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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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Report
Community:
Nov 15, 2017
Federal, state, and local policies focused on neighborhood improvement have long emphasized the need for community organizations to share information, coordinate activities, and collaborate in the delivery of services. These partnerships build “community capacity,” as a way of promoting local problem solving and community well-being over the longer term. But, there has been only limited research on which patterns of neighborhood networks are most conducive to implementing effective collective work. This report uses social network analysis, drawing from a network survey, and extensive field research to ask how specific patterns of partnership promote better-implemented collaborations that in turn can successfully inform public policy. The findings in this report have a qualitative, observable component, making it possible for funders to identify neighborhoods with advantageous structural supports before choosing to invest in that location, and for practitioners to support certain patterns of community activity.

Authored by: David M. Greenberg for MDRC
Topics: Communications, Community development, Data sharing, Legislation & Policy, Partnerships
Shared by Housing Is on Oct 15, 2020

Network Effectiveness in Neighborhood Collaborations: Learning from the Chicago Community Networks Study

Report
Nov 15, 2017
David M. Greenberg for MDRC
Federal, state, and local policies focused on neighborhood improvement have long emphasized the need for community organizations to share information, coordinate activities, and collaborate in the delivery of services.
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Report
Community: Postsecondary
May 2, 2019
Innovative public housing authorities (PHAs) are collaborating with college access partners and community colleges to increase postsecondary educational achievement for low-income residents and college students experiencing homelessness. This report elevates 11 shared learnings from a recent convening of these five pioneering PHAs and their postsecondary collaborators, and offers a series of recommendations to policy makers, PHAs, and philanthropic organizations seeking to develop emerging cross-sector collaborations between housing and education organizations. The report also includes an overview of the federal policies that support and limit postsecondary achievement for students served by PHAs, and profiles of the five partnerships: CHA and partners City Colleges of Chicago and One Million Degrees; CMHA and partner Columbus State Community College; HACLA and partner Southern California College Access Network (SoCal CAN); LMHA and partner Family Scholar House; and THA and partner Tacoma Community College.

Authored by: Abra Lyons-Warren for CLPHA
Topics: CLPHA, Education, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Partnerships, Post-secondary, Stability
Shared by Abra Lyons-Warren on Oct 6, 2020

Eliminating Barriers to Postsecondary Success: Cross-Sector Collaborations to Improve Postsecondary Achievement for Students Served by Public Housing Authorities

Report
May 2, 2019
Abra Lyons-Warren for CLPHA
Innovative public housing authorities (PHAs) are collaborating with college access partners and community colleges to increase postsecondary educational achievement for low-income residents and college students experiencing homelessness.
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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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Video
Community:
May 24, 2019
Senior Advisor John Bravacos will reflect on HUD’s efforts to work across agencies and sectors to improve life outcomes for low-income people.

Authored by: Housing Is, CLPHA
Topics: CLPHA, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Partnerships
Shared by Housing Is on May 24, 2019
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Video
Community:
May 24, 2019
A landmark National Academies of Sciences report commissioned by Congress concludes that childhood poverty in the U.S. could be cut in half within a decade with appropriate action. The report culls through the existing evidence-base to identify the most impactful existing policies including the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and housing assistance. This panel will also discuss promising new policies that if enacted could help reduce poverty such as the child allowance.

Authored by: Housing Is, CLPHA
Topics: Child welfare, CLPHA, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Partnerships, Research
Shared by Housing Is on May 24, 2019
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Video
Community:
May 24, 2019
Congresswoman Barbara Lee, long-serving progressive leader and member of the Budget and Appropriations Committee, and Co-Chair of the Democratic Policy and Steering Committee, will give remarks on congressional efforts to reduce child poverty.

