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

Sign Up or Sign In
 

Housing Is Working Group 2023-2024 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 the mobility asthma project, trauma-informed approaches to housing, resident-focused racial equity work, out-of-school time, and how FCC grantees are supprting voucher holders.

View Calendar
 

Elements of a Successful Partnership

With generous support from the MacArthur Foundation, CLPHA developed an in-depth report on regional housing-education collaborations taking place at housing authorities across the Pacific-Northwest.

Read the Multimedia Report
 
0
0
0
0
Report
Community:
Jun 1, 2023
Every May, Ascend recognizes the importance of raising awareness about mental health and the multifaceted ways that it impacts family prosperity and well-being. Even as Mental Health Awareness Month comes to a close, we are committed every day to uplifting the drumbeat across our community that calls for an end to mental health stigma, making strides to ensure that families can access quality services, and advocating for policies that support families' unique mental health needs. Join us in the national movement to raise awareness about mental health by exploring some of our new resources and sharing them with your community of changemakers!

Authored by: Ascend and the Jed Foundation for Ascend
Topics: Depression, Dual-generation, Education, Legislation & Policy, Mental health, Research
Shared by Sandra Ware on Jun 1, 2023
0
0
0
0
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.
0
0
0
0
Report
Community:
Nov 17, 2022
Homelessness is a traumatic experience with long-term consequences, particularly for infants and toddlers in their most critical stages of development. Yet homelessness among young children is hidden. Lack of shelter, fear of having children removed from parental custody, and restrictive eligibility criteria for housing programs mean that most young children experiencing homelessness stay in places that are not easily identified. To this end, SchoolHouse Connection and Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan analyzed data from twenty states that have formed broad-based coalitions to move prenatal-to-3 priorities forward. This report describes the prevalence of homelessness among infants and toddlers in these twenty states; gaps in access to early learning programs; and recommendations for increasing enrollment and support.

Authored by: School House Connection
Topics: Child welfare, COVID-19, Early childhood, Education, Foster care, Homelessness, Legislation & Policy, Pre-natal, Racial inequalities, Research, Youth
Shared by Sandra Ware on Nov 17, 2022

Infants and Toddlers Experiencing Homelessness: Prevalence and Access to Early Learning in Twenty States

Report
Nov 17, 2022
School House Connection
Homelessness is a traumatic experience with long-term consequences, particularly for infants and toddlers in their most critical stages of development. Yet homelessness among young children is hidden.
0
0
0
0
Interactive
Community:
Jun 29, 2022
In 2020 we launched a dedicated effort to learn more about legal issues surrounding unaccompanied minors experiencing homelessness. This project was intended to guide both organizations’ ongoing work and advocacy and develop resources to help the field better prevent and end homelessness among minors. This toolkit includes: • Key issues and challenges for minors experiencing homelessness; • Strategies and lessons learned from advocacy for state minor consent to services laws (including questions to consider); • Legal issues and considerations relevant to host homes for minors; • Working towards equity while serving minors; • Child welfare and youth homelessness; and • Additional legal and policy issues.

Authored by: National Network for Youth
Topics: Advocacy, Child welfare, Community development, Education, Foster care, Homelessness, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Racial inequalities, Research, Supportive housing, Sustainability, Youth
Shared by Karina George on Jun 29, 2022

Toolkit: Overcoming Legal and Policy Barriers to serving minors experiencing homelessness - a collection of resources for youth advocates

Interactive
Jun 29, 2022
National Network for Youth
In 2020 we launched a dedicated effort to learn more about legal issues surrounding unaccompanied minors experiencing homelessness.
0
0
0
0
Video
Community:
Jun 17, 2022
Housing providers are uniquely positioned to find innovative and meaningful ways to engage residents with lived experience in program design and implementation to ensure investments are focused, efficient, and culturally appropriate. Learn how the King County Housing Authority in Washington and The Community Builders in Cincinnati, OH are responding to the needs and desires of their residents in new ways that leverage the assets and strengths of their residents to ensure that young children thrive. Attendees will leave this session with new ideas to incorporate resident input in early childhood programming to make it more effective.

Authored by:
Topics: Advocacy, CLPHA, Education, Family engagement, Housing, Low-income, Research, Supportive housing, Sustainability
Shared by Karina George on Jun 17, 2022

CLPHA Housing Is Summit 2022: Designing and Implementing Programs with Residents and Families at the Center

Video
Jun 17, 2022
Housing providers are uniquely positioned to find innovative and meaningful ways to engage residents with lived experience in program design and implementation to ensure investments are focused, efficient, and culturally appropriate.
0
0
0
0
Video
Community:
Jun 17, 2022
This panel discussion will examine the results of efforts to significantly expand the reach of HUD’s Family Self-Sufficiency Program through partnerships between the nonprofit Compass Working Capital and the Boston and Cambridge Housing Authorities. Panelists will discuss their program model and its evaluation, how they have scaled up FSS, what results they have experienced to date, and where they plan to go from here. An FSS program participant will participate in the panel and share their perspective on how the program has benefitted them.

