Earlier this month, along with several partners in The Way Home, we welcomed policy leaders from the National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH) to Houston. They came to explore (in their words) “the unique and innovative approaches” our community has taken to end homelessness and to understand how to support our federal advocacy goals to create sustainable solutions for homelessness.

During their time with us, our friends from NAEH had a series of listening sessions with key partners and stakeholders. Topics of discussion included:

Housing Partnerships and Collaboration:

Collaboration lies at the core of our community’s approach to ending homelessness. Our partnerships with the City of Houston, Harris County, direct service providers, and Public Housing Authorities (PHAs), have been instrumental in expanding housing options and creating sustainable pathways for people to overcome homelessness and remain safely and stably housed.

Healthcare Partnerships and Collaboration:

Because of the critical link between housing stability and health outcomes, healthcare partnerships are very important. Our partners discussed innovative models of collaboration — including the Harris Center’s R3 Facility and the Harris County ACCESS program — that integrate healthcare services into our homelessness response system, emphasizing the vital role healthcare plays in ending homelessness.

Lived Expertise Engagement:

The voices of people with lived experience are essential in shaping effective strategies to address homelessness. We dedicated time for those who’ve experienced homelessness to share their stories and remind us to center our work around the perspectives and needs of those we serve.

Policy and Advocacy:

Representatives from the City of Houston’s and Harris County’s Government Affairs offices discussed with NAEH federal policies that impact our ability to serve people experiencing homelessness. This allowed us to compare and align our advocacy and policy goals at the federal level.