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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
 
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Policy Brief
Community:
Mar 1, 2023
Unfortunately, there are more youth experiencing homelessness than there are resources available. Up to 40% of youth experiencing homelessness identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ+). Homelessness is often the result of multiple factors including historical and present systemic racism, discrimination, and socio-economic inequities. Learn more in our new policy brief.

Authored by: National Network for Youth
Topics: Criminal justice, Homelessness, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Mental health, Racial inequalities, Safety, Stability, Youth
Shared by Sandra Ware on Jun 8, 2023
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Policy Brief
Community:
Nov 29, 2022
Successful diabetes care for vulnerable populations demands a multi-prong approach, deploying direct health interventions, medications, and support from a range of community resources to address the social determinants, which impact diabetes. This brief will highlight, through case studies and program descriptions, the important role of non-clinical staff in both the health center and housing setting to support individuals and families struggling to prevent and keep diabetes conditions under control.

Authored by: CSH
Topics: Health, Housing
Shared by Sandra Ware on Nov 29, 2022

A Call for Reinforcements in Diabetes Care: Maximizing the Role of Non-Clinical Staff and Partners

Policy Brief
Nov 29, 2022
CSH
Successful diabetes care for vulnerable populations demands a multi-prong approach, deploying direct health interventions, medications, and support from a range of community resources to address the social determinants, which impact diabetes.
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Policy Brief
Community:
Oct 12, 2022
Disabled individuals and families in federally assisted housing face multiple challenges in gaining access to housing units and services that meet their needs—despite legal frameworks meant to help them. This brief focuses on working-age disabled individuals and families with a disabled household member who live in federally assisted housing. It presents evidence of the challenges with federally assisted housing processes and supports for residents with disabilities, and provides recommendations that could help these processes and supports better meet legal obligations and resident needs.

Authored by: Corianne Payton Scally, Ebonie Megibow, Susan J. Popkin for the Urban Institute
Topics: Disabilities, Family engagement, Housing
Shared by Sandra Ware on Oct 27, 2022

Improving Experiences for Residents with Disabilities in Federally Assisted Family Housing

Policy Brief
Oct 12, 2022
Corianne Payton Scally, Ebonie Megibow, Susan J. Popkin for the Urban Institute
Disabled individuals and families in federally assisted housing face multiple challenges in gaining access to housing units and services that meet their needs—despite legal frameworks meant to help them.
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Policy Brief
Community:
May 5, 2021
In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced many public housing authorities (PHAs) to quickly adjust their operational procedures to protect their staff while providing emergency assistance to residents. Many PHAs had to close their offices and convert to remote operations almost overnight, while staff focused on supporting their tenants by delivering them food, doing wellness checks for vulnerable residents, and ensuring they had access to and in some cases providing the technology needed for children to attend school remotely and isolated residents to remain connected to friends, family, and service providers. Moreover, as the economic crisis caused by the pandemic worsened, PHAs were under pressure to rapidly adjust rents for tenants who had lost income and process housing choice voucher (HCV) applications so people could use their vouchers to find housing. This brief provides insights into how public housing authorities used additional flexibilities that became available through a series of HUD-issued regulatory and statutory waivers, and makes the case for the potential benefits for added flexibilities for the HCV and public housing programs going forward.

Authored by: Monique King-Viehl, Elizabeth Champion, & Susan J. Popkin for URBAN INSTITUTE
Topics: Advocacy, COVID-19, Data sharing, Health, Housing, Safety, Supportive housing
Shared by Housing Is on May 25, 2021
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Policy Brief
Community:
Dec 4, 2019
In California, more than 3.7 million students were eligible for free or reduced priced school meals in the 2017-2018 school year. For many of those students, school meals are the primary source of regular access to healthy food. When the bell rings at 3:00 or lets out for summer break, many of those students go home to nutritional uncertainty or high-calorie, low-nutrient foods. For many low-income families, the out-of-school-time food access gap increases family stress: limited budgets are stretched further to cover food, rent, utilities, transportation, medications, and chidcare costs. For very young children, food insecurity can negatively impact brain and physical development. For children of all ages, disrupted access to healthy food can impact behavior, increase risk of obesity, make it harder to concentrate, or exacerbate existing healthy conditions like type 2 diabetes. The impact is not limited to summer, and can lead to a rocky start to the school year, negatively impacting school attendance and students’ ability to effectively participate in school. Read the full brief to learn how public and affordable housing communities can address food insecurity for children and youth with the help of out-of-school-time USDA child nutrition programs.

