The HOST network, like the HOST model, is a collaboration between residents, housing authorities and associations, and researchers. We include information here about how to elevate residents as stakeholders in research, how housing authorities and associations can share ideas and best practices, and how to partner with the Urban Institute to receive technical assistance and guidance for making housing a platform for services.
Work with Urban
Are you interested in partnering with the HOST team to support your agency, initiative, or community? Our team is available for technical support, guidance on best practices, research, and evaluation. We are always open to collaborating on ways to use housing as a platform for supporting residents.
Here are some examples of how we have partnered with other groups:
Partnering with Residents
Engaging residents is a critical component of any housing-based program or initiative. Resident feedback can shape and inform needs assessments, program development and refinement, outreach and engagement, and program and evaluation data.
Thoughtful strategies for engaging residents can improve service and research quality and effectiveness and can empower residents, putting them in a position of leadership to improve their communities and the systems that affect their lives.
We recommend using data walks to share findings and engage communities.
Resources from Our Partners
Many associations of public housing authorities and organizations focused on services in subsidized housing have tools and resources for affordable housers, service providers, and policymakers. Take a look at some of the associations and organizations we partner with to learn more about making housing a platform for services.
- The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities is a national nonprofit organization that preserves and improves public and affordable housing through advocacy, research, policy analysis, and public education. Its Housing Is initiative seeks to improve outcomes by fostering partnerships across systems and silos. Housingis.org is an online clearinghouse and meeting place for policymakers and practitioners to share resources and contribute to over 20 communities, each focused on cross-system topics.
- Ascend at the Aspen Institute is the national hub for ideas and collaborations that move children and the adults in their lives to educational success, economic security, and health and well-being through a two-generation approach. HOST is featured in the Ascend webinar “2Gen Housing: Tapping Where Families Live for Better Outcomes.”