Housing Is Education

CLPHA’s Housing Is Initiative recognizes the key role public housing authorities can play in a variety of educational efforts benefiting both low-income children and adults. Research has shown that housing stability has a significant impact on children’s school performance and long-term outcomes, such as graduation rates and post-secondary activities. Housing authorities are actively exploring how they can align with and add value to local approaches that aim to improve educational outcomes.

  • Housing authorities are providing additional support for residents’ education, from early childhood through adult learning opportunities. Some of these efforts are provided by the housing authority, such as through initiatives to improve attendance; others are joint efforts with partners, such as offering after-school programming on-site or digital literacy classes.
  • With support from the Housing Is initiative and other partners, housing authorities are using research to inform their work, as well as conducting program evaluation of their own initiatives to contribute to the field.
  • CLPHA works with a wide range of education partners at the national, regional, and state level to support the testing of innovative ideas and implementation of evidence-based best practices aligning education and housing.
  • Housing Is conducts advocacy efforts such as working with Senator Patty Murray’s (D-WA) office to write the AHEAD Act, a bill that would incentivize partnerships between different sectors to improve educational outcomes.
  • Some of our current areas of focus are: data sharing, out-of-school time; family engagement, two-generation initiatives, homelessness, early childhood, and connectivity.

Please contact CLPHA’s Director of Cross-Sector Initiatives Abra Lyons-Warren (abra@clpha.org) with inquiries about our housing and education work.

RESOURCE: McKinney-Vento Liaison Contacts  for CLPHA Member PHAs

This resource aims to foster strong partnerships between CLPHA member PHAs and McKinney-Vento liaisons to improve outcomes for students experiencing homelessness.

View Resource

Innovative public housing authorities (PHAs) are collaborating with college access partners and community colleges to increase postsecondary educational achievement for low-income residents and college students experiencing homelessness. Learn more in CLPHA's report "Eliminating Barriers to Postsecondary Success: Cross-Sector Collaborations to Improve Postsecondary Achievement for Students Served by Public Housing Authorities.

Housing Is Education News
9.12.19
From West Seattle Blog: For the fourth consecutive year, West Seattle Elementary students got a first-day-of-school welcome like no other: The “Be There Rally.” 2016 was the first time community members were invited to greet and inspire the students. The event has continued growing in size and reputation, and this year drew more citywide dignitaries than ever. More on them later. First – WSE...
9.12.19
From the San Bernardino Sun: The rectangular room is immaculate, with something to explore at every turn. Between the gray walls are areas to read, color, play, write and listen. Rugs for napping and bean bags for lounging rest on the hardwood floors. Not a book nor crayon is out of place on a recent weekday – it’s the calm before the storm.
9.12.19
From the Los Angeles Daily News: As students across the Los Angeles Unified School District headed back to classrooms Tuesday, district officials heralded a new partnership with city and county housing agencies aimed at providing support to a number of housing insecure and homeless families in the northeast San Fernando Valley.

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