Authored by:
Topics: Advocacy, Early childhood, Food insecurity, Health, Healthy homes, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Nutrition, Out-of-school time, West Coast, Youth
Shared by Linda Lu on Dec 4, 2019

Keeping Kids Healthy and Engaged When School is Out Through Public and Affordable Housing Communities

Policy Brief
Dec 4, 2019
In California, more than 3.7 million students were eligible for free or reduced priced school meals in the 2017-2018 school year. For many of those students, school meals are the primary source of regular access to healthy food.
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Policy Brief
Community:
Jun 4, 2019
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced its intention to roll back protections for transgender people experiencing homelessness. The newly proposed rule, which is in the early stages of the rulemaking process and has not yet been publicly posted to the Federal Register, would allow homeless shelters to discriminate based on gender identity, putting transgender people in danger of violence and further housing instability. This is part of a long string of attacks the Trump administration has directed toward the transgender community, such as implementing the infamous military ban, contributing to a pattern that legally perpetuates discrimination against transgender people in this country.

Authored by: Aastha Uprety for Equal Rights Center
Topics: Health, Homelessness, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Racial inequalities
Shared by Housing Is on Jun 13, 2019
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Policy Brief
Community:
May 10, 2019
Policies such as those outlined in the draft proposed rule are having, and will continue to have a significant detrimental impact on survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault by deterring immigrant families, including those with U.S. citizen and Lawful Permanent Resident children, from accessing critical help when they need it. Housing assistance is a vital resource for survivors, giving them the security they need to leave abuse without having to fear that doing so will result in homelessness, as well as providing a safe environment to begin their recovery.

Authored by: Grace Huang for the Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence
Topics: Domestic violence, Homelessness, Housing, Immigrants, Legislation & Policy
Shared by Housing Is on Jun 7, 2019

Advisory: How Do Recent HUD Proposed Rules About Verification of Immigration Status Impact Survivors of Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault?

Policy Brief
May 10, 2019
Grace Huang for the Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence
Policies such as those outlined in the draft proposed rule are having, and will continue to have a significant detrimental impact on survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault by deterring immigrant families, including those with U.S.
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Policy Brief
Community:
On May 10, 2019, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) proposed a rule that would significantly change the agency’s eligibility requirements for federal housing assistance based on immigration status.

Authored by: National Housing Law Project and National Low Income Housing Coalition
Topics: Housing, Immigrants, Legislation & Policy
Shared by Housing Is on Jun 7, 2019

HUD's Mixed-Status Rule

Policy Brief
National Housing Law Project and National Low Income Housing Coalition
On May 10, 2019, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) proposed a rule that would significantly change the agency’s eligibility requirements for federal housing assistance based on immigration status.
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Policy Brief
Community:
May 9, 2019
On May 9, the House Appropriations Committee passed its FY2020 appropriations bill for Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. The House bill includes $100 million in FY2020 funding for the McKinney-Vento Act’s Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) program. This represents a 7% increase over the FY2019 level; if enacted, it would represent a 30% increase in EHCY funding since FY2017.

Authored by: SchoolHouse Connection
Topics: Child welfare, Funding, Homelessness, Housing, Legislation & Policy
Shared by Housing Is on May 15, 2019

House Committee Approves Funding Increase for Homeless Children and Youth

Policy Brief
May 9, 2019
SchoolHouse Connection
On May 9, the House Appropriations Committee passed its FY2020 appropriations bill for Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. The House bill includes $100 million in FY2020 funding for the McKinney-Vento Act’s Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) program.
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Policy Brief
Community:
May 1, 2019
Stable housing plays a vital role in people’s recovery from substance use disorders (SUDs). An inability to pay rent and the threat of losing housing can lead to stress that triggers substance misuse and relapse. People experiencing homelessness who also have SUDs typically find it difficult to address their substance use without a safe place to live, because they often use alcohol or drugs to cope with the dangers of life on the streets. In 2018, Congress passed the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act (known as the SUPPORT Act), which provided a variety of new programs and funding opportunities to help states and localities address the opioid epidemic and broadly help people with substance use disorders.

