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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
Social service programs are often looking for ways to assess and improve program design and implementation, and are increasingly using rapid learning methods to do so. In rapid learning cycles, programs try a new approach, see how well it works, make modifications to strengthen it, and then try it again. This brief illustrates how 10 fatherhood programs used learning cycles to evaluate one of three promising approaches to engaging men in their services, and the ways they used data in the learning cycle process to make decisions about the design and implementation of the approaches. Even outside of the learning cycle framework, programs may benefit from using data and the observations and reflections of participants and staff members to guide the implementation of program elements, as is illustrated in this piece.

Authored by: Keri West, Diego Quezada, Jonny Poilpré, and Rebecca Behrmann for Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation
Topics: Family engagement, Healthy homes, Research
Shared by Sandra Ware on Jun 8, 2023

Try, Reflect, Try Again: How Fatherhood Programs Used Learning Cycles in Efforts to Improve Participation Outcomes

Policy Brief
Mar 1, 2023
Keri West, Diego Quezada, Jonny Poilpré, and Rebecca Behrmann for Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation
Social service programs are often looking for ways to assess and improve program design and implementation, and are increasingly using rapid learning methods to do so.
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Policy Brief
Community:
Mar 1, 2023
This document summarizes what was learned in SIRF (Strengthening the Implementation of Responsible Fatherhood Programs), which engaged 10 programs in using learning cycles—repeated periods of implementing ideas and reflecting on the results—to build evidence on practices to improve the enrollment, engagement, and retention of fathers in fatherhood programs.

Authored by: Charles Michalopoulos and Rebecca Behrmann for Strengthening the Implementation of Responsible Fatherhood Programs
Topics: Family engagement, Research
Shared by Sandra Ware on Jun 8, 2023

A Summary of Findings from the Strengthening the Implementation of Responsible Fatherhood Programs Study

Policy Brief
Mar 1, 2023
Charles Michalopoulos and Rebecca Behrmann for Strengthening the Implementation of Responsible Fatherhood Programs
This document summarizes what was learned in SIRF (Strengthening the Implementation of Responsible Fatherhood Programs), which engaged 10 programs in using learning cycles—repeated periods of implementing ideas and reflecting on the results—to build evidence on practices to improve the enrollment, e
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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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Infographics
Community:
May 24, 2023
The unwinding of the Medicaid continuous coverage requirement represents the largest nationwide coverage transition since the Affordable Care Act, with significant health equity implications. As states restart eligibility redeterminations, millions of Medicaid enrollees will be at risk of losing their coverage with some portion exiting because they are no longer eligible, some losing coverage due to administrative challenges despite continued eligibility, and some transitioning to another source of coverage. Given the intense focus on coverage transitions during the unwinding, some states have initiated plans to publish a data dashboard to monitor progress. Data dashboards are useful for publishing dynamic data that is in high demand. They allow states to make proactive decisions about what data to release and on what schedule and then organize that data in an easy-to-digest visual format that facilitates the interpretation of key trends and patterns at a glance.

Authored by: Emily Zylla, Elizabeth Lukanen, and Lindsey Theis, SHADAC for State Health and Value Strategies
Topics: Affordable Care Act, Data sharing, Medicaid / Medicare
Shared by Sandra Ware on May 25, 2023

State Dashboards to Monitor the Unwinding of the Medicaid Continuous Coverage Requirement

Infographics
May 24, 2023
Emily Zylla, Elizabeth Lukanen, and Lindsey Theis, SHADAC for State Health and Value Strategies
The unwinding of the Medicaid continuous coverage requirement represents the largest nationwide coverage transition since the Affordable Care Act, with significant health equity implications.
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Podcast
Community:
Mar 29, 2023
Climate change will affect everyone, so what measures can U.S. communities take now to adapt and thrive? From water-saving landscapes to strategic retreats from hazard-prone areas, experts Colleen Moore and Alexis St. Juliana explore a range of promising responses they’ve identified and explain why historically vulnerable communities must be part of the solutions.

Authored by: Colleen Moore and Alexis St. Juliana for Abt Associates
Topics: Community development, Energy, Environmental Resiliency/Climate Change, Green, Housing, Low-income, Research, Sustainability
Shared by Sandra Ware on Mar 30, 2023

From Cool Roofs to Community Relocation: New Solutions for Climate Adaptation and Resilience

Podcast
Mar 29, 2023
Colleen Moore and Alexis St. Juliana for Abt Associates
Climate change will affect everyone, so what measures can U.S. communities take now to adapt and thrive? From water-saving landscapes to strategic retreats from hazard-prone areas, experts Colleen Moore and Alexis St.
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Policy Brief
Community:
Mar 28, 2023
Family separations and family detention have been used as part of immigration enforcement in the United States. These practices and policies are severely detrimental to child health and wellbeing and can cause lasting harm. This brief reviews the state of the research on the developmental, psychological, and physical toll of family separation and family detention on children and their caregivers. Grounded in this science, we provide a set of policy recommendations that protect child health and wellbeing.