Authored by: Housing Is, CLPHA
Topics: Child welfare, CLPHA, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Partnerships
Shared by Housing Is on May 24, 2019
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Publication
Community:
Moving Health Care Upstream (MHCU) is based on the belief that health systems can address persistent and costly health inequities by moving “upstream”—beyond the walls of hospitals and clinics and into the communities, collaborating with community-based organizations to address the root causes of disease. The various areas of work within MHCU share a common focus-supporting hospitals and community stakeholders in testing and spreading strategies to move upstream, and sharing “what works” to inform the field and accelerate the upstream movement in the field as a whole. Policy Learning Labs are one example of MHCU’s work to spread knowledge and accelerate action in the field.

Authored by: Nemours, Moving Health Care Upstream, and Change Lab Solutions
Topics: Child welfare, Early childhood, Food insecurity, Green, Health, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Nutrition, Partnerships, Youth
Shared by Housing Is on May 1, 2019

Policy Learning Lab Compendium of Research & Technical Assistance Memos

Publication
Nemours, Moving Health Care Upstream, and Change Lab Solutions
Moving Health Care Upstream (MHCU) is based on the belief that health systems can address persistent and costly health inequities by moving “upstream”—beyond the walls of hospitals and clinics and into the communities, collaborating with community-based organizations to address the root causes of di
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Webinar
Community:
Apr 10, 2019
Advocacy is everyone's job and it is essential to the children and communities we serve. CLPHA’s Education Working Group hosted a webinar to learn about advocacy efforts to build support and investment in housing. Representatives from Partnership for Children and Youth (PCY) – a California-based advocacy organization that promotes and supports learning opportunities for underserved students – discussed strategies for providing, sustaining, and increasing access to Out-of-School-Time services in housing. PCY also touched on a range of advocacy strategies and preliminary results from the Save After School Campaign in California.

Authored by: CLPHA
Topics: CLPHA, Education, Housing, Housing Is Working Group, Legislation & Policy, Out-of-school time, Partnerships, Youth
Shared by Housing Is on Apr 10, 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.
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Publication
Community:
Mar 20, 2019
To equip municipalities with the skills and tools to address these challenges, New York State created the $12 million Cities for Responsible Investment and Strategic Enforcement (Cities RISE) program, which provides leadership, management, and technical support to help 16 municipalities address deteriorating homes, vacant properties, and neighborhood decline through strategic code enforcement. Cities RISE uses code enforcement strategies to advance broader community development goals, and, in doing so, helps municipalities align programs aimed at improving residents’ quality of life.

Authored by: Aaron Shroyer How Housing Matters (The Urban Institute)
Topics: Community development, Data sharing, Homelessness, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Partnerships
Shared by Housing Is on Mar 26, 2019

How Strategic Code Enforcement is Improving the Quality of Life for Niagara Falls Residents

Publication
Mar 20, 2019
Aaron Shroyer How Housing Matters (The Urban Institute)
To equip municipalities with the skills and tools to address these challenges, New York State created the $12 million Cities for Responsible Investment and Strategic Enforcement (Cities RISE) program, which provides leadership, management, and technical support to help 16 municipalities address dete
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Case study
Community:
Mar 13, 2019
Vacant properties, substandard housing, and neighborhood quality profoundly affect our health, education, and safety. Strategic code enforcement programs can serve as communities’ first line of defense for addressing deteriorating homes, vacant properties, and neighborhood decline. Strategic code enforcement programs organize critical assets, resources, and actions into a dynamic and adaptive system.

Authored by: Joe Schilling for How Housing Matters (Urban Institute)
Topics: Community development, Data sharing, Funding, Health, Legislation & Policy, Partnerships
Shared by Housing Is on Mar 14, 2019

Stabilizing Neighborhoods through Strategic Code Enforcement

Case study
Mar 13, 2019
Joe Schilling for How Housing Matters (Urban Institute)
Vacant properties, substandard housing, and neighborhood quality profoundly affect our health, education, and safety. Strategic code enforcement programs can serve as communities’ first line of defense for addressing deteriorating homes, vacant properties, and neighborhood decline.
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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:
Feb 19, 2019
New Orleans faced a major crisis in homelessness following Hurricane Katrina. In 2007, two years after the storm, there were more than 11,600 homeless people in the city. Since then, New Orleans stepped up its effort to tackle homelessness and has brought that number down 90 percent.

