Home Visiting as Part of a Holistic Approach to Supporting Unhoused Families

A nationwide shortage of affordable housing has driven housing instability among families, even as homelessness continues to decline overall.

Contributing factors include homeownership and rental costs that outpace income, rising mortgage interest rates, and near-record scarcity of homes for sale. These factors disproportionately affect communities of color who face gentrification, exclusionary zoning policies, and disinvestment in their communities.

This brief introduces three agencies that take a comprehensive approach to meeting the needs of unhoused families, including the delivery of home visiting services:

• New Moms
• Lydia Place
• Reach Dane

It also provides a look at Minnesota’s efforts to connect home visitors to unhoused children and families, including collaborations with the Ojibwe Nation and various nonprofits. It concludes with a list of strategies for other home visiting programs to consider when serving people in similar circumstances.

Also see the companion video below.