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
Publication
Community:
Sep 5, 2023
Join the Housing Is Working Group for webinars, member updates, and round table discussions! This resource provides the 2023-2024 Calendar of Events.

Authored by: Housing Is
Topics: CLPHA, Education, Housing, Workforce development
Shared by Camille Anoll-Hunter on Sep 5, 2023
0
0
0
0
Report
Community: Postsecondary
May 20, 2021
Higher education offers millions of people the opportunity to improve their financial well-being. However, higher education is prohibitively expensive and can saddle people with insurmountable debt. Costs beyond tuition—such as housing, food, child care, and transportation—are large, essential components of the cost of attending college for students. In order to better understand how these living costs add up and vary, this report offers estimates of costs beyond tuition for older students between the ages of 25 – 45, who make up roughly one-third of college students and face unique barriers to college access and completion. The report shows that the real cost of college for older students is higher than commonly understood, examines older students’ challenges with financial aid and public benefits programs, and offers policy recommendations to address costs beyond tuition and improve college access and success for older students.

Authored by: Vincent Palacios, Casey Goldvale, Chris Geary & Laura Tatum for GEORGETOWN LAW
Topics: Attendance, Community development, Education, Housing, Post-secondary, Stability, Workforce development
Shared by Housing Is on May 20, 2021

Obstacles to Opportunity: Increasing College Success by Understanding & Addressing Older Students’ Costs Beyond Tuition

Report
May 20, 2021
Vincent Palacios, Casey Goldvale, Chris Geary & Laura Tatum for GEORGETOWN LAW
Higher education offers millions of people the opportunity to improve their financial well-being. However, higher education is prohibitively expensive and can saddle people with insurmountable debt.
0
0
0
0
Video
Community:
May 18, 2021
Keynote: Pathways to Postsecondary Success: Unlocking Education Opportunities for Low-Income Adults. Hear about innovations in improving postsecondary outcomes as states commit resources like the State of Michigan’s new program, Michigan Reconnect, which provides free college to residents in MI.

Authored by: CLPHA
Topics: CLPHA, Community development, Education, Low-income, Racial inequalities, Workforce development
Shared by Housing Is on May 18, 2021
0
0
0
0
Policy Brief
Community: Postsecondary
Nov 1, 2020
Colleges support students with advising, counseling, or coaching in academics and other skills they need to succeed in school. Some colleges enhance those services through reduced adviser caseloads and more comprehensive, frequent guidance, which can improve students’ semester-to-semester retention and average credits earned. This overview describes important lessons on designing and implementing those services. College leaders and administrators committed to designing, building, managing, and continually supporting enhanced advising services can consult this checklist of recommendations as they redesign or enhance these services — as stand-alone services or as part of multifaceted interventions.

Authored by: Andrea Vasquez & Susan Scrivener for MDRC
Topics: Attendance, Child welfare, Community development, Education, Grade-level proficiency, Post-secondary, Workforce development
Shared by Housing Is on Mar 4, 2021
0
0
0
0
Report
Community: Postsecondary
Jan 28, 2020
The nation’s community colleges play a central role in producing a more educated workforce and promoting social mobility. They serve about 40 percent of all college students and, not surprisingly, they serve a disproportionate number of low-income and underrepresented students. But most students who enter these colleges do not graduate — only about a third of entering students earn a degree or certificate within six years. Among the many programs that have attempted to increase graduation rates, one program stands out. Developed by the City University of New York (CUNY), the Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) is a comprehensive program that provides students with up to three years of financial and academic support and other support services. Along with those services and other forms of support comes an obligation to attend full time and participate in essential program services. An experimental evaluation of CUNY ASAP found that the program nearly doubled graduation rates after three years. This report presents findings through three years from a replication of the ASAP model at three community colleges in Ohio.

