Population: Youth

Housing as a Foundational Element of Family Well-Being

Housing as a Foundational Element of Family Well-Being shares key insights and lessons from a six‑month national learning collaborative convened by Casey Family Programs, CSH (Corporation for Supportive Housing), and Chapin Hall. Developed in response to growing evidence that housing instability and family homelessness are major drivers of child welfare system involvement, the cohort created a shared learning space for state housing and child welfare leaders to align policy, practice, and resources in an increasingly complex funding and policy environment.

Cross-sector leadership teams from New Jersey, Colorado, Kentucky, and Oregon participated in peer learning, tailored technical assistance, and state‑hosted site sessions that highlighted innovations, surfaced challenges, and advanced practical solutions. By the end of the cohort, participants reported new ways of thinking about housing as a prevention strategy—reframing housing needs for decisionmakers, identifying cost‑saving opportunities, and exploring how to blend and braid funding to better support families. This brief captures those insights to inform policymakers, practitioners, and advocates working to strengthen family well‑being and prevent unnecessary child welfare involvement.

CSH is thrilled to announce the teams selected for the 2026 Groundwork: Youth Supportive Housing Development Training Series, a comprehensive four‑month virtual program designed to help communities turn early‑stage ideas into fully developed supportive housing concepts for youth and young adults.

This year’s Groundwork cohort brings together a diverse group of organizations—youth service providers, developers, system partners, and community leaders—who share a commitment to creating safe, stable, and supportive housing opportunities tailored to young people. Over the coming months, participants will engage in a dynamic learning experience that blends training, coaching, and collaborative project development.

About the Groundwork Training Series

Groundwork is a four‑month virtual learning and technical assistance program designed to help multi‑sector teams move a youth supportive housing concept from early vision to actionable plan. Through four live sessions, guided team meetings, individualized coaching, and optional office hours, teams build shared understanding, deepen partnerships, and clarify the steps needed to develop effective supportive housing for youth and young adults.

Participants explore model design, project development basics, system collaboration strategies, and role alignment. Youth and young adult engagement is strongly encouraged to ensure concepts reflect lived expertise and community needs.

Introducing the 2026 Groundwork Cohort

We are proud to welcome the following teams to this year’s Groundwork cohort:

• Better Youth — Los Angeles, California
• Child and Family Charities — Lansing, Michigan
• Covenant House International — Dallas, Texas and Boston, Massachusetts
• Emerging Phoenix — Richmond, Virginia
• Living Waters Youth — Chicago, Illinois
• Montana Continuum of Care Coalition
• Zoe, Incorporated — Richmond, Kentucky

These organizations bring deep experience, passion, and insight from communities across the country. Over the next four months, they will work collaboratively with CSH and one another to strengthen their supportive housing concepts and build the partnerships necessary for long‑term success.

Why Groundwork Matters

Youth and young adults experiencing homelessness face unique challenges—and systems are often not designed to fully meet their needs. Supportive housing provides a stable, youth‑centered foundation for young people to thrive. By equipping communities with tools, knowledge, and a collaborative framework, Groundwork helps lay the foundation for impactful, sustainable solutions.

We look forward to supporting this year’s Groundwork teams as they bring transformative projects to life.

CSH estimates that there are approximately 90,000 families and youth in need of supportive housing, including 43,646 families with child welfare involvement. While lack of housing should not necessitate child welfare involvement, housing instability alongside additional challenges such as substance use or mental health needs can affect the overall placement decision. Access to permanent housing often means that families can stay together while receiving child welfare prevention services or reunify more quickly if children are in out-of-home care. Research has demonstrated that children and youth who have a reliable place to call home also spend fewer days in foster care, experience a reduction in subsequent abuse and neglect cases, reduce their risk of subsequent homelessness, and increase their school attendance.

Housing vouchers and rental assistance play a significant role in keeping families together and supporting youth in transitioning successfully into adulthood. While most housing vouchers are issued from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) via local Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) , there are many states that have funded voucher and rental assistance programs for families and transition age youth. States like New Jersey, California, Washington, and Colorado have all developed and funded housing assistance to support child-welfare involved families and youth.

UPDATED March 2026

Supportive housing combines affordable housing with supportive services to help people who face the most complex challenges live with stability, autonomy, and dignity. CSH created these standards to guide a wide range of groups—including tenant leaders, housing developers, landlords, service providers, funders, property managers, government officials, and health care organizations—to work together to build and operate high-quality supportive housing.

The Quality Standards apply to all types of projects, whether site-based or scattered-site, and in rural, suburban, or urban areas. How the standards are put into practice may vary due to the diversity of supportive housing models.

CSH Calls for Balanced Policy That Protects Both Housing and Health Supports

The Senate’s passage of the reconciliation bill presents a deeply mixed outcome for the supportive housing field. While we acknowledge the inclusion of important housing provisions such as expanding and making permanent the Low-Income Housing Tax Credits and the New Markets Tax Credit, we cannot overlook the harmful trade-offs embedded in this legislation.

These housing investments, while significant, are not sufficient to offset the damage caused by provisions that undermine access to essential healthcare and basic supports for people experiencing homelessness and