Authored by: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
Topics: Homelessness, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Mental health, Research, Substance abuse
Shared by Housing Is on May 2, 2019
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Policy Brief
Community:
The Homeless Children and Youth Act of 2019 (H.R. 2001) is a bipartisan bill that removes barriers to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) homelessness assistance for children, youth and families in the following ways.

Authored by:
Topics: Early childhood, Homelessness, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Youth
Shared by Housing Is on Apr 4, 2019
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Policy Brief
Community:
Oct 1, 2016
Emerging health care financing models require much more sophisticated actuarial calculations than previous payment arrangements, often taking into account risk factors such as homelessness. Homelessness also has direct implications for clinical treatment decisions and integrated care models and should be noted in individual patient records. This policy brief provides a rationale for using the ICD-10-CM code for homelessness, outlines the challenges to maximizing this code, and offers strategies to consider to ensure health care providers ask about homelessness and record patients’ housing status. This data is highly relevant to clinicians and administrators at health centers, hospitals, state Medicaid systems, Medicaid managed care organizations, and public health departments.

Authored by: National Health Care for the Homeless Council
Topics: Health, Homelessness, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Medicaid / Medicare
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Mar 26, 2019
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Policy Brief
Community:
More than one-third of adult public housing residents in the US smoke—totaling approximately 400,000 smokers, putting other residents and staff at risk of negative health effects.

Authored by: Building Success
Topics: Asthma, Health, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Place-based, Smoke-free
Shared by Housing Is on Feb 4, 2019
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Policy Brief
Community:
Jan 30, 2019
NLIHC stands ready to work with all members of Congress to seize the opportunity to address the full scope of affordable housing challenges for families with the greatest needs. In the memorandum below, we provide our recommendations on steps Congress can take—whether through an infrastructure spending package, the appropriations process, housing finance reform, or other legislative avenues—to make the critical investments in the affordable housing our nation needs to help the economy, our communities, children and families thrive.

Authored by: National Low Income Housing Coalition
Topics: Child welfare, Community development, Criminal justice, Funding, Homelessness, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Mobility, Racial inequalities, Safety
Shared by Housing Is on Jan 30, 2019
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Policy Brief
Community:
Jan 18, 2019
This memo provides an overview of the impact of the shutdown on tenants in the various federally-assisted housing programs, including ways you can talk to clients about their legal rights. Importantly, there is currently only a relatively small group of tenants in HUD and RD project-based rental assistance properties that face an immediate risk due to contracts between owners and HUD or RD that expired starting in December.

Authored by: National Housing Law Project
Topics: Homelessness, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Research
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Jan 22, 2019
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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.
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Policy Brief
Community:
Nov 29, 2018
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is giving state and local housing agencies more funds to help them carry out a promising new policy to enable families with Housing Choice Vouchers to move to higher-opportunity neighborhoods. Agencies must apply by December 31 to receive the funds.

Authored by: Will Fischer for The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
Topics: Child welfare, Funding, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Mobility
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Nov 29, 2018

New Funds Will Help Housing Agencies Expand Opportunity for Families with Vouchers

Policy Brief
Nov 29, 2018
Will Fischer for The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is giving state and local housing agencies more funds to help them carry out a promising new policy to enable families with Housing Choice Vouchers to move to higher-opportunity neighborhoods.
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Policy Brief
Community:
Mar 26, 2018
This two-page fact sheet summarizes existing data on young children who are homeless and their families, including the impact of homelessness on health, development, early learning, and well-being.

