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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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Communications
Community:
Jul 30, 2021
A new D.C. Federal Nutrition Programs Toolkit is designed to help community-based organizations, social service and healthcare providers, District agencies, and community members connect low-income households with federal nutrition programs. Beverley Wheeler, director of D.C. Hunger Solutions, told The DC Line, “with this toolkit, our community leaders can play a key role in ensuring children, young adults, adults, and older adults can connect with the right providers to help gain access to the nutrition they need for their health and well-being.”

Authored by: D.C. Hunger Solutions
Topics: East Coast, Food insecurity
Shared by Kirsten Greenwell on Jul 30, 2021
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Publication
Community:
May 30, 2019
A more regional approach to care is needed – one that involves coordinated, person-centered healthcare with robust connections to social services and community resources. An innovative infrastructure to do just that is underway in four communities across New Jersey: Trenton, Camden, Newark, and Paterson. Efforts begun in 2011 under New Jersey’s Medicaid Accountable Care Organization (ACO) Demonstration Project have evolved into four regional collaboratives that integrate, coordinate, and align all the disconnected programs aimed at making communities healthier.

Authored by: Kathleen Noonan and Jon Tew for Camden Coaliton of Healthcare Providers
Topics: Data sharing, East Coast, Health, Partnerships
Shared by Housing Is on Jun 13, 2019
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Video
Community:
May 20, 2019
On May 20, the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program and George Washington University’s Center for Washington Area Studies (CWAS) co-hosted an event to discuss housing growth and affordability in the Capital Region. The event started with the presentation of a new report by CWAS Director Leah Brooks. An expert panel discussed what local governments, developers, and affordable housing advocates can do to make sure the region meets the housing needs of all its residents.

Authored by: The Brookings Institution
Topics: East Coast, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Research
Shared by Housing Is on May 28, 2019
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News Article
Community:
May 18, 2019
For more than 85 tenants who call the Mercantile Wharf building home, the future looked dire. The owner of the historic North End building announced they could opt out of a subsidized-housing program, which would allow the landlord to get more than double the rent at market rate — and effectively forcing the low and moderate income residents to move.

Authored by: Milton Valencia for The Boston Globe
Topics: East Coast, Housing, Mobility
Shared by Housing Is on May 23, 2019
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News Article
Community:
Mar 19, 2019
For 17 years, physicians, nurse practitioners and pediatric residents at our hospital, and presently, at more than 80 locations throughout the region, have been participating in Reach Out and Read of Greater Philadelphia (www.reachoutandreadphilly.org), a simple yet profound way to harness the power of a book to potentially alter a child’s health trajectory.

Authored by: Daniel Taylor for The Inquirer
Topics: Early childhood, East Coast, Education, Grade-level proficiency, Health, Literacy, Low-income
Shared by Housing Is on Apr 18, 2019

This Philly pediatrician always prescribes reading to patients and parents. Here's why.

News Article
Mar 19, 2019
Daniel Taylor for The Inquirer
For 17 years, physicians, nurse practitioners and pediatric residents at our hospital, and presently, at more than 80 locations throughout the region, have been participating in Reach Out and Read of Greater Philadelphia (www.reachoutandreadphilly.org), a simple yet profound way to harness the power
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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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Case study
Community:
This is a summary of HealthInfoNet’s (HIN) recommendations to pursue the integration of Maine’s Homeless Information Management System (HMIS) with Maine’s statewide Health Information Exchange (HIE).

Authored by: HealthInfoNet and Data Across Sectors for Health (DASH)
Topics: Data sharing, East Coast, Health, Homelessness, Housing, Partnerships
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Feb 20, 2019

Maine's Homeless Health Information Planning Collaborative: Recommendations for Statewide HMIS & HIE Data Integration

Case study
HealthInfoNet and Data Across Sectors for Health (DASH)
This is a summary of HealthInfoNet’s (HIN) recommendations to pursue the integration of Maine’s Homeless Information Management System (HMIS) with Maine’s statewide Health Information Exchange (HIE).
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Case study
Community:
In 2018, Penobscot Community Health Care (PCHC), a Federally Qualified Health Center and The Hope House Health and Living Center in Bangor began a unique collaboration between health care and homelessness services utilizing HealthInfoNet’s Analytics and Reporting Platform (HARP). This tool identifies patients at high-risk for readmissions and connecting them to appropriate community and health services to prevent readmissions.

