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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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Research
Community:
Aug 5, 2019
CLPHA developed a general data sharing template that public housing authorities (PHAs) and their health partners can customize to suit their data sharing and collaboration needs. Please feel free to comment to share any uses/modifications your organization made to implement into a partnership.

Authored by:
Topics: Affordable Care Act, CLPHA, Community development, Cost effectiveness, Data sharing, Dental, Depression, Dual-eligibles, Funding, Health, Healthy homes, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Medicaid / Medicare, Mental health, Metrics, MTW, Nutrition, Obesity, Partnerships, Place-based, Preventative care, Racial inequalities, Research, SAMHSA, Smoke-free, Stability, Substance abuse, Supportive housing, Sustainability, TA
Shared by Steve Lucas on Aug 5, 2019

CLPHA Data Sharing Template for PHAs and Health Organizations

 

Disclaimer: This template is provided for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. You should contact your attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or question. Use of this template, including its exhibits and attachments, does not create a relationship or any responsibilities between CLPHA and the user.

Research
Aug 5, 2019
CLPHA developed a general data sharing template that public housing authorities (PHAs) and their health partners can customize to suit their data sharing and collaboration needs. Please feel free to comment to share any uses/modifications your organization made to implement into a partnership.
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Research
Community:
May 30, 2019
Children experiencing homelessness or living in inadequate and unstable housing are exposed to many risks, including a heightened threat of involvement with the child welfare system. Can child welfare agencies play a role in addressing the lack of affordable housing? What if providing housing, plus other supportive services, could prevent out-of-home placements to foster care? What if, for those children already in foster care, it could help them reunify with their parents?

Authored by: Mary K. Cunningham, Mike Pergamit, and Sarah Gillespie for The Urban Institute
Topics: Child welfare, Research, Stability, Supportive housing
Shared by Housing Is on May 30, 2019

Supportive Housing Can Help Keep Families Together

Research
May 30, 2019
Mary K. Cunningham, Mike Pergamit, and Sarah Gillespie for The Urban Institute
Children experiencing homelessness or living in inadequate and unstable housing are exposed to many risks, including a heightened threat of involvement with the child welfare system. Can child welfare agencies play a role in addressing the lack of affordable housing?
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Research
Community:
Feb 5, 2019
Housing is considered a social determinant of health, with poor housing conditions being associated with poor health. Veterans with disabilities are more likely to experience a housing crisis because of combat experiences and employment instability. We identified facilitators and barriers to finding and maintaining rental housing. We sought to understand the housing needs of Veterans with military-related disabilities using the biopsychoecological model (BEM) as an organizing framework.

Authored by: Semeah, Ahrentzen, Cowper-Ripley, Santos-Roman, Beamish, and Farley for Housing Policy Debate
Topics: Disabilities, Funding, Health, Homelessness, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Research, Safety, Seniors, Stability
Shared by Housing Is on Mar 14, 2019

In Their Own Words: Veterans with Disabilities Share Their Housing Challenges

Research
Feb 5, 2019
Semeah, Ahrentzen, Cowper-Ripley, Santos-Roman, Beamish, and Farley for Housing Policy Debate
Housing is considered a social determinant of health, with poor housing conditions being associated with poor health. Veterans with disabilities are more likely to experience a housing crisis because of combat experiences and employment instability.
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Research
Community:
Nov 22, 2018
Improved access to health insurance contributed to reducing worry and stress associated with paying rent/mortgage or purchasing meals among low-income people. Expanding health insurance access may have contributed to increasing the disposable income of low income groups.

Authored by: Shiho Kino, Koryu Sato, and Iciro Kawachi for International Journal for Equity in Health
Topics: Affordable Care Act, Health, Housing, Low-income, Medicaid / Medicare, Mental health, Research, Stability
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Mar 7, 2019

Spillover benefit of improved access to healthcare on reducing worry about housing and meal affordability

Research
Nov 22, 2018
Shiho Kino, Koryu Sato, and Iciro Kawachi for International Journal for Equity in Health
Improved access to health insurance contributed to reducing worry and stress associated with paying rent/mortgage or purchasing meals among low-income people. Expanding health insurance access may have contributed to increasing the disposable income of low income groups.
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Publication
Community:
Feb 27, 2019
Over the past two decades, criminal justice reform has focused on evidence-based interventions to prevent arrests and incarceration and to facilitate community reintegration. These initiatives represent a movement toward a less punitive, more holistic approach to public safety, targeting critical social factors that lead to and perpetuate criminal justice involvement. Because housing problems are often a key underlying factor for people’s involvement with the criminal justice system, there are ways housing interventions can help lessen criminal justice involvement. Decriminalizing homelessness, for example, can reduce rates of initial arrest and incarceration, especially for people with low-level, nonviolent offenses. A sufficient supply of affordable housing and supportive services could help people stabilize after their release from jail and reduce the likelihood of recidivism. Policymakers, advocates, and practitioners in housing and criminal justice systems can partner to promote and evaluate housing strategies that divert people from the criminal justice system.

