In the United States, in 2013, 610,042 people were estimated homeless in one night. Improving the effectiveness of homeless assistance programs, particularly aligning programs' practices with their goals, is critical to serving this population. Using a theory that predicts homeless exits, this study presents an innovative, low-cost evaluation tool…

Basic needs insecurity (BNI), or insufficient access to food or housing, is a problem in U.S. higher education (Broton et al., 2022). As college students continue to negotiate the fallout of COVID-19 and its lingering economic effects, it is vital to amplify BNI as a concerning problem for campus administrators invested in students' success…

We tested 10 data-based strategies to better identify student homelessness in Camden City School District, which has a student body from minoritized backgrounds. We operationalized strategies through a research-practice partnership, following the federal homelessness definition. Data span 5 years (2014-15 through 2018-19), including integrated…

Background: Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) have high rates of homelessness. This observational study evaluates Bridges to Housing, a cross-sector intervention offering immediate access to housing and supports to this population in Toronto, Canada. Methods: Twenty-six participants, enrolled between April 2016 and…

This issue of "New Directions" provides an overview of the increasing numbers of students who are experiencing homelessness, housing insecurity, and food insecurity. College presidents are in a unique position to lead campus efforts to identify students in need and to develop strategies for supporting this increasing, often invisible,…

Rates of homelessness are worsening in the United States, with a third of individuals experiencing homelessness being families with children. These families face many challenges, including limited social supports, insufficient access to services, and mental health concerns. These challenges inform a nuanced worldview, leading parents experiencing…

Students in postsecondary education experience housing and food insecurity in increasing numbers. Their particular needs as students make it difficult for them to use traditional shelters. This chapter describes how two students from University of California, Los Angeles, created a shelter designed for students from the university and from Santa…

This article describes the conceptual approach to, and practical aspects of, the Infant-Parent Program's (IPP) decade-long experience providing early childhood mental health consultation in homeless shelters serving infants, young children, and their families. Illustrated by case examples, the authors discuss the characteristics of the…

Within the health care sector, researchers, clinicians, and payers increasingly recognize the importance of the social determinants of health for improving maternal and child health. This article focuses on existing and emerging approaches to screening families for unstable housing circumstances. The authors describe how housing stability…

This article describes how a university and public child welfare agency partnership and a federal demonstration project trained MSW and PhD social welfare students in homelessness intervention research using a continuous quality improvement approach. Over a period of 5 years, the Cal-Child Welfare Leadership Training model between University of…

To examine the phenomenon of postsecondary student homelessness, data were collected in 2014-2015 and again in 2017-2018 to discover the prevalence, to gain greater understanding of the attendant challenges, and to identify resources that can assist homeless students in their educational endeavors. Results suggest which students are most at risk…

Homelessness has long been a concern throughout the United States. In the Department of Housing and Urban Development's 2012 Point in Time Estimate of Homelessness, on a given night in 2012, there were 633,782 homeless people in the United States. During the 2011-2012 school year, the U.S. Department of Education (National Center for Homeless…

This monograph explores how homelessness intersects most social issues that marginalize individuals and negatively influence postsecondary completion, including poverty, foster care, and LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans*, queer/questioning, and others) discrimination. As becomes evident, students experiencing homelessness should be considered…

In a given year, approximately 1.6 million children in the United States experience homelessness, and research shows that their living conditions generally place these children at risk for educational underperformance and failure at school (Hall, 2007; Love, 2009). Although lack of education or low levels of education on the part of a head of…

Substance abuse among homeless mothers has negative consequences for both the mother and her child. Few researchers have examined the needs of these mothers in order to effectively intervene in their lives. This study uses a qualitative focus group research method to examine the needs of substance abusing homeless mothers recruited from a homeless…