Authored by: HealthInfoNet and Penobscot Community Health Care (PCHC)
Topics: East Coast, Health, Homelessness, Housing, Partnerships
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Feb 20, 2019

Connecting Homeless Individuals with Health Care and Community services to prevent Readmissions

Case study
HealthInfoNet and Penobscot Community Health Care (PCHC)
In 2018, Penobscot Community Health Care (PCHC), a Federally Qualified Health Center and The Hope House Health and Living Center in Bangor began a unique collaboration between health care and homelessness services utilizing HealthInfoNet’s Analytics and Reporting Platform (HARP).
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Research
Community:
Jan 23, 2019
This research brief explores how access to rental assistance affects the self-management behaviors of people with type 2 diabetes. Through semi structured interviews with 40 low-income residents of New Haven, Connecticut, diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, researchers analyzed the effects of housing stability and affordability on their self-care routines.

Authored by: Danya Keene, Mariana Henry, Carina Gormley, and Chima Ndumele for Cityscape
Topics: East Coast, Health, Homelessness, Housing, Low-income, Research
Shared by Housing Is on Jan 24, 2019
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News Article
Community:
Jan 23, 2019
On Wednesday afternoon, Durant — back home as Golden State prepared to play the Washington Wizards on Thursday night — made his way southeast, back to the old neighborhood, to appear at the grand opening of College Track at the Durant Center, whose location the Suitland native selected largely because it’s next door to that familiar McDonald’s. The after-school program, whose inaugural class includes 69 students largely from low-income families, provides study space and guidance not only through college enrollment but through graduation.

Authored by: Kent Babb for The Washington Post
Topics: East Coast, Funding, Low-income, Out-of-school time, Place-based, Post-secondary, Youth
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Jan 24, 2019

'Creating a legacy': Kevin Durant comes home to Suitland to open the Durant Center

News Article
Jan 23, 2019
Kent Babb for The Washington Post
On Wednesday afternoon, Durant — back home as Golden State prepared to play the Washington Wizards on Thursday night — made his way southeast, back to the old neighborhood, to appear at the grand opening of College Track at the Durant Center, whose location the Suitland native selected largely becau
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News Article
Community:
Jan 22, 2019
A D.C. housing development serves as a refuge for grandparents raising young children. Is it a model for the rest of the country?

Authored by: Andrew L. Yarrow for The Washington Post
Topics: Child welfare, Dual-generation, East Coast, Family engagement, Low-income, Place-based, Seniors, Stability, Youth
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Jan 22, 2019
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Report
Community:
Jan 7, 2019
When the school day ends, far too many children return home to empty refrigerators and bare cupboards. The federal Afterschool Nutrition Programs provide healthy meals and snacks to children to ensure they are fed after school (and on weekends and during school holidays). According to FRAC’s latest Afterschool Suppers: A Snapshot of Participation report, the District of Columbia had the highest participation in the nation of children in the Afterschool Supper Program, with a 31.6 percent increase in participation between October 2016 and October 2017.

Authored by: Paige Pokorney for Food Research and Action Center (FRAC)
Topics: Child welfare, East Coast, Education, Food insecurity, Health, Low-income, Nutrition, Out-of-school time
Shared by Housing Is on Jan 16, 2019

Expanding the Reach of Afterschool Meals in the Nation's Capital

Report
Jan 7, 2019
Paige Pokorney for Food Research and Action Center (FRAC)
When the school day ends, far too many children return home to empty refrigerators and bare cupboards. The federal Afterschool Nutrition Programs provide healthy meals and snacks to children to ensure they are fed after school (and on weekends and during school holidays).
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News Article
Community:
Jan 8, 2019
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey on Tuesday announced $3 million in grants to 13 community organizations that address things like housing, hunger and other societal factors that affect someone’s health.

Authored by: Shira Schoenberg for Mass Live
Topics: East Coast, Food insecurity, Health, Housing, Low-income, Nutrition, Partnerships, Preventative care
Shared by Housing Is on Jan 16, 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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Interactive
Community:
A building-level interactive map that shows where residential tenants face displacement pressure and affordable apartments are threatened across New York City. Monthly reports on new harassment and displacement risk in rent-stabilized buildings by Community District and color-coded by risk factors.

Authored by: Association for Neighborhood & Housing Development
Topics: East Coast, Housing, Low-income, Stability
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Dec 21, 2018

Displacement Alert Project

Interactive
Association for Neighborhood & Housing Development
A building-level interactive map that shows where residential tenants face displacement pressure and affordable apartments are threatened across New York City. Monthly reports on new harassment and displacement risk in rent-stabilized buildings by Community District and color-coded by risk factors.
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News Article
Community:
Dec 1, 2018
When schools started back up this fall, many across the country witnessed something that’s become as common on the first day as new backpacks and freshly sharpened pencils: another surge of homeless and housing-insecure schoolchildren.