Authored by: Kimberly Burrowes for How Housing Matters (Urban Institute)
Topics: Criminal justice, Homelessness, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Research, Stability
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Feb 28, 2019
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Publication
Community:
Jan 31, 2019
For many years, the vulnerabilities of children experiencing homelessness have been glossed over on the assumption that their innate resilience would overcome the impact of homelessness. As someone who worked in the field, I would often hear, “Oh, they’ll never remember.” Today we know better. We know more about how the brain develops and about how trauma impacts brain development. There is a growing recognition among providers that these early years are critical for establishing a foundation for emotional, mental, and physical wellbeing, and that we don’t get a second chance at early childhood.

Authored by: Carol Klocek for SchoolHouse Connection
Topics: Early childhood, Education, Homelessness, Housing, Low-income, Research, Safety, Stability
Shared by Housing Is on Feb 21, 2019

Real Families, Real Solutions: How Homeless Service Providers Can Meet the Needs of Young Children and Their Families

Publication
Jan 31, 2019
Carol Klocek for SchoolHouse Connection
For many years, the vulnerabilities of children experiencing homelessness have been glossed over on the assumption that their innate resilience would overcome the impact of homelessness. As someone who worked in the field, I would often hear, “Oh, they’ll never remember.” Today we know better.
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Publication
Community:
Apr 10, 2018
State and local governments are debating and adopting new landlord-tenant laws and pilot programs, such as expanded legal representation and just-cause eviction requirements. Yet, few housing experts understand evictions well enough to channel the demand for change into clarity about specific eviction problems and potential solutions. Now is the time for policymakers and advocates to get smart. Here are five strategies for policymakers to consider as they address America’s eviction crisis.

Authored by: Maya Brennan for Urban Institute
Topics: Housing, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Research, Stability
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Dec 21, 2018
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Research
Community:
Aug 19, 2018
On the 50th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act, there is growing discussion and concern about gentrification. In almost every American city, long-time residents feel increasingly anxious that they will be priced out of their homes and communities, as growing numbers of higher-income, college-educated households opt for downtown neighborhoods. Yet when looking through the lens of fair housing, gentrification also offers a glimmer of hope, as the moves that higher-income, white households make into predominantly minority, lower-income neighborhoods are moves that help to integrate those neighborhoods, at least in the near-term. The key question is whether this integration will last and help to deliver on the promise of the Fair Housing Act to promote and further integrated living. Inverting the famous words of community organizer Saul Alinsky, this integration may only be the time between when the first white moves in and the last family of color moves out.

Authored by: Ingrid Gould Ellen and Gerard Torrats-Espinosa for NYU Furman Center
Topics: Community development, Housing, Low-income, Mobility, Racial inequalities, Research, Stability
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Dec 19, 2018
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Publication
Community:
Dec 17, 2018
In response to the heightened interest in the relationship between work and the health of individuals and communities, CMCS has clarified that Medicaid funds cannot be used to pay beneficiaries’ wages, but can pay for employment counseling as an optional benefit—to help people get jobs. Years of experience with work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Aid to Families with Dependent Children, and populations with disabilities have developed the evidence for what is needed to help different populations find and keep jobs.

Authored by: Christopher F. Koller for Millbank Memorial Fund
Topics: Affordable Care Act, Disabilities, Health, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Medicaid / Medicare, Research, Stability, Workforce development
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Dec 17, 2018

To Work and To Love—Health in Theory and Practice

Publication
Dec 17, 2018
Christopher F. Koller for Millbank Memorial Fund
In response to the heightened interest in the relationship between work and the health of individuals and communities, CMCS has clarified that Medicaid funds cannot be used to pay beneficiaries’ wages, but can pay for employment counseling as an optional benefit—to help people get jobs.
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Publication
Community:
Dec 17, 2018
Stricter work requirement policies for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) at the federal level were left out of the recently passed farm bill, but state policymakers are still considering whether to expand or establish their own work requirements for SNAP and Medicaid, with the goal of incentivizing employment. There’s no question that good jobs help spur upward mobility. But if we are serious about helping people work, we have to get serious about helping people improve their skills.

Authored by: Gina Adams and Shayne Spaulding for The Urban Institute
Topics: Child welfare, Cost effectiveness, Dual-generation, Early childhood, Food insecurity, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Research, Stability, Workforce development
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Dec 17, 2018

Work requirement policies must consider parents' need for child care

Publication
Dec 17, 2018
Gina Adams and Shayne Spaulding for The Urban Institute
Stricter work requirement policies for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) at the federal level were left out of the recently passed farm bill, but state policymakers are still considering whether to expand or establish their own work requirements for SNAP and Medicaid, with the goa
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Publication
Community:
Dec 14, 2018
Health and reentry are closely related, and chronic medical, mental health, and substance use problems make it harder for newly released people to seek employment, obtain housing, and avoid reincarceration. Compared with the general population, justice-involved people tend to be in poorer health and need access to physical and behavioral health services, as well as the know-how and motivation to get care.