Authored by: Kelly Edyburn, PhD & Shantel Meek, PhD for the Children's Equity Project
Topics: Child welfare, Early childhood, Health, Immigrants, Legislation & Policy, Mental health, Youth
Shared by Sandra Ware on Mar 30, 2023
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Infographics
Community:
Feb 7, 2023
An analysis of recent trends in child and youth homelessness that show the impact of the pandemic, including a disproportionate decline in enrollment and increase in chronic absenteeism.

Authored by: SchoolHouse Connection and University of Michigan
Topics: Attendance, COVID-19, Disabilities, Early childhood, Homelessness, Legislation & Policy, Racial inequalities, School-readiness, Youth
Shared by Sandra Ware on Feb 21, 2023

The Education of Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness: Current Trends, Challenges, and Needs

Infographics
Feb 7, 2023
SchoolHouse Connection and University of Michigan
An analysis of recent trends in child and youth homelessness that show the impact of the pandemic, including a disproportionate decline in enrollment and increase in chronic absenteeism.
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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:
Nov 3, 2022
The series highlights the promising work of the EHS-CCPs to date, particularly related to pandemic recovery and stabilization, workforce support, and expanding access to holistic support for children and families, especially mental health support. The briefs highlight the many roles that states can play in establishing and expanding their own EHS-CCPs, including by using Preschool Development Grant Birth to Five funding and aligning CCDF quality funding with supports needed to establish and grow the Early Head Start model. The EHS-CCPs take many forms in states and communities across the country, but all provide resources to child care partners to deliver high-quality services aligned with the holistic Early Head Start model. This includes ensuring access to early learning for infants and toddlers; vision, hearing and developmental screenings; connections to health supports, including mental and dental healthcare; supports for families — including connections to prenatal care and economic, education, housing, and health supports; and coaching and access to credentials and higher levels of education for the workforce. In some states, the EHS-CCPs have prompted important policy changes that align standards across these two programs, reducing the burden for communities and providers. Check out the full series here and help us spread the word!

Authored by: Mario Cardona, Shantel Meek, Linda Smith, Yvette Fuentes, and Eric Bucher for Arizona State University Center for Child and Family Success
Topics: Child welfare, COVID-19, Health, Mental health, Workforce development
Shared by Sandra Ware on Nov 3, 2022

Building Supply, Enhancing Quality, and Advancing Equity: The Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership Series

Policy Brief
Nov 3, 2022
Mario Cardona, Shantel Meek, Linda Smith, Yvette Fuentes, and Eric Bucher for Arizona State University Center for Child and Family Success
The series highlights the promising work of the EHS-CCPs to date, particularly related to pandemic recovery and stabilization, workforce support, and expanding access to holistic support for children and families, especially mental health support.
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Policy Brief
Community:
Sep 28, 2022
Approximately one in five adults reported experiencing household food insecurity in both spring 2020 and again in summer 2022, after a decline in reported food insecurity in spring 2021. High food price inflation, along with elevated costs for other basic needs, such as transportation and rent, have likely eroded food budgets in the last year. In addition, some of the safety net responses that buffered food insecurity in 2021 are no longer in place. In this brief, we use data from the Health Reform Monitoring Survey, a nationally representative survey of nonelderly adults, to assess food insecurity among households with nonelderly adults in March/April 2020, April 2021, and June 2022.

Authored by: Elaine Waxman, Julio Salas, Poonam Gupta, Michael Karpman for the Urban Institute
Topics: Food insecurity, Research, Stability
Shared by Sandra Ware on Oct 27, 2022
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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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Podcast
Community:
Aug 19, 2021
The social determinants of health are interactive and multi-faceted, but often the experts who address them are siloed—as are their data. How do we share the data that can tell us the full story about the people who rely on—and receive—support? Chris Tappan and Lori Hunter discuss data systems, collaboration between agencies, and the vital importance of equitable services in this latest episode of The Intersect.

Authored by: Abt Associates
Topics: Data sharing, Health
Shared by Jordan Jackson on Aug 19, 2021

Podcast: Reaching Equity: Data, Collaboration, and the Social Determinants of Health

Podcast
Aug 19, 2021
Abt Associates
The social determinants of health are interactive and multi-faceted, but often the experts who address them are siloed—as are their data. How do we share the data that can tell us the full story about the people who rely on—and receive—support?
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Policy Brief
Community:
Jun 30, 2021
Every child in an early childhood setting should have a teacher with specialized education to promote that child’s cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development and who prepares them for success in school and in life. The National Research Council’s report from a panel of experts, Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8: A Unifying Foundation, lays out several recommendations for programs serving children from birth through age 8, notably that teachers "should have at a minimum a bachelor’s degree and specialization in the knowledge and competencies needed to serve as a care and education professional.