Authored by: SchoolHouse Connection
Topics: Child welfare, Early childhood, Homelessness, Housing, Low-income
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Nov 29, 2018
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Policy Brief
Community:
Nov 5, 2018
The potential impacts of expanding the regulation known as “public charge” have yet to be fully understood, but experts anticipate that young children in immigrant families—more than 90 percent of them US citizens—could be disproportionately affected. The proposed rule could make it more difficult for noncitizens to obtain green cards or temporary visas by negatively weighing several factors during the immigration admissions process, including current or potential participation in safety net programs such as Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Authored by: Erica Greenberg and Archana Pyati for The Urban Institute
Topics: Child welfare, Early childhood, Education, Food insecurity, Housing, Immigrants, Legislation & Policy, Low-income
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Nov 5, 2018

Could "public charge" reduce public preschool participation among immigrant families?

Policy Brief
Nov 5, 2018
Erica Greenberg and Archana Pyati for The Urban Institute
The potential impacts of expanding the regulation known as “public charge” have yet to be fully understood, but experts anticipate that young children in immigrant families—more than 90 percent of them US citizens—could be disproportionately affected.
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Policy Brief
Community:
Nov 2, 2018
More than 56 million people live in communities that are classified as high opportunity areas. These neighborhoods often provide access to certain amenities or community attributes that are believed to increase economic mobility for their residents. However, they are also often encumbered by high costs of living and dense populations. As a result, the supply of affordable housing is unable to support the demand. In an effort to combat this, there has been an increased focus from research, policy and affordable housing groups on deconcentrating poverty and promoting affordable housing in high opportunity areas.

Authored by: Freddie Mac Multifamily: Duty to Serve
Topics: Education, Health, Housing, Low-income, Mobility, Safety
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Nov 2, 2018

Spotlight on Underserved Markets: Affordable Housing in High Opportunity Areas

Policy Brief
Nov 2, 2018
Freddie Mac Multifamily: Duty to Serve
More than 56 million people live in communities that are classified as high opportunity areas. These neighborhoods often provide access to certain amenities or community attributes that are believed to increase economic mobility for their residents.
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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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Policy Brief
Community:
Oct 29, 2018
In this Focus on Unaccompanied Youth brief, we review data and information that help us answer the following questions: • What is the scale of youth homelessness? • What do we know about unaccompanied youth who experience homelessness? • What do we know about patterns of homelessness among unaccompanied youth? • What do we know about youths’ risks for experiencing homelessness? • What are the most significant gaps in available data and our current understanding of unaccompanied youth who experience homelessness?

Authored by: U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness
Topics: Data sharing, Homelessness, Housing, Low-income, Metrics, Research, Youth
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Nov 1, 2018

Homelessness in America: Focus on Youth

Policy Brief
Oct 29, 2018
U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness
In this Focus on Unaccompanied Youth brief, we review data and information that help us answer the following questions: • What is the scale of youth homelessness? • What do we know about unaccompanied youth who experience homelessness? • What do we know about patterns of homelessness among unacc
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Policy Brief
Community:
Oct 24, 2018
On Wednesday, October 24, President Trump signed into law bipartisan legislation, H.R. 6, the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act. This sweeping legislation contains many provisions that could help children, youth, and families experiencing homelessness who are impacted by the opioid crisis, as well as provisions to help all children and youth who experience trauma.

Authored by: SchoolHouse Connection
Topics: Child welfare, Dual-generation, Early childhood, Family engagement, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Substance abuse, Supportive housing
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Oct 31, 2018
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Policy Brief
Community:
This short document provides basic information to help housing and homeless assistance providers advocate with their families and youth for appropriate educational services, from birth through higher education. The rights and protections outlined here apply to all children and youth experiencing homelessness, as defined by the education subtitle of the McKinney-Vento Act.

Authored by: SchoolHouse Connection
Topics: Disabilities, Dual-generation, Early childhood, Education, Family engagement, Homelessness, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Post-secondary, Youth
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Oct 10, 2018
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Policy Brief
Community:
Aug 9, 2018
In a post health care reform era, Medicaid programs need to build system capacity to effectively manage increasingly complex Medicaid populations while simultaneously seeking innovative solutions to reduce costs and improve access. As states are increasingly becoming more reliant upon managed care for complex populations – such as individuals in need of long-term services and supports, those with intellectual or developmental disabilities, individuals with severe and persistent mental illness, as well as children with special health care needs – the needs of these populations range far beyond traditional health care.

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

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

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