Authored by: Cynthia Miller for MDRC
Topics: Attendance, Education, Post-secondary, School-readiness, Workforce development
Shared by Housing Is on Oct 6, 2020

Increasing Community College Graduation Rates with a Proven Model: Three-Year Results from the Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) Ohio Demonstration

Report
Jan 28, 2020
Cynthia Miller for MDRC
The nation’s community colleges play a central role in producing a more educated workforce and promoting social mobility. They serve about 40 percent of all college students and, not surprisingly, they serve a disproportionate number of low-income and underrepresented students.
0
0
0
0
Podcast
Community: Postsecondary
May 28, 2020
Community colleges graduation rates remain low. Some studies have shown that students who enroll in summer courses are more likely to stay on track and graduate, yet despite these benefits most college students do not attend during the summer. So why don’t students attend, and how can colleges encourage more of them to enroll in the summer? To answer these questions MDRC launched the Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment — or EASE — project in partnership with the Ohio Association of Community Colleges and 10 community colleges in Ohio. MDRC designed, implemented, and tested two interventions to encourage summer enrollment, using insights from behavioral science, a study of how people make decisions. Both interventions worked to increase enrollment, and both could be operated at a relatively low cost

Authored by: Leigh Parise for MDRC
Topics: Attendance, Education, Post-secondary, School-readiness, Workforce development
Shared by Housing Is on Oct 6, 2020
0
0
0
0
Report
Community: Postsecondary
May 28, 2020
Bridge-to-college programs aim to help people complete high school and enroll in postsecondary education. This evaluation of one such program at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in Green Bay finds that it helped more students earn their GEDs and enroll in college courses.

Authored by: Louisa Treskon for MDRC
Topics: Education, Post-secondary, Workforce development
Shared by Housing Is on Oct 6, 2020

Building on the GED: Promising Results from a Bridge-to-College Model

Report
May 28, 2020
Louisa Treskon for MDRC
Bridge-to-college programs aim to help people complete high school and enroll in postsecondary education. This evaluation of one such program at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in Green Bay finds that it helped more students earn their GEDs and enroll in college courses.
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
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
Policy Brief
Community:
Mar 1, 2019
A brief to help state and local agencies identify opportunities to align and leverage policies, programs, and funding across the three laws to support the education-to-workforce pipeline; a workbook to facilitate cross-agency conversations to identify and plan for alignment opportunities across ESSA, Perkins V, IDEA and WIOA; and an interactive tool that identifies specific language in the laws that address college and readiness topics and help state education agencies and local education agencies find new or greater alignment opportunities in their plans.

Authored by: College & Career Readiness & Success Center
Topics: Asset building, Education, Legislation & Policy, Post-secondary, Workforce development, Youth
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Apr 2, 2019

Developing a College- and Career-Ready Workforce: An Analysis of ESSA, Perkins V, IDEA, and WIOA

Policy Brief
Mar 1, 2019
College & Career Readiness & Success Center
A brief to help state and local agencies identify opportunities to align and leverage policies, programs, and funding across the three laws to support the education-to-workforce pipeline; a workbook to facilitate cross-agency conversations to identify and plan for alignment opportunities across ESSA
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
News Article
Community:
Jan 25, 2019
A whole host of factors — such as friends, housing and transportation — affect a person’s health and how much they need the social safety net. It’s time the government’s big health insurance programs took this reality into account, some lawmakers and policymakers are starting to argue.

Authored by: Paige Winfield Cunningham for The Washington Post
Topics: Asset building, Cost effectiveness, Disabilities, Education, Food insecurity, Funding, Health, Homelessness, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Medicaid / Medicare, Seniors, Transportation, Workforce development
Shared by Housing Is on Jan 25, 2019

The Health 202: Policymakers are realizing health is about a lot more than just care

News Article
Jan 25, 2019
Paige Winfield Cunningham for The Washington Post
A whole host of factors — such as friends, housing and transportation — affect a person’s health and how much they need the social safety net. It’s time the government’s big health insurance programs took this reality into account, some lawmakers and policymakers are starting to argue.
0
0
0
0
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
0
0
0
0
Report
Community:
Oct 24, 2018
CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative is engaged in a number of cross-sector activities focused on developing partnerships, facilitating a community of practice, resource development, promoting best practices, online collaboration, policy and advocacy, and training and education. Read about recent activities in this Fall Update.

