Welcome to Housing Is, a hub for generating effective programs and sharing innovative ideas.

Sign Up or Sign In
 

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. 

Learn More
 

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
 
0
0
0
0
Report
Community:
Oct 17, 2018
Prioritizing young children in Medicaid through cross-sector, innovative practice change has the potential to improve their lifetime trajectories, overall population health and long-run savings.

Authored by: Elisabeth Wright Burak for Georgetown University Health Policy Institute: Center for Children and Families
Topics: Child welfare, Early childhood, Health, Low-income, Medicaid / Medicare, Research
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Dec 13, 2018
0
0
0
0
Publication
Community:
Apr 1, 2018
Shining a light on supportive approaches to noncustodial parenting, specifically by looking at Colorado’s successful CO-PEP program.

Authored by: Reggie Bicha and Roxanne White for Ascend: The Aspen Institute
Topics: Dual-generation, Early childhood, Family engagement, Partnerships
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Dec 13, 2018
0
0
0
0
Report
Community:
Nov 1, 2018
The Colorado Division of Youth Services is working to transform the family experience by taking a two-generation (2Gen) approach to the services it provides.

Authored by: Tony Gheradini for Ascend: The Aspen Institute
Topics: Child welfare, Dual-generation, Early childhood, Family engagement, Low-income, Partnerships, Stability
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Dec 13, 2018
0
0
0
0
News Article
Community:
Dec 7, 2018
On any given day, there are over 400,000 kids in foster care in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. A little more than half will find homes. For kids and parents making that transition, the Bridge Meadows housing community in Portland, Oregon is experimenting with inter-generational living to help the new families work. Based on a model in rural Illinois, Bridge Meadows rents town homes to children who are making the transition out of foster care, and their adoptive parents, at far below the market rate. It also offers affordable housing for its senior residents, who assist with child care as part of their lease agreement.

Authored by: Melanie Sevcenko for MarketPlace
Topics: Dual-generation, Foster care, Housing, Low-income, Place-based, Seniors, West Coast
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Dec 13, 2018
0
0
0
0
News Article
Community:
Dec 12, 2018
President Trump directed federal agencies on Wednesday to steer spending toward certain distressed communities across the country — part of his administration’s push to turn a tax break included in last year’s $1.5 trillion tax package into a broader effort to combat poverty and geographic inequality.

Authored by: Jim Tankersley for The New York Times
Topics: Community development, Funding, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Place-based
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Dec 13, 2018

Trump to Steer More Money to 'Opportunity Zones'

News Article
Dec 12, 2018
Jim Tankersley for The New York Times
President Trump directed federal agencies on Wednesday to steer spending toward certain distressed communities across the country — part of his administration’s push to turn a tax break included in last year’s $1.5 trillion tax package into a broader effort to combat poverty and geographic inequalit
0
0
0
0
Research
Community:
Dec 12, 2018
Indoor housing quality problems, which are commonly found in public housing, are associated with asthma. Prior research has found that adults living in assisted housing (either public housing or rental assistance) in Boston are more likely to report health problems, including asthma, than other Boston residents, even after controlling for socioeconomic factors.

Authored by: Amar J. Mehta, Daniel P. Dooley, John Kane, Margaret Reid, and Snehal N. Shah for American Journal of Public Health
Topics: Asthma, Health, Housing, Low-income, Research
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Dec 13, 2018
0
0
0
0
Policy Brief
Community:
Dec 12, 2018
In many US cities and towns, housing costs are increasing faster than incomes. Americans who rent their homes have been hit especially hard: nearly half of renters shoulder unaffordable housing costs. A forthcoming report by the New York University Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy shows that between 1970 and 2016, the share of rent-burdened households went up in the 100 largest metropolitan areas nationwide.

Authored by: Ingrid Gould Ellen and Mark A. Willis for How Housing Matters (Urban Institute)
Topics: Funding, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Research
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Dec 13, 2018

Rent Regulation and Housing Affordability: Context, Evidence, and Program Design

Policy Brief
Dec 12, 2018
Ingrid Gould Ellen and Mark A. Willis for How Housing Matters (Urban Institute)
In many US cities and towns, housing costs are increasing faster than incomes. Americans who rent their homes have been hit especially hard: nearly half of renters shoulder unaffordable housing costs.
0
0
0
0
News Article
Community:
Dec 11, 2018
Public housing is increasingly taking a role in supporting kids’ education, according to Megan Gallagher, senior research associate at the Urban Institute. Such supports include after-school and summer learning programs, tutoring and mentoring.

Authored by: Stell Simonton for Youth Today
Topics: Housing, Out-of-school time, Partnerships, Place-based, Youth
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Dec 12, 2018
0
0
0
0
Webinar
Community:
Dec 11, 2018
CLPHA’s Education Working Group hosts a webinar including presentations on efforts from the Chicago Housing Authority to work with residents on pursuing postsecondary opportunities, as well as an update from HUD’s Office of Policy Development & Research on data collection around tracking and increasing FAFSA utilization.

