housing Is on Aug 9, 2018
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Report
Community:
Aug 9, 2018
The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless created the Denver Housing First Collaborative (DHFC) in 2003 with funding provided by a collaboration of federal agencies. The DHFC involved CCH as the lead agency, Denver Department of Human Services (DDHS), Denver Health (DHHA), Arapahoe House, the Mental Health Center of Denver (MHCD) and the Denver VA Medical Center. The DHFC is designed to provide comprehensive housing and supportive services to chronically homeless individuals with disabilities. Initial federal funding created the capacity to house and serve 100 chronically homeless individuals. The program uses a housing first strategy combined with assertive community treatment (ACT) services, providing integrated health, mental health, substance treatment and support services.

Authored by:
Topics: Cost effectiveness, Funding, Health, Homelessness, Housing, Pacific Northwest, Partnerships, Research, Stability, Supportive housing
Shared by Housing Is on Aug 9, 2018
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Policy Brief
Community:
Aug 9, 2018
Everyone needs safe, decent, stable housing. For some of the most vulnerable people in America — people with mental illness, chronic health conditions, histories of trauma, and other struggles — a home helps them to get adequate treatment and start on the path toward recovery. But some conditions make it difficult for people to maintain a stable home without additional help. Supportive housing, a highly effective strategy that combines affordable housing with intensive coordinated services, can provide that needed assistance.

Authored by:
Topics: Cost effectiveness, Disabilities, Health, Homelessness, Housing, Low-income, Medicaid / Medicare, Mental health, Place-based, Seniors, Supportive housing
Shared by Housing Is on Aug 9, 2018
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Case study
Community:
Aug 9, 2018
The Vita Health & Wellness District is a one-mile corridor in Stamford, Connecticut, that has positioned itself as a “health-themed neighborhood,” offering mixed-income housing, health care services, community farming, early childhood education programming, and supportive services to residents. Led by the city’s public housing authority Charter Oak Communities and Stamford Hospital, this collaboration of city agencies and community-based organizations has focused on building physical and social capacity in a distressed neighborhood, with an emphasis on leveraging collective investments to yield a positive impact on neighborhood health and well-being.

Authored by:
Topics: Community development, Education, Food insecurity, Funding, Health, Housing, Nutrition, Partnerships
Shared by Housing Is on Aug 9, 2018

Tapping into a Collective Vision: Emerging Strategies for Integrating Health and Housing

Case study
Aug 9, 2018
The Vita Health & Wellness District is a one-mile corridor in Stamford, Connecticut, that has positioned itself as a “health-themed neighborhood,” offering mixed-income housing, health care services, community farming, early childhood education programming, and supportive services to residents.
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Research
Community:
Aug 9, 2018
Annuities, long-term care insurance (LTCI), and reverse mortgages appear to offer important consumption smoothing benefits to the elderly, yet private markets for these products are small. A prominent idea is to combine LTCI and annuities to alleviate both supply (selection) and demand (liquidity) problems in these markets. This paper shows that if consumers typically liquidate home equity only in the event of illness, then LTCI and annuities become substitutes and less attractive. Simulations confirm that without home equity loans, both LTCI and constant real annuities may be welfare destructive, particularly in combination.

Authored by:
Topics: Asset building, Health, Housing, Medicaid / Medicare, Seniors
Shared by Housing Is on Aug 9, 2018
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Policy Brief
Community:
Aug 9, 2018
Social determinants of health are the economic and social conditions that affect health outcomes and are the underlying, contributing factors of health inequities. Examples include housing, educational attainment, employment and the environment.

Authored by:
Topics: Affordable Care Act, Disabilities, Health, Homelessness, Housing, Low-income, Medicaid / Medicare, Mental health, Partnerships, Place-based, Substance abuse, Supportive housing
Shared by Housing Is on Aug 9, 2018
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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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Research
Community:
Aug 9, 2018
For almost two decades now, cities around the country have been demolishing traditional public housing and relocating residents to subsidized private market rental housing. In this paper, we examine sense of place, consisting of both community and place attachment, among a sample of Atlanta public housing residents prior to relocation.

Authored by:
Topics: Asset building, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Mental health, Mobility, Research, South, Stability
Shared by Housing Is on Aug 9, 2018
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Report
Community:
Aug 9, 2018
Beginning in 2014, with the support of the Kresge Foundation, SAHF engaged its members in efforts to build collaborative relationships with partners from the healthcare sector, in order to implement joint initiatives to demonstrate the contributions of service-enriched housing to the healthcare system. Although many of our members have established work with healthcare stakeholders, few have direct partnerships with insurers. Subsequently, this endeavor focused on collaboration with Medicaid payers. In partnership with Health Management Associates (HMA), target markets and potential Medicaid health plan partners were identified and paired with SAHF members to facilitate conversation and identify points of synergy.

Authored by:
Topics: Health, Housing, Low-income, Partnerships
Shared by Housing Is on Aug 9, 2018

The Path to Partnership: Lessons Learned in the Pursuit of Joint Initiatives between Affordable Housing Providers and Medicaid Managed Care Programs

Report
Aug 9, 2018
Beginning in 2014, with the support of the Kresge Foundation, SAHF engaged its members in efforts to build collaborative relationships with partners from the healthcare sector, in order to implement joint initiatives to demonstrate the contributions of service-enriched housing to the healthcare syst
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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