Our story

In May 2008, a diverse group of leading national experts in the areas of child welfare and affordable housing joined together to form the National Center for Housing and Child Welfare (NCHCW). NCHCW will bring affordable housing resources and knowledge to the child welfare system in order to improve the lives of America's most economically disadvantaged youth and families. NCHCW is dedicated to matching a variety of permanent housing resources with child welfare and community-based supportive services in order to ensure that children no longer linger needlessly in foster care as a consequence of their family’s inability to provide safe, decent, affordable housing. NCHCW's work will include efforts to ensure that each young person who faces adulthood without the support of a permanent family has a solid plan for stable housing and services to help them be successful as adults.

At its core, NCHCW is a housing plus services venture – meaning that NCHCW will aim to ensure that affordable housing opportunities are coupled with appropriate supportive services. The availability of appropriate services is necessary not only to strengthen and stabilize families and individuals in permanent housing but also to provide ample opportunity for self-sufficiency and promote the household’s participation in the broader community. Supports such as access to decent health care, transportation, job training, child care, afterschool programming, and civic engagement opportunities contribute to the well being of families and improve the health of entire neighborhoods.