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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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Publication
Community:
Nov 15, 2023
Homelessness and child welfare system involvement pose substantial challenges for families, but supportive housing can help them stay together and access secure housing.

Authored by: Michael Pergamit, Mary K. Cunningham for Urban Institute
Topics: Advocacy, Dual-generation, Healthy homes, Homelessness, Housing, Low-income, Stability
Shared by Molli Caite Hughes on Nov 15, 2023
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Publication
Community:
Founded in 1995 as Project Women, Family Scholar House (FSH) provides comprehensive, holistic services for disadvantaged single parents, their children, and foster alumni. The nonprofit seeks to end the cycle of poverty and transform communities by empowering families and youth to succeed in education and life-long self-sufficiency. FSH provides supportive housing, educational programming, and participant advocacy to help families gain independence.

Authored by: American Planning Association
Topics: Dual-generation, Early childhood, Education, Homelessness, Housing, Low-income, Partnerships, Place-based, Post-secondary, South, Stability
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Apr 18, 2019
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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:
Jan 24, 2019
Affordable housing campaigns are not new, of course, but what is unprecedented and transformative about Opportunity Starts at Home is the scope and diversity of the partners that are joining forces to advocate for more robust and equitable federal housing policies. The campaign is advised by a Steering Committee including leading national organizations representing a wide range of interests that are working shoulder-to-shoulder to solve the affordable housing crisis.

Authored by: Opportunity Starts at Home
Topics: Asset building, Child welfare, CLPHA, Community development, Early childhood, Education, Food insecurity, Funding, Health, Homelessness, Housing, Immigrants, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Mobility, Out-of-school time, Partnerships, Racial inequalities, Safety, Seniors, Stability, Substance abuse, Youth
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Jan 24, 2019

Within Reach: Ambitious Federal Solutions to Meet the Housing Needs of the Most Vulnerable People

Publication
Jan 24, 2019
Opportunity Starts at Home
Affordable housing campaigns are not new, of course, but what is unprecedented and transformative about Opportunity Starts at Home is the scope and diversity of the partners that are joining forces to advocate for more robust and equitable federal housing policies.
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Publication
Community:
Quality affordable housing can be a “vaccine” which prevents long-term health problems and promotes healthy, productive lives. When a family’s housing situation is unaffordable and unstable, chances to lead a healthy life dwindle rapidly.

Authored by: Opportunity Starts at Home
Topics: Child welfare, Health, Homelessness, Housing, Low-income, Partnerships, Seniors, Stability
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Jan 18, 2019
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Publication
Community:
Oct 9, 2018
Women with children, especially, stay hidden in fear of losing custody of their children. As a result, we will never see them camping in tents or in downtown parks.

Authored by: Mary Ellen Mitchell for SchoolHouse Connection
Topics: Early childhood, Homelessness, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Safety, Stability
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Jan 11, 2019
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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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Publication
Community:
Oct 1, 2016
This report examines strategies used by local governments to address rising housing costs and displacement of low-income households in gentrifying neighborhoods. To assist tenants at risk of displacement, the report details strategies to regulate the landlord/tenant relationship well as strategies to provide assistance for households that move. To create and preserve affordable housing, the report explores ways to use city-owned land and other resources strategically to promote affordable housing in areas where costs are on the rise. It also examines ways to harness the market, such as inclusionary zoning and linkage fees. The report is part of an ongoing series of work by the NYU Furman Center on gentrification, but is the first to provide an overview of policy responses to the effects rapidly rising rents.

Authored by: Jessica Yager, Luke Herrine, and Nadia Mian for NYU Furman Center
Topics: Community development, Housing, Low-income, Stability
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Dec 21, 2018
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Publication
Community:
Dec 1, 2018
New York City’s UAC has generated substantial interest as other jurisdictions across the U.S. consider or implement similar programs. In June 2018, San Francisco voters approved a ballot initiative requiring the city to establish, fund, and run a program to provide legal representation to all tenants facing eviction regardless of income. The Los Angeles City Council approved a motion in August 2018 instructing the housing department to develop recommendations for a new eviction defense bill or program.

Authored by: Vicki Been, Deborah Rand, Nicole Summers, and Jessica Yager for NYU Furman Center
Topics: Housing, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, 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 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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Publication
Community:
Nov 28, 2018
Housing instability among families and children can be detrimental to child welfare, health, economic, and other outcomes. Policymakers and service providers in these fields should consider weaving housing into their approaches. Treating instability at its roots can relieve the trade-offs and stress that emerge when no decent housing is affordable. Evidence indicates that affordable housing can improve a range of outcomes for families and—in combination with short-term or long-term services—help providers tackle complex challenges head-on.

Authored by: Aaron Shroyer for The Urban Institute
Topics: Child welfare, Family engagement, Housing, Low-income, Stability, Supportive housing
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Nov 29, 2018
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Research
Community:
May 16, 2018
Treating opioid use disorder among homeless families can reduce hepatitis C transmission, infant drug withdrawal, and overdose, which is the leading cause of death among people experiencing homelessness. Although office-based treatment is effective for homeless patients, homelessness (especially among families) creates barriers to office-based opioid treatment, such as stigma, child care needs, or distance from an office site. To reduce barriers to treatment, the Family Team at the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program added a shelter-based opioid treatment program to its outreach clinic at a family homeless shelter and motel. The Family Team consists of a physician, a nurse, two case managers, and a behavioral health clinician.

Authored by: American Public Health Association
Topics: Health, Homelessness, Housing, Place-based, Preventative care, Safety, Stability, Substance abuse
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Nov 21, 2018
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Publication
Community:
Nov 20, 2018
People with mental health disabilities are vastly overrepresented in the population of people who experience homelessness. Of the more than 550,000 people in America who experienced homelessness on a given night in 2017, 1 in 5 had a mental illness. The proportion of people experiencing chronic homelessness with mental health disabilities was even higher—nearly 1 in 3. Despite this fact, the reality is that most people with mental illness fortunately do not experience homelessness: While about 20 percent of all adults in the United States have a mental illness, less than two-tenths of 1 percent of people in the country experienced homelessness on a given night in 2017.

Authored by: Heidi Schultheis for Center for American Progress
Topics: Depression, Disabilities, Homelessness, Housing, Legislation & Policy, Low-income, Mental health, Partnerships, Preventative care, Stability, Substance abuse, Supportive housing
Shared by Mica O'Brien on Nov 20, 2018

Lack of Housing and Mental Health Disabilities Exacerbate One Another

Publication
Nov 20, 2018
Heidi Schultheis for Center for American Progress
People with mental health disabilities are vastly overrepresented in the population of people who experience homelessness. Of the more than 550,000 people in America who experienced homelessness on a given night in 2017, 1 in 5 had a mental illness.
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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 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:
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