Authored by:
Topics: Advocacy, Asset building, CLPHA, Early childhood, Education, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Research, Supportive housing
Shared by Karina George on Jun 17, 2022

CLPHA Housing Is Summit 2022: Taking FSS to Scale - Lessons from Compass' Partnerships in Boston and Cambridge

Video
Jun 17, 2022
This panel discussion will examine the results of efforts to significantly expand the reach of HUD’s Family Self-Sufficiency Program through partnerships between the nonprofit Compass Working Capital and the Boston and Cambridge Housing Authorities.
0
0
0
0
Video
Community:
Jun 17, 2022
This session will review the extent to which local jurisdictions engaged with school districts in the 2016-17 Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) process and preview the potential for PHAs to engage with school districts and school data in the upcoming renewal of the HUD AFFH process.

Authored by:
Topics: Advocacy, Attendance, CLPHA, Data sharing, Education, Family engagement, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Research, Sustainability
Shared by Karina George on Jun 17, 2022

CLPHA Housing Is Summit 2022: Working with School Districts and School Data

Video
Jun 17, 2022
This session will review the extent to which local jurisdictions engaged with school districts in the 2016-17 Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) process and preview the potential for PHAs to engage with school districts and school data in the upcoming renewal of the HUD AFFH process.
0
0
0
0
Report
Community:
Apr 11, 2022
Educators play an important role in supporting students' mental well-being. The pandemic has added incredible layers of stress for both adults and young people. Although educators can't control all the stressors and sources of trauma affecting them, they can foster healing and wellness in their classroom or program and work to remove the stigma around mental health concerns.

Authored by: First Book Research & Insights
Topics: Advocacy, Depression, Early childhood, Education, Health, Healthy homes, Literacy, Low-income, Mental health, Racial inequalities, Research, School-readiness, Youth
Shared by Stephanie Gray on Apr 11, 2022
0
0
0
0
Publication
Community:
Oct 21, 2021
State and local policymakers are making consequential decisions about the treatment of race and racism in schools. It is crucial, right now, to slow down, consider the evidence from research and experience, and apply that knowledge to improve teaching about race and racism. Authored in partnership between the Aspen Institute Education & Society Program and Dr. Francesca López, Professor & Waterbury Chair of Equity Pedagogy at Penn State University, United We Learn looks at empirical research on teaching about race and racism, across more than 40 studies on child development, beliefs about academic ability, positive ethnic-racial identity, and sense of belonging.

Authored by: Aspen Institute
Topics: Education, Racial inequalities, Research
Shared by Kirsten Greenwell on Oct 22, 2021

United We Learn: Honoring America’s Racial and Ethnic Diversity In Education

Publication
Oct 21, 2021
Aspen Institute
State and local policymakers are making consequential decisions about the treatment of race and racism in schools. It is crucial, right now, to slow down, consider the evidence from research and experience, and apply that knowledge to improve teaching about race and racism.
0
0
0
0
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
0
0
0
0
Publication
Community:
Jun 11, 2019
Authored by Civic and the Everyone Graduates Center at the Johns Hopkins University School of Education, and released annually in partnership with the Alliance for Excellent Education and America’s Promise Alliance, the Building a Grad Nation report examines both progress and challenges toward reaching the GradNation campaign goal of a national on-time graduation rate of 90 percent.

Authored by: Civic and the Everyone Graduates Center at Johns Hopkins University School of Education
Topics: Education, Low-income, Research, Youth
Shared by Housing Is on Jun 11, 2019

2019 Building A Grad Nation: Progress and Challenge in Raising High School Graduation Rates

Publication
Jun 11, 2019
Civic and the Everyone Graduates Center at Johns Hopkins University School of Education
Authored by Civic and the Everyone Graduates Center at the Johns Hopkins University School of Education, and released annually in partnership with the Alliance for Excellent Education and America’s Promise Alliance, the Building a Grad Nation report examines both progress and challenges toward reach
0
0
0
0
Report
Community:
May 1, 2019
Community eligibility allows high-poverty schools and school districts to offer free meals to all students, and it eliminates the need for household school meal applications. A key piece of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, community eligibility was phased in a few states at a time before it was made available to schools nationwide in the 2014–2015 school year.