Authored by: Rochisa Shukla and Kamala Mallik-Kane for Urban Institute
Topics: Affordable Care Act, Criminal justice, Health, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Medicaid / Medicare, Research, Stability
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Dec 14, 2018
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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
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Research
Community:
Nov 27, 2018
Most states use an education funding formula to allocate state and local dollars to school districts. Most funding formulas attempt to account for student poverty, among other factors, in distributing funds. But there are several ways to count low-income students and even more ways to tie dollars to these student counts.

Authored by: Kristin Blagg for The Urban Institute
Topics: Child welfare, Education, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Place-based, Research, Stability, Youth
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Nov 27, 2018
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Research
Community:
Nov 1, 2018
Are families prioritizing their housing payments by jeopardizing their health and well-being, missing utility payments, skipping meals, or failing to keep up with medical needs or medical bills? And are renters less able than homeowners to weather a financial emergency, such as an unexpected medical expense? Our research suggests this may be the case.

Authored by: Corianne Scally and Dulce Gonzalez for The Urban Institute
Topics: Asset building, Child welfare, Food insecurity, Health, Homelessness, Housing, Low-income, Research, Stability
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Nov 7, 2018
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Research
Community:
Oct 26, 2018
Researchers often have valuable insights for program leaders and policymakers. However, their research is typically presented in formats and contexts that don’t speak directly to those who can make the best use of it. With these short videos (about 3 minutes long each), we seek to bring relevant, timely research to everyone interested in reducing poverty and increasing family stability in the United States. Each video offers a few critical messages. Our hope is that these videos, and this viewer’s guide, provoke your thinking, expand your dialogue, and give you ideas for how to strategically advance your work.

Authored by: Scott W. Allard, Greg Fabiano, Colleen Heflin, Jodi Sandfort, and Valerie Uccellani for Mathematica
Topics: Family engagement, Low-income, Research, Stability
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Nov 6, 2018

Researchers Speak: Insights about Family Stability and Self-Sufficiency, A Viewer's Guide

Research
Oct 26, 2018
Scott W. Allard, Greg Fabiano, Colleen Heflin, Jodi Sandfort, and Valerie Uccellani for Mathematica
Researchers often have valuable insights for program leaders and policymakers. However, their research is typically presented in formats and contexts that don’t speak directly to those who can make the best use of it.
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Research
Community:
Oct 25, 2018
Many low-income families in the United States face challenges associated with unemployment, health, and education disparities. To help overcome these challenges, several federal programs aim to assist these families with employment, self-sufficiency, healthy relationships, and individual well-being. Understanding the effects of these programs, including whether they meet the needs of those they intend to serve, requires a strong partner. Mathematica’s team of seasoned experts has worked closely with the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) to uncover the insights practitioners and policymakers need to make informed decisions.

Authored by: Mathematica
Topics: Asset building, Child welfare, Dual-generation, Family engagement, Low-income, Research, Stability
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Nov 6, 2018
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Research
Community:
Oct 16, 2018
The evidence on how homelessness affects children suggests policymakers should be doing everything possible to prevent homelessness and, when families who do lose their housing, to help them exit homelessness and stabilize in housing quickly. Rapid re-housing (RRH) can help homeless families in crisis.

Authored by: Mary K. Cunningham for The Urban Institute
Topics: Child welfare, Health, Homelessness, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Research, Stability
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Nov 5, 2018
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Research
Community:
Nov 5, 2018
Using multiple panels from the US Census Bureau’s Survey of Income and Program Participation, we find that participation in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or public health insurance reduces the number of hardships low-income families with children experience by 48 percent and reduces the share who experience food insufficiency by 72 percent.

Authored by: Signe-Mary McKernan and Caroline Ratcliffe for The Urban Institute
Topics: Child welfare, Cost effectiveness, Food insecurity, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Medicaid / Medicare, Metrics, Research, Stability
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Nov 5, 2018

New evidence shows the safety net reduces Americans' material hardship by 48 percent

Research
Nov 5, 2018
Signe-Mary McKernan and Caroline Ratcliffe for The Urban Institute
Using multiple panels from the US Census Bureau’s Survey of Income and Program Participation, we find that participation in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or public health insurance reduces the number of hardships low-income families w
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Research
Community:
Oct 25, 2018
In contrast to the portrayal of homelessness as affecting people with behavioral health problems or low employment capacity, cycles of homelessness could reflect job shifts that bring a household in or out of poverty. To assess the connections between employment and homelessness, researchers focused on three topics: (1) employment and earnings before, during, and after adults used a homeless shelter; (2) changes in employment and earnings in connection to shelter entry and exit; and (3) employment and earnings differences between adults who are homeless as part of a family versus as individuals.