Authored by:
Topics: Child welfare, CLPHA, Community development, Cost effectiveness, Data sharing, Early childhood, Education, Family engagement, Funding, Health, Homelessness, Housing, Low-income, Medicaid / Medicare, Mental health, Partnerships, Place-based, Post-secondary, Research, Stability, Substance abuse, Workforce development, Youth
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Oct 24, 2018
0
0
0
0
News Article
Community:
Oct 16, 2018
Some community colleges have found innovative partnerships with their public housing authorities may help combat student homelessness.

Authored by: Ashley A. Smith for Inside Higher Ed
Topics: Asset building, CLPHA, Education, Homelessness, Housing, Low-income, Midwest, Pacific Northwest, Partnerships, Post-secondary, Stability, Workforce development
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Oct 24, 2018
0
0
0
0
Interactive
Community:
This initiative is generating innovative ideas that will help us address the affordable housing crisis in America and further support our broad mission to create housing opportunities that are safe, sustainable, and affordable, while managing risk to protect lenders, homeowners, and taxpayers. Specifically, The Challenge is a $10 million commitment by Fannie Mae to generate affordable housing solutions that will help Fannie Mae address the nation’s affordable housing issues by advancing sustainable communities–those providing residents integrated opportunities for employment, health and wellness, and education.

Authored by: Fannie Mae
Topics: Education, Funding, Health, Housing, Low-income, Workforce development
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Oct 10, 2018
0
0
0
0
Publication
Community:
Young people are the workers of today and tomorrow. But those who become parents in their teenage years and early 20s, just as they are getting started in the world of work, are often confronted with a harsh reality: odds stacked against their ability to earn, learn and raise a family, which can threaten their children’s future as well as the strength of our communities.

Authored by: The Annie E. Casey Foundation
Topics: Early childhood, Education, Legislation & Policy, Post-secondary, Pre-natal, Research, Workforce development, Youth
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Oct 10, 2018
0
0
0
0
Case study
Community:
Jun 25, 2018
The King County Housing Authority (KCHA), in partnership with the Highline School District and the nonprofit social service organization Neighborhood House, launched the Student and Family Stability Initiative (SFSI) pilot program in 2013 to provide housing and employment supports to homeless and unstably housed families with children enrolled in Highline elementary schools. In 2016, KCHA contracted with the Urban Institute (Urban) to conduct a process and outcome evaluation of the program’s first three pilot years. This evaluation documents how SFSI works, who it serves, and how well it helps participants achieve housing stability. This report synthesizes findings from data collection conducted over approximately 10 months that included document review, interviews with SFSI stakeholders, and analysis of program and other relevant KCHA administrative data.

Authored by: Martha M. Galvez, Amanda Gold, and Sara McTarnaghan
Topics: Attendance, Dual-generation, Education, Family engagement, Housing, Low-income, Pacific Northwest, Partnerships, Place-based, Research, Stability, Workforce development, Youth
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Sep 18, 2018

Evaluation of the Student and Family Stability Initiative

Case study
Jun 25, 2018
Martha M. Galvez, Amanda Gold, and Sara McTarnaghan
The King County Housing Authority (KCHA), in partnership with the Highline School District and the nonprofit social service organization Neighborhood House, launched the Student and Family Stability Initiative (SFSI) pilot program in 2013 to provide housing and employment supports to homeless and un
0
0
0
0
Podcast
Community:
Sep 17, 2018
About MDRC’s “Evidence First” Podcast Series: Policymakers talk about solutions, but which ones really work? Join Katie Beal, MDRC’s External Affairs Associate, as she talks with experts about the best evidence available on education and social programs that serve low-income people.

Authored by: Katie Beal with MDRC
Topics: Education, Funding, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Post-secondary, Workforce development, Youth
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Sep 17, 2018

Career and Technical Education: Past, Present, and Future

Podcast
Sep 17, 2018
Katie Beal with MDRC
About MDRC’s “Evidence First” Podcast Series: Policymakers talk about solutions, but which ones really work? Join Katie Beal, MDRC’s External Affairs Associate, as she talks with experts about the best evidence available on education and social programs that serve low-income people.
0
1
1
0
Report
Community:
May 1, 2018
Our initial report—which followed participants around the country over three years—found, among other things, that Year Up increased participants’ average quarterly earnings by more than 50 percent. These are the largest gains in earnings measured to date in random assignment studies of workforce training programs for youth and adults.