Authored by: Food Research & Action Center (FRAC)
Topics: Child welfare, Education, Food insecurity, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Nutrition, Out-of-school time, Research
Shared by Housing Is on Jun 3, 2019
0
0
0
0
Report
Community:
Apr 25, 2019
Access to affordable child care can be a major barrier for low-income parents who want to participate in education and training activities to gain skills or obtain employment. Child care assistance from the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), the federal block grant that funds states to provide child care assistance to low-income families, can help alleviate this barrier and make it easier for low-income parents to participate in activities that improve their skills and lead to stable employment with adequate pay. However, the CCDF eligibility requirements and priorities for service are set at the state level, and states make different decisions about how to allocate scarce CCDF resources, so access to and use of CCDF subsidies for parents seeking education and training varies across states.

Authored by: Semhar Gebrekristos and Gina Adams for The Urban Institute
Topics: Child welfare, Early childhood, Education, Legislation & Policy, Post-secondary, Research, Workforce development
Shared by Housing Is on May 30, 2019
0
0
0
0
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
0
0
0
0
Report
Community:
Recent research has begun to focus on the impact of housing instability, in its many forms, on child health and development. It is hypothesized that young children are at greater risk of adverse effects of living environments, as this time period serves as a critical window for establishing socialization and learning habits. Additionally, the effects of housing instability may be compounded when combined with other challenges faced by low-income families, such as lack of resources. Previous studies have found that housing instability is associated with deficits in overall academic achievement, emotional regulation, and verbal abilities.

Authored by: International Public Health Journal
Topics: Child welfare, Education, Health, Homelessness, Housing, Research
Shared by Housing Is on May 9, 2019
0
0
0
0
Publication
Community:
Apr 24, 2019
Are you a Pennsylvanian without a high school diploma? Then sign up with AmeriHealth Caritas for Medicaid and the plan will help you get your GED. Having trouble getting a job in Ohio? If you are enrolled in CareSource, the Life Services JobConnect in CareSource’s managed care organization (MCO) will arrange job coaching and other employment services at no cost. These are not examples of corporate philanthropy. Rather, they reflect a growing recognition in the health care sector, especially among managed care organizations, that good health—and achieving lower medical costs—requires a focus on the nonmedical factors known as social determinants that affect health and well-being.

Authored by: Stuart Butler for news@Jama
Topics: Education, Food insecurity, Health, Housing, Low-income, Nutrition, Research
Shared by Housing Is on Apr 25, 2019
0
0
0
0
Research
Community:
May 18, 2018
Parent involvement is associated with child academic outcomes, positive behaviors, and social skills. This qualitative study explored school-based parent involvement barriers experienced by nine low-income mothers. In-depth interviews were used to collect data from mothers participating in a community-based program offered in a large public housing neighborhood. Findings included three main barriers: (a) cultural and language differences in their children’s school, (b) undertones of racism from teachers and parents, and (c) being the primary caregiver or sole provider for their children. Although all parents experience challenges to school involvement, low-income mothers face additional obstacles preventing them from engaging in their children’s schools. This perceived lack of school involvement can lead to feelings of helplessness, shame, and stigma.

Authored by: Stephanie Lechuga-Pena and Daniel Brisson for TQR
Topics: Education, Family engagement, Housing, Low-income, Racial inequalities, Research
Shared by Housing Is on Apr 25, 2019

Barriers to School-Based Parent Involvement While Living in Public Housing: A Mother's Perspective

Research
May 18, 2018
Stephanie Lechuga-Pena and Daniel Brisson for TQR
Parent involvement is associated with child academic outcomes, positive behaviors, and social skills. This qualitative study explored school-based parent involvement barriers experienced by nine low-income mothers.
0
0
0
0
Report
Community:
Apr 1, 2019
College Promise programs aim to make students believe they can afford college, and to give them the opportunity to go to college and earn degrees without taking on significant debt. At the core of all College Promise programs is a scholarship: All eligible College Promise students receive scholarships that may cover up to 100 percent of tuition and fees at postsecondary institutions. Additionally, many Promise programs are designing, implementing, and refining additions to their models by providing students with support services once they enroll in college. MDRC’s College Promise Success Initiative (CPSI) provides important lessons for Promise programs interested in including such services.This brief shares early lessons from CPSI about how different Promise programs are designing, implementing, and refining their models with embedded student services in mind.

Authored by: Jacklyn Willard, Andrea Vasquez, and Marco Lepe for MDRC
Topics: Education, Low-income, Post-secondary, Research, Youth
Shared by Housing Is on Apr 24, 2019
0
0
0
0
Report
Community:
Apr 20, 2019
Detroit’s Promise program was designed to encourage college attendance among some of the nation’s most underserved students, those in Detroit, Michigan. The next step was to help students succeed once they enrolled in college. To do so, MDRC and the Detroit Promise partnered to create the Detroit Promise Path, an evidence-based student services program. Detroit Promise Path students begin meeting with college coaches in the late summer before their first semester of college. They are given an incentive to attend coaching meetings in the form of a monthly gift card refilled with $50 each month that they meet with coaches as directed. The program lasts all year, including summer semesters, when students are encouraged to enroll in summer classes or engage in a local summer jobs program. The entire operation is supported by a management information system.