Authored by: Stephen Metraux, Jamison Fargo, Nicholas Eng, and Dennis Culhane for Cityscape
Topics: Asset building, Homelessness, Housing, Low-income, Research, Stability, Workforce development
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Oct 25, 2018

Employment and Earnings Trajectories During Two Decades Among Adults in New York City Homeless Shelters

Research
Oct 25, 2018
Stephen Metraux, Jamison Fargo, Nicholas Eng, and Dennis Culhane for Cityscape
In contrast to the portrayal of homelessness as affecting people with behavioral health problems or low employment capacity, cycles of homelessness could reflect job shifts that bring a household in or out of poverty.
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Research
Community:
Oct 1, 2018
Although the rental assistance programs varied, key themes emerged, including (1) most programs, recognizing the impact of housing stability on health outcomes, targeted populations served by state or local health and human services programs; (2) most programs served a growing number of households over time; (3) funding generally increased over time and most of it came from general revenue; and (4) programs involved collaboration between the housing and health and human services agencies to ensure clients’ needs were comprehensively met.

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

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

Research
Oct 1, 2018
Anna Bailey, Peggy Bailey, and Douglas Rice for the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
Although the rental assistance programs varied, key themes emerged, including (1) most programs, recognizing the impact of housing stability on health outcomes, targeted populations served by state or local health and human services programs; (2) most programs served a growing number of households o
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Research
Community:
Oct 4, 2018
Housing providers and counselors in urban, suburban, and rural areas can help refugees and resettlement agencies navigate challenging rental markets, understand the evidence about how housing and neighborhoods matter, and prepare for long-term success as a renter or owner.

Authored by: Brianne Casey, Kimberly Burrowes, and Maya Brennan for Urban Institute
Topics: Community development, Housing, Immigrants, Research, Stability
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Oct 4, 2018

Secure Housing for Refugees Can Help Them—and US Communities—Prosper

Research
Oct 4, 2018
Brianne Casey, Kimberly Burrowes, and Maya Brennan for Urban Institute
Housing providers and counselors in urban, suburban, and rural areas can help refugees and resettlement agencies navigate challenging rental markets, understand the evidence about how housing and neighborhoods matter, and prepare for long-term success as a renter or owner.
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Research
Community:
Sep 19, 2018
About 20 percent of adults in sheltered homeless families have a disability, compared with 9 percent of all US adults, yet few studies have addressed the intersection of disability and housing instability. A recent study explored the relationship between disabilities and Supplemental Security Income (SSI)/Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) income that homeless families reported when they entered emergency shelters, as well as later outcomes, such as housing stability, self-sufficiency, and food insecurity. It also examined how housing interventions affect SSI/SSDI income receipt.

Authored by: Urban Institute
Topics: Disabilities, Homelessness, Housing, Low-income, Research, Stability
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Sep 20, 2018
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Research
Community:
Aug 9, 2018
For almost two decades now, cities around the country have been demolishing traditional public housing and relocating residents to subsidized private market rental housing. In this paper, we examine sense of place, consisting of both community and place attachment, among a sample of Atlanta public housing residents prior to relocation.

Authored by:
Topics: Asset building, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Mental health, Mobility, Research, South, Stability
Shared by Housing Is on Aug 9, 2018
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Research
Community:
Aug 1, 2018
This study draws on qualitative interview data to examine transitions into rent-assisted housing as they relate to diabetes self-management behaviors.

Authored by:
Topics: East Coast, Health, Homelessness, Housing, Low-income, Mental health, Metrics, Nutrition, Research, Stability
Shared by Housing Is on Aug 1, 2018
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Research
Community:
Jul 11, 2018
Studies show that those residing in households subsidized with federal housing vouchers exhibit fewer mental health problems than residents of public housing. The role of housing conditions and neighborhood quality in this relationship is unclear. This study investigated the relationship between rental assistance, housing and neighborhood conditions, and the risk of depressive symptomology and hostile affect among low-income Latino adults living in the Bronx, NY

Authored by:
Topics: Depression, East Coast, Health, Housing, Low-income, Mental health, Obesity, Racial inequalities, Research, Stability
Shared by Housing Is on Jul 11, 2018

Depressive Symptomology and Hostile Affect among Latinos Using Housing Rental Assistance: the AHOME Study

Research
Jul 11, 2018
Studies show that those residing in households subsidized with federal housing vouchers exhibit fewer mental health problems than residents of public housing. The role of housing conditions and neighborhood quality in this relationship is unclear.