I’m so very excited to announce that the HRC Special Issue on “The Future of Homeless Services” is hot off the press! It’s published in the Open Health Services and Policy Journal.
The articles in the Special Issue are all available through free, electronic open access. Click here to read the Special Issue!
The Special Issue focuses on what we know about some of the most important services for helping people to exit homelessness. The issue includes eight research, review, and commentary articles by leading experts on homeless services, and was guest-edited by the HRC.
You’re probably already thinking – who has time to read eight journal articles?
That’s where we come in. Here’s my quick and easy roadmap to “The Future of Homeless Services” to help get you started:
Who are we? What kind of training do we need to do our jobs? This article is the first attempt since 1996 to get an idea of who makes up the workforce and what we need. Read the article to learn more about how building the homeless service workforce will help improve our nation’s response to homelessness.
For years our nation has focused on managing homelessness, not preventing it before it starts. Finally, homelessness prevention is starting to get the attention it deserves with HUD’s Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP). Yet, there is still so much to learn about what works. Read the article to learn more about recommended approaches to homelessness prevention.
There is no one-size-fits all solution for families experiencing homelessness. Read the article to learn about a framework for determining the services and supports appropriate to a family’s needs over time.
Anyone who works in homeless services knows it is vital to meet people where they are – on the streets, under bridges, in the woods. But what are best practices for outreach and engagement? Read the article for a synthesis of the research on outreach and engagement.
We know that trauma-informed care helps providers care for people who have experienced traumatic stress. But what else do we know about trauma-informed care? Read the article for a synthesis of the research on trauma-informed care and a list of resources related to trauma-informed care.
We know recovery is possible – from mental illness, substance abuse, and traumatic stress disorders. We also know that many people who are homeless may experience combinations of all three. Read about why it’s time for homeless services to embrace recovery values and learn from recovery-oriented services in other fields.
Stephen Gaetz is a leading researcher and the head of Canada’s Homeless Hub. Read his editorial to learn more about his view of the Canadian response to homelessness.
Martha Fleetwood, Founder and Executive Director of HomeBase/the Center for Common Concern, editorializes about the past thirty years of responding to homelessness in the US.
Interested in being a HRC Guest Blogger? Email us at generalinquiry@center4si.com