Authored by: CLPHA
Topics: CLPHA, Cost effectiveness, Data sharing, Education, Funding, Housing, Housing Is Working Group, Low-income, Metrics, Midwest, Post-secondary, Research, Stability, Youth
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Dec 12, 2018

CLPHA Housing Is Postsecondary Efforts and Data Webinar - December 11, 2018

Webinar
Dec 11, 2018
CLPHA
CLPHA’s Education Working Group hosts a webinar including presentations on efforts from the Chicago Housing Authority to work with residents on pursuing postsecondary opportunities, as well as an update from HUD’s Office of Policy Development & Research on data collection around tracking and inc
0
0
0
0
Research
Community:
Dec 1, 2018
ASAP is a comprehensive program that provides students with up to three years of financial and academic support and other support services to address multiple barriers to student success, with the goal of helping more students graduate within three years. MDRC’s random assignment evaluation of CUNY ASAP found that after three years, 40 percent of ASAP students graduated compared with just 22 percent of control group students. After six years, ASAP students continued to outperform the control group, with 51 percent of the program group earning degrees compared with 41 percent of the control group.

Authored by: MDRC
Topics: Education, Low-income, Midwest, Post-secondary, Research, Youth
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Dec 12, 2018

Doubling Graduation Rates in a New State: Two-Year Findings from the ASAP Ohio Demonstration

Research
Dec 1, 2018
MDRC
ASAP is a comprehensive program that provides students with up to three years of financial and academic support and other support services to address multiple barriers to student success, with the goal of helping more students graduate within three years.
0
0
0
0
Case study
Community:
Dec 1, 2018
In 2014, as part of the Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) Ohio Demonstration, Lorain County Community College launched Students Accelerating in Learning (SAIL), a comprehensive student success program that is substantially improving persistence and graduation rates among low-income students. Given the program’s results, Lorain has committed to sustaining the program and expanding it to serve most of its low-income student population. If the college achieves this goal, it could close attainment gaps between low-income and more affluent students, markedly boost its overall graduation rate, gain revenue through increased tuition and performance-based funding, and, most important, significantly enhance the educational and career trajectories of its students. During early implementation, the college took several steps to fund and institutionalize SAIL that are now making it easier to sustain the program. This brief draws lessons from Lorain’s experience to shed light on how other postsecondary institutions may adopt and sustain similar programs to increase student success.

Authored by: Camielle Headlam for MRDC
Topics: Education, Low-income, Post-secondary, Research
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Dec 12, 2018

Steps Toward Sustainablity: A Case Study of Lorain County Community College's Comprehensive Student Success Program

Case study
Dec 1, 2018
Camielle Headlam for MRDC
In 2014, as part of the Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) Ohio Demonstration, Lorain County Community College launched Students Accelerating in Learning (SAIL), a comprehensive student success program that is substantially improving persistence and graduation rates among low-income stud
0
0
0
0
Research
Community:
Dec 12, 2018
Three Ohio community colleges have successfully adapted the City University of New York’s innovative Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP), according to findings released today at Lorain County Community College in Elyria, Ohio.

Authored by: MDRC
Topics: Cost effectiveness, Low-income, Post-secondary, Youth
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Dec 12, 2018

Ohio Programs Based on CUNY's Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) More Than Double Graduation Rates

Research
Dec 12, 2018
MDRC
Three Ohio community colleges have successfully adapted the City University of New York’s innovative Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP), according to findings released today at Lorain County Community College in Elyria, Ohio.
0
Community:

Authored by:
Topics:
Shared by Jenny Werwa on Dec 12, 2018
New Community | Dec 12, 2018

Communications Working Group

CLPHA's Communications Working Group Community is an online forum for Communications Directors and communications staff from CLPHA-member public housing authorities.  

0
0
0
0
Webinar
Community:
Watch this recording of our live session where Senior Content Manager, Kama Einhorn, talks about resources from Sesame Street's Traumatic Experiences topic page.

Authored by: Sesame Street
Topics: Child welfare, Low-income, Mental health, Partnerships
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Dec 12, 2018
0
0
0
0
News Article
Community:
Dec 12, 2018
Lily, a character introduced seven years ago to address child hunger, returns. This time her family does not have a place to live.

Authored by: Nikita Stewart for The New York Times
Topics: Child welfare, Education, Homelessness, Housing, Stability, Youth
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Dec 12, 2018
0
0
0
0
Interactive
Community:
Dec 12, 2018
Using the story of Lily, a resilient, hopeful Muppet whose family is experiencing homelessness, Sesame Street developed a set of free, bilingual resources for children and families experiencing homelessness and the providers who serve them. Many different kinds of providers serve children experiencing homelessness, including school district homeless liaisons, early childhood programs, and homeless assistance and housing programs. To help these providers quickly and effectively leverage Sesame Street’s resources in the context of their specific work, SchoolHouse Connection has produced tip sheets organized by provider role.