Authored by: David Fein and Jill Hamadyk for Abt Associates
Topics: Asset building, Education, Low-income, Mobility, Post-secondary, Research, Workforce development, Youth
Shared by Housing Is on Aug 16, 2018

Bridging the Opportunity Divide for Low-Income Youth: Implementation and Early Impacts of the Year Up Program

Report
May 1, 2018
David Fein and Jill Hamadyk for Abt Associates
Our initial report—which followed participants around the country over three years—found, among other things, that Year Up increased participants’ average quarterly earnings by more than 50 percent.
0
0
0
0
Research
Community:
Aug 1, 2018
Work requirements in public housing are highly controversial, and little is known about their impacts. We examined how implementation of a work requirement paired with supportive services by Charlotte Housing Authority has impacted residents’ overall well-being. Although the policy might improve well-being by increasing household income, it might also engender stress through greater housing precarity.

Authored by:
Topics: Depression, Disabilities, Education, Food insecurity, Health, Housing, Low-income, Medicaid / Medicare, Mental health, Metrics, MTW, Partnerships, Racial inequalities, Research, South, Workforce development
Shared by Housing Is on Aug 1, 2018
0
0
0
0
News Article
Community:
Feb 15, 2018

Authored by: Jon Marcus and Matt Krupnick for The Hechinger Report (originally featured in The Atlantic)
Topics: Community development, Education, Family engagement, Low-income, Midwest, Post-secondary, Research, Workforce development, Youth
Shared by Housing Is on Jul 5, 2018
0
0
0
0
Report
Community:
Jun 29, 2017
Violent-crime arrests drop by 33 percent for program participants.

Authored by: UChicago News
Topics: Child welfare, Criminal justice, Education, Low-income, Midwest, Mobility, Out-of-school time, Post-secondary, Racial inequalities, Research, Safety, Substance abuse, Workforce development, Youth
Shared by Housing Is on Jul 5, 2018
0
0
0
0
News Article
Community:
Mar 14, 2018
Education leaders reconvened on Tuesday to continue discussing how to help kids by helping their parents. The approach, known as the “Two-Gen” method is based on data showing a child’s trajectory is largely determined by their parents’ stability.

Authored by: Ryan McKinnon for the Herald-Tribune
Topics: Child welfare, Dual-generation, Education, Family engagement, Literacy, Low-income, School-readiness, Workforce development, Youth
Shared by Housing Is on Jul 5, 2018

How to Change the Trajectory of Low-Income Children? Help the Parents.

News Article
Mar 14, 2018
Ryan McKinnon for the Herald-Tribune
Education leaders reconvened on Tuesday to continue discussing how to help kids by helping their parents. The approach, known as the “Two-Gen” method is based on data showing a child’s trajectory is largely determined by their parents’ stability.
0
0
0
0
Report
Community:
Nov 1, 2017
Why do some neighborhoods appear able to launch effective local improvement initiatives, while others are more hampered by fragmentation and mistrust? Why can some communities mobilize diverse constituencies to influence public policy, while others cannot? Answers to these questions may be found in the specific patterns of collaboration that form among community organizations, and between these groups, schools, public agencies, and elected officials, according to MDRC, a preeminent social-policy research organization.

Authored by: MDRC
Topics: Asset building, Child welfare, Community development, Data sharing, Dual-generation, Education, Family engagement, Funding, Health, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Metrics, Midwest, Mobility, Out-of-school time, Partnerships, Place-based, Preventative care, Research, Safety, Stability, Workforce development, Youth
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Jun 29, 2018

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

Report
Nov 1, 2017
MDRC
Why do some neighborhoods appear able to launch effective local improvement initiatives, while others are more hampered by fragmentation and mistrust? Why can some communities mobilize diverse constituencies to influence public policy, while others cannot?