Authored by: MDRC
Topics: Education, Low-income, Midwest, Post-secondary, Research
Shared by Housing Is on Apr 24, 2019
0
0
0
0
Research
Community:
Apr 1, 2019
Serious mental illness (SMI) is a disabling condition that develops early in life and imposes substantial economic burden. There is a growing belief that early intervention for SMI has lifelong benefits for patients. However, assessing the cost-effectiveness of early intervention efforts is hampered by a lack of evidence on the long-term benefits. We addressed this by using a dynamic microsimulation model to estimate the lifetime burden of SMI for those diagnosed by age twenty-five.

Authored by: Health Affairs
Topics: Disabilities, Education, Low-income, Mental health, Research
Shared by Housing Is on Apr 23, 2019

Measuring The Lifetime Costs of Serious Mental Illness And The Mitigating Effects of Educational Attainment

Research
Apr 1, 2019
Health Affairs
Serious mental illness (SMI) is a disabling condition that develops early in life and imposes substantial economic burden. There is a growing belief that early intervention for SMI has lifelong benefits for patients.
0
0
0
0
News Article
Community:
Feb 26, 2019
More than half of students in the U.S. go to segregated or "racially concentrated" schools, according to the report. Those are schools in which more than three-quarters of students are white, or more than three-quarters are nonwhite. Researchers found that high-poverty districts serving mostly students of color receive about $1,600 less per student than the national average. That's while school districts that are predominately white and poor receive about $130 less.

Authored by: Clare Lombardo for NPR
Topics: Education, Funding, Legislation & Policy, Racial inequalities, Research
Shared by Housing Is on Apr 4, 2019
0
0
0
0
Research
Community:
Mar 28, 2019
Federal safety net programs are intended to protect the most vulnerable Americans—such as the elderly, people with severe disabilities and young children. Housing assistance plays a critical role in the safety net, providing decent, safe, and affordable housing for millions of extremely low-income and vulnerable families—though, because it is not an entitlement like other federal safety net programs, the assistance available falls far short of the need. Housing subsidies free families to spend on other essentials like healthy food, education, and health care.

Authored by: Susan J. Popkin for Journal of Housing & Community Development
Topics: Asset building, Dual-generation, Education, Housing, Mental health, Mobility, Partnerships, Research, Workforce development
Shared by Housing Is on Apr 2, 2019
0
0
0
0
Research
Community:
Feb 1, 2019
The authors draw on interviews with 50 families in Cleveland and its suburbs to uncover their experiences in choosing a home and school for their children in the suburbs. Nearly all families were seeking the “package deal”— good schools in good neighborhoods — and looked to the suburbs to find it. Families were often convinced of the superior quality of suburban schools but, owing to the legacies of enduring structural racism and emerging segregation in the suburbs, Black families were more likely to be disappointed in their suburban schools than their white counterparts. Families of color were also constrained by the legacies of enduring structural racism that has reproduced racial inequalities.

Authored by: Anna Rhodes and Siri Warkentien for How Housing Matters Research (MacArthur Foundation)
Topics: Education, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Racial inequalities, Research
Shared by Housing Is on Mar 28, 2019

Even As The Suburbs Diversify, Racial Inequality Persists in Suburban Schools

Research
Feb 1, 2019
Anna Rhodes and Siri Warkentien for How Housing Matters Research (MacArthur Foundation)
The authors draw on interviews with 50 families in Cleveland and its suburbs to uncover their experiences in choosing a home and school for their children in the suburbs. Nearly all families were seeking the “package deal”— good schools in good neighborhoods — and looked to the suburbs to find it.
0
0
0
0
Publication
Community:
The California Homeless Youth Project (HYP) is a research and policy initiative that highlights the issues and challenges faced by unaccompanied young people who are homeless or lack stable housing. This website provides state and local policymakers and others with information and policy resources specific to unaccompanied homeless youth, with a focus on young people in California.

Authored by: CA.gov
Topics: Education, Homelessness, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Research, West Coast
Shared by Housing Is on Mar 5, 2019
0
0
0
0
Report
Community:
Feb 1, 2019
This annual report analyzes participation in the School Breakfast Program among low-income children nationally and in each state and the District of Columbia for the 2017–2018 school year. The report features best practices for increasing participation in the program, including breakfast after the bell models and community eligibility.

Authored by: Food Research & Action Center (FRAC)
Topics: Child welfare, Education, Food insecurity, Metrics, Nutrition, Research
Shared by Housing Is on Mar 1, 2019