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Housing Solutions

Child welfare workers seldom have the tools they need to adequately respond to the housing problems confronting the families and children with whom they work. This section includes an overview of how local child welfare system can access affordable housing resources for families and youth aging out of the foster care system. In response to your suggestions and submissions, we will add new and innovative housing partnership to the site.

General Resources

The following presentations cover a range of topics related to the intersection of housing and child welfare.  Click on the name of the highlighted presenter to view the presentation.

Housing Interventions to Prevent Poverty-Related Neglect
Ruth White Executive Director, National Center for Housing and Child Welfare
                       
Housing Resources for Child Welfare Families and Youth
LaKesha Pope, Program and Policy Analyst, National Alliance to End Homelessness
Supportive Housing for Families: How to Create and Run a Successful Family Unification Program
Stacey Gerber, Bureau Chief of Child Welfare, State of Connecticut Department of Children and Families
Betsy Cronin, Program Director, The Connection, Inc. SHF Program
Chelsea Humphrey, Agency Representative, The Connection Inc., SHF Program
Helen R. Lavin, Program Manager, The Connection, Inc. SHF Program 
 
A Continuum of Housing Options for Youth Leaving Foster Care
Patrick Fowler, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, DePaul University, Illinois
Mark Kroner, LISW, Director, Lighthouse Training Institute, Cincinnati, OH

Understanding Housing Affordability

What is the cost of housing in America? Each year, the National Low Income Housing Coalition publishes a report called Out of Reach documenting the growing mismatch between prevailing wages and decent rental housing. In this document, you will find information about how much housing costs in your neighborhood. It is a startling reminder of how difficult it is for low-income households to make ends meet.