Authored by: Mattie Quinn for Governing
Topics: East Coast, Education, Homelessness, Housing, Pacific Northwest, Partnerships, Transportation, Youth
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Dec 18, 2018
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Research
Community:
Nov 7, 2018
Does a screening requirement for homeless families seeking shelter create unintended costs? In 2012, Massachusetts passed a law requiring homeless families seeking shelter to prove that they had recently stayed somewhere not meant for human habitation. Hospital emergency department discharge paperwork can provide such proof. This study explored the trends of emergency department use for shelter by homeless youth before and after the eligibility criteria was passed into law and to measure the financial impact it had on the health care system. Researchers conducted a retrospective analysis of deidentified medical records of homeless children and young adults from birth to age 21 seeking shelter at a pediatric emergency department in Boston from 12 months before the eligibility rule to four years after the rule went into effect. They analyzed the number of visits, length of stay, insurance claims, and hospital charges before and after the policy change. Researchers found a significant increase in emergency department use for homelessness after the policy change. The results indicate that policymakers should consider the potential unintended health care costs of shelter eligibility policies and identify housing strategies that can prevent emergency department visits by families experiencing homelessness.

Authored by: American Journal of Public Health
Topics: Cost effectiveness, East Coast, Health, Homelessness, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Research, Youth
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Nov 8, 2018
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Case study
Community:
Oct 31, 2018
To encourage architects and planners to design built environments that promote physical activity, New York City offers an “active design” building incentive within the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that adults ages 18 to 65 engage in 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity (MPA) or 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity (VPA) per week to reduce risk of disease and promote a healthy lifestyle, but in 2011, only 20 percent of Americans met these goals. Active design interventions provide an easy way for residents to increase their activity and meet these goals. This study analyzed the impact of the new design incentive on the activity levels of affordable housing residents at the Arbor House, a 124-unit development in the South Bronx that received the LEED credit.

Authored by: How Housing Matters, Preventative Medicine Reports
Topics: East Coast, Exercise, Health, Housing, Low-income, Place-based, Preventative care, Research
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Nov 1, 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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Research
Community:
Oct 29, 2018
We examine the implementation of a community health worker (CHW) program in subsidized housing, describe needs identified and priorities set by residents, and summarize participant-reported outcomes.

Authored by: New York University School of Medicine, New York University, Henry Street Settlement, New York University School of Medicine
Topics: East Coast, Health, Housing, Low-income, Partnerships, Place-based, Research
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Oct 29, 2018

A Pilot Community Health Worker Program in Subsidized Housing: The Health + Housing Project

Research
Oct 29, 2018
New York University School of Medicine, New York University, Henry Street Settlement, New York University School of Medicine
We examine the implementation of a community health worker (CHW) program in subsidized housing, describe needs identified and priorities set by residents, and summarize participant-reported outcomes.
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Interactive
Community:
Oct 26, 2018
Percent of Families with Children Eligible for Shelter Due to Domestic Violence, by Community District (July 2014–December 2015)

Authored by: Institute for Children, Poverty, and Homelessness
Topics: Child welfare, Domestic violence, East Coast, Homelessness, Housing, Low-income, Research, Safety
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Oct 29, 2018
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Report
Community:
Oct 27, 2018
National estimates are that roughly 80% of homeless mothers with children have previously experienced domestic violence. Even with its strict and limited definition of homelessness, applying this estimate to HUD’s most recent data reveals that over 230,000 children living in shelter have been exposed to the traumatic and long-term effects of domestic violence at some point. At a time when the nation is experiencing a national crisis of child homelessness, we can no longer afford to ignore this critical connection.

Authored by: Institute for Children, Poverty, and Homelessness
Topics: Child welfare, Domestic violence, East Coast, Homelessness, Housing, Low-income, Safety
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Oct 29, 2018
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News Article
Community:
Oct 15, 2018
Emergency room visits for homelessness surged at a large urban children’s hospital after Massachusetts made it harder for families to get into shelters, a new study suggests.

Authored by: Lisa Rapaport for Reuters
Topics: Child welfare, East Coast, Health, Homelessness, Housing, Low-income, Research
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Oct 22, 2018
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Report
Community:
Jul 26, 2018
Neighborhoods where insecure housing overlaps with higher rates of emergency department use may be promising areas for interventions under Medicaid value-based payment

Authored by: United Hospital Fund
Topics: East Coast, Health, Housing, Low-income, Medicaid / Medicare, Partnerships, Stability
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Oct 10, 2018

New Report Identifies NYC Neighborhoods Where Medicaid Might Better Support Members’ Health by Addressing Housing Insecurity

Report
Jul 26, 2018
United Hospital Fund
Neighborhoods where insecure housing overlaps with higher rates of emergency department use may be promising areas for interventions under Medicaid value-based payment