The Network is pleased to share this video and material from the National Innovation Service, presenting perspectives and recommendations from a diverse group of people who have lived experience of homelessness. Our region – through the Network and the City of Springfield – participated in the National Advisory Committee that assisted with planning and local participant recruitment for this input.
You can see the 10 minute summarizing the project here.
And please see NIS’ introduction and materials below:
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated racial inequity across the country. People experiencing homelessness are among those most affected by both the pandemic and the long-standing and compounding impacts of structural racism. NIS’s Center for Housing Justice, through the Framework for an Equitable COVID-19 Homelessness Response project, undertook a series of focus groups with people with current and past experiences of homelessness to better understand these compound impacts and the implications they have for policy and service priorities.
From these listening sessions, NIS produced the following series of population-specific briefs to summarize the ideas and recommendations of individuals from ten historically-marginalized communities. Individual focus groups were held specifically for individuals who identify as Asian American (1); Black; Latinx; Native or Indigenous; Pacific Islander; lesbian, gay, bisexual and queer (LGBQ); trans* (2); as well as individuals living with disabilities, people with incarceration histories, and people who have been involved with or affected by other public systems.