Authored by: Jeremy Hobson for WBUR
Topics: Homelessness, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Partnerships, South
Shared by Housing Is on Feb 21, 2019
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Podcast
Community:
Feb 14, 2019
John King served in President Barack Obama’s cabinet as the 10th U.S. Secretary of Education. Secretary King is one of the most prominent voices on the connections between housing policy and education policy, particularly with respect to pervasive socioeconomic and racial segregation. We sat down with Secretary King in Los Angeles to discuss the state of modern-day school and housing segregation, why he prioritized integration while in office, promising practices on both the education and housing fronts, and why education advocates must also be housing advocates. “As citizens, we need to be engaged on the issues that affect the kids and families that we serve,” said Secretary King. “We have to be engaged on housing…We have a responsibility as educators to be engaged across a range of issues.”

Authored by: Opportunity Starts at Home
Topics: Child welfare, Education, Homelessness, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Partnerships, Youth
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Feb 19, 2019

Opportunity Starts at Home Interview with Former U.S. Secretary of Education John King

Podcast
Feb 14, 2019
Opportunity Starts at Home
John King served in President Barack Obama’s cabinet as the 10th U.S. Secretary of Education. Secretary King is one of the most prominent voices on the connections between housing policy and education policy, particularly with respect to pervasive socioeconomic and racial segregation.
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Publication
Community:
Build success by partnering with local agencies and organizations. Community partners can advise during planning, education residents during implementation, and help support cessation.

Authored by: Building Success
Topics: Health, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Partnerships, Smoke-free
Shared by Housing Is on Feb 4, 2019
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Webinar
Community:
Dec 17, 2018
Webinar slide deck that provides a brief overview of FUP, building blocks of successful FUP voucher implementation, facilitated panel on increasing impact and enhancing FUP operations, and other opportunities and resources.

Authored by: CSH: 1 Roof and CLPHA
Topics: Child welfare, CLPHA, Foster care, Funding, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Partnerships, Preventative care, Safety, Supportive housing, Youth
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Dec 18, 2018
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Case study
Community:
Dec 11, 2018
As the Trump Administration continues to encourage states to take Medicaid coverage away from people who don’t meet a work requirement, a new report describes Montana’s promising alternative: a workforce promotion program that targets state resources toward reducing barriers to work.

Authored by: Hannah Katch for Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
Topics: Affordable Care Act, Asset building, Health, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Medicaid / Medicare, Partnerships, Research, Workforce development
Shared by Housing Is on Dec 11, 2018

Montana Program Supports Work Without Causing Harm

Case study
Dec 11, 2018
Hannah Katch for Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
As the Trump Administration continues to encourage states to take Medicaid coverage away from people who don’t meet a work requirement, a new report describes Montana’s promising alternative: a workforce promotion program that targets state resources toward reducing barriers to work.
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News Article
Community:
Nov 30, 2018
The city and county of Durham, GoTriangle and the Durham Housing Authority are committed to enhancing opportunities for existing low-income families as well as to increasing the production of affordable housing. The light-rail project is critical to the success of these goals, and the success of these goals is critical to the light-rail project.

Authored by: Anthony Scott and John Tallmadge for The Herald Sun
Topics: Community development, Funding, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Partnerships, South, Stability, Transportation
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Dec 3, 2018
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Publication
Community:
Nov 20, 2018
People with mental health disabilities are vastly overrepresented in the population of people who experience homelessness. Of the more than 550,000 people in America who experienced homelessness on a given night in 2017, 1 in 5 had a mental illness. The proportion of people experiencing chronic homelessness with mental health disabilities was even higher—nearly 1 in 3. Despite this fact, the reality is that most people with mental illness fortunately do not experience homelessness: While about 20 percent of all adults in the United States have a mental illness, less than two-tenths of 1 percent of people in the country experienced homelessness on a given night in 2017.