Authored by: SchoolHouse Connection
Topics: Child welfare, Education, Homelessness, Housing, Low-income
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Dec 12, 2018
0
0
0
0
Interactive
Community:
Activities and videos about homelessness for children and families

Authored by: Sesame Street
Topics: Education, Homelessness, Housing, Low-income
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Dec 12, 2018
0
0
0
0
Report
Community:
Nov 14, 2018
This report is intended as a practical tool for those seeking to understand how capital does and does not flow to communities, businesses, and households. This can inform efforts by community developers to identify projects in need of financing, raise capital, and design and market new financial products and services. We provide a concise how-to guide across five approaches to assessing community need, a four-step process to study capital flows, and eleven approaches to determining capital gaps. To help ground this, we provide examples drawing from original data about the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota.

Authored by: Brett Theodos, Eric Hangen, Carl Hedman, and Brady Meixell for Urban Institute
Topics: Asset building, Community development, Midwest, Stability
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Dec 12, 2018
0
0
0
0
Report
Community:
Nov 14, 2018
Denver’s expansion of supportive housing through the Denver Supportive Housing Social Impact Bond Initiative is beginning to pay off for the city of Denver, its homeless residents, and a group of investors banking on social impact. This fact sheet highlights interim results of the program.

Authored by: Urban Institute
Topics: Housing, Research, Supportive housing, West Coast
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Dec 12, 2018

Finding Stability through Housing: Interim Lessons from Denver's Expansion of Supportive Housing

Report
Nov 14, 2018
Urban Institute
Denver’s expansion of supportive housing through the Denver Supportive Housing Social Impact Bond Initiative is beginning to pay off for the city of Denver, its homeless residents, and a group of investors banking on social impact. This fact sheet highlights interim results of the program.
0
0
0
0
News Article
Community:
Dec 11, 2018
A mailer sent to low-income students with that promise led to a major jump in enrollment at the University of Michigan, according to a new study.

Authored by: Adam Harris for The Atlantic
Topics: Education, Funding, Low-income, Post-secondary, Research, Youth
Shared by Housing Is on Dec 11, 2018
0
0
0
0
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.
0
0
0
0
News Article
Community:
Dec 10, 2018
As state and federal officials increasingly search for ways to curb rising health care costs, a decades-old idea is gaining traction: helping people with challenges that have nothing to do with medical care but everything to do with their health.

Authored by: Misty Williams for Roll Call
Topics: Cost effectiveness, Food insecurity, Health, Homelessness, Housing, Low-income, Medicaid / Medicare, Nutrition, Partnerships, Preventative care, Stability, Transportation
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Dec 10, 2018
0
0
0
0
Publication
Community:
Dec 1, 2018
With collectively more than 100 years of policy expertise and values-based leadership between us, Ascend at the Aspen Institute and the Housing Opportunity and Services Together initiative at the Urban Institute partnered to develop a set of recommendations on how to harness assisted housing and public-private housing partnerships for better outcomes for families.

Authored by: The Urban Institute and ASCEND: The Aspen Institute
Topics: Dual-generation, Early childhood, Education, Family engagement, Health, Housing, Low-income, Place-based, Research, Stability
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Dec 6, 2018

Place Matters: A Two-Generation Approach to Housing

Publication
Dec 1, 2018
The Urban Institute and ASCEND: The Aspen Institute
With collectively more than 100 years of policy expertise and values-based leadership between us, Ascend at the Aspen Institute and the Housing Opportunity and Services Together initiative at the Urban Institute partnered to develop a set of recommendations on how to harness assisted housing and pub
0
0
0
0
Interactive
Community:
The 2018 Purpose Built Conference in Orlando, Florida from October 24 – 26 was a tremendous opportunity for thoughtful engagement and energetic conversations with Network Members and attendees from all across the country. Our panel of guest speakers represented a wide range of industries and brought unique perspectives and insights.

Authored by: Purpose Built Communities
Topics: Community development, Education, Health, Housing, Low-income, Mobility, Partnerships, Place-based
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Dec 5, 2018
0
0
0
0
Interactive
Community:
People living just a few blocks apart may have vastly different opportunities to live a long life in part because of their neighborhood. Unfortunately, significant gaps in life expectancy at birth persist across many United States cities, towns, ZIP codes and neighborhoods. The latest estimates of life expectancy at birth reveals differences down to the census tract level. Explore how life expectancy in America compares with life expectancy in your area, and resources to help everyone have the opportunity to live a longer, healthier life.

Authored by: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Topics: Health, Housing, Low-income, Place-based, Research
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Dec 5, 2018