Authored by: Child Care Services Association & T.E.A.C.H.
Topics: Early childhood, Education, Post-secondary
Shared by Kirsten Greenwell on Jun 30, 2021

Policy Brief: Affordability, Accessibility, Support and Compensation: Higher Education and the Early Childhood Workforce

Policy Brief
Jun 30, 2021
Child Care Services Association & T.E.A.C.H.
Every child in an early childhood setting should have a teacher with specialized education to promote that child’s cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development and who prepares them for success in school and in life.
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Podcast
Community:
Jun 16, 2021
The social determinants of health are interactive and multi-faceted, but often the experts who address them are siloed—as are their data. How do we share the data that can tell us the full story about the people who rely on—and receive—support? Chris Tappan and Lori Hunter discuss data systems, collaboration between agencies, and the vital importance of equitable services in this latest episode of The Intersect.

Authored by: Eric Tischler, Chris Tappan, and Lori Hunter with ABT Associates
Topics: Child welfare, COVID-19, Data sharing, Health
Shared by Camille Anoll-Hunter on Jun 25, 2021

Reaching Equity: Data, Collaboration, and the Social Determinants of Health

Podcast
Jun 16, 2021
Eric Tischler, Chris Tappan, and Lori Hunter with ABT Associates
The social determinants of health are interactive and multi-faceted, but often the experts who address them are siloed—as are their data. How do we share the data that can tell us the full story about the people who rely on—and receive—support?
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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: 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
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Podcast
Community:
Jan 13, 2021
On a day-to-day basis, vulnerable populations suffer from inequities in health, wealth, and education. These same people are then disproportionately impacted by catastrophes ranging from hurricanes to COVID-19, which only serve to underline the great and urgent need for equity across race, gender, and income. In the latest episode of The Intersect, Madeline Colety and Lorine Giangola discuss how Abt’s housing and resilience work is helping clients promote equity.

Authored by: Madeline Colety & Lorine Giangola for ABT ASSOCIATES
Topics: Advocacy, Community development, Education, Food insecurity, Health, Healthy homes, Homelessness, Housing, Low-income, Partnerships, Racial inequalities
Shared by Housing Is on Jan 14, 2021
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Podcast
Community:
Nov 23, 2020
“Bending the Arc” explores the everyday work of creating inclusive, equitable and racially just communities. This podcast spotlights bold thinking and action by creative, passionate, experienced thinkers and actors from cities and communities around the US and Canada. In this new episode we talk with Dr. Clinton Boyd, Jr., a Postdoctoral Associate at the Samuel Dubois Cook Center on Social Equity at Duke University. In our conversation we touch on a wide range of topics including our personal journeys as Black fathers, the undervaluing of Black men in general versus the idolizing of Black male athletes and entertainers, and what Clinton has learned from his research, including the Dads2Kids home visiting project. Clinton and Dr. Deirdre Oakley of Georgia State University co-authored an essay for the What Works volume on the role of Black fathers in mixed-income communities.

Authored by: National Initiative on Mixed-Income Communities for CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY
Topics: Advocacy, Community development, Racial inequalities, Youth
Shared by Housing Is on Jan 12, 2021

Bending the Arc Podcast: The Connection Between Black Fatherhood and Mixed-Income Communities

Podcast
Nov 23, 2020
National Initiative on Mixed-Income Communities for CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY
“Bending the Arc” explores the everyday work of creating inclusive, equitable and racially just communities. This podcast spotlights bold thinking and action by creative, passionate, experienced thinkers and actors from cities and communities around the US and Canada.
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Podcast
Community:
Sep 28, 2020
The National Initiative on Mixed-Income Communities of the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences of Case Western Reserve University has launched a new podcast. The new podcast, “Bending the Arc” is hosted by Dr. Mark Joseph and Dr. Amy Khare. Join us to learn about strategies to make communities diverse, vibrant places of well-being and opportunity. Listen to the trailer and the first three episodes wherever you listen to podcasts.

Authored by: Mark Joseph and Amy Khare for CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY
Topics: Community development, Healthy homes, Vision
Shared by Housing Is on Oct 29, 2020

Podcast: Bending the Arc

Podcast
Sep 28, 2020
Mark Joseph and Amy Khare for CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY
The National Initiative on Mixed-Income Communities of the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences of Case Western Reserve University has launched a new podcast. The new podcast, “Bending the Arc” is hosted by Dr. Mark Joseph and Dr.
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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
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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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Podcast
Community:
Jun 13, 2019
An interview with Emily Yu, MBA, the Executive Director of the BUILD Health Challenge, an All In partner initiative that supports local collaborations between community-based organizations, health departments, and hospitals/health systems that are working to address important health issues in their communities.

Authored by: All In: Data for Community Health
Topics: Data sharing, Health, Partnerships
Shared by Housing Is on Jun 13, 2019

Podcast: BUILDing a Movement: Going Upstream to Address Health Disparities

Podcast
Jun 13, 2019
All In: Data for Community Health
An interview with Emily Yu, MBA, the Executive Director of the BUILD Health Challenge, an All In partner initiative that supports local collaborations between community-based organizations, health departments, and hospitals/health systems that are working to address important health issues in their
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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.