Authored by: Heidi Schultheis for Center for American Progress
Topics: Depression, Disabilities, Homelessness, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Mental health, Partnerships, Preventative care, Stability, Substance abuse, Supportive housing
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Nov 20, 2018

Lack of Housing and Mental Health Disabilities Exacerbate One Another

Publication
Nov 20, 2018
Heidi Schultheis for Center for American Progress
People with mental health disabilities are vastly overrepresented in the population of people who experience homelessness. Of the more than 550,000 people in America who experienced homelessness on a given night in 2017, 1 in 5 had a mental illness.
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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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Policy Brief
Community:
Nov 1, 2018
There are opportunities for federal and state policies to better support postsecondary institutions in serving students who are parents and their families. Policymakers can incentivize partnerships, name students who are parents as special or target populations, and facilitate financial aid processes that address the needs of families. Where possible, policies can also encourage creative and innovative approaches to leveraging existing programs to facilitate access and successful completion for parenting students. These recommendations seek to promote policy changes that address the critical supports students raising children and their families need for successful completion: affordable and quality child care, financial aid, wraparound services, and workforce readiness.

Authored by: Ascend: The Aspen Institute
Topics: Dual-generation, Education, Legislation & Policy, Partnerships, Post-secondary, Research, Workforce development, Youth
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Nov 1, 2018
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Policy Brief
Community:
It’s no secret that survivors of domestic and sexual violence make up a large percentage of the families and individuals who seek help from the homeless/housing services system. No one expects homeless/housing programs to become an extension of the victim services system. But the intersection between homelessness and domestic and sexual violence requires both systems to do their work with that reality in mind.

Authored by: National Alliance for Safe Housing
Topics: Child welfare, Domestic violence, Homelessness, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Partnerships, Safety
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Nov 1, 2018

Safety Planning for Survivors of Domestic and Sexual Violence: A Toolkit for Homeless/Housing Programs

Policy Brief
National Alliance for Safe Housing
It’s no secret that survivors of domestic and sexual violence make up a large percentage of the families and individuals who seek help from the homeless/housing services system. No one expects homeless/housing programs to become an extension of the victim services system.
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News Article
Community:
Oct 24, 2018
Around the country, there is a growing understanding that survivors of domestic violence often need more than emergency shelter to become safe from violence and establish stable homes. Communities are employing innovative strategies and practices that help address survivors’ unique situations, such as flexible funding and domestic violence rapid re-housing. This momentum is matched by increasing resources from federal, state, and local funders interested in supporting safe housing solutions. But until stakeholders recognize the extent of the need for safe housing, many survivors will continue facing barriers to housing and options for safety.

Authored by: Pef Hacskaylo for How Housing Matters
Topics: Domestic violence, Homelessness, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Partnerships, Safety
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Oct 25, 2018
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Research
Community:
Oct 1, 2018
Although the rental assistance programs varied, key themes emerged, including (1) most programs, recognizing the impact of housing stability on health outcomes, targeted populations served by state or local health and human services programs; (2) most programs served a growing number of households over time; (3) funding generally increased over time and most of it came from general revenue; and (4) programs involved collaboration between the housing and health and human services agencies to ensure clients’ needs were comprehensively met.

Authored by: Anna Bailey, Peggy Bailey, and Douglas Rice for the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
Topics: Funding, Health, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Partnerships, Place-based, Research, Stability
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Oct 9, 2018

Innovative Approaches to Providing Rental Assistance: States and Localities Seek to Support Health and Human Services Goals

Research
Oct 1, 2018
Anna Bailey, Peggy Bailey, and Douglas Rice for the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
Although the rental assistance programs varied, key themes emerged, including (1) most programs, recognizing the impact of housing stability on health outcomes, targeted populations served by state or local health and human services programs; (2) most programs served a growing number of households o
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Policy Brief
Community:
Aug 9, 2018
Partnerships between medicaid and supportive housing providers

Authored by:
Topics: Cost effectiveness, Funding, Health, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Medicaid / Medicare, Partnerships, Supportive housing
Shared by Housing Is on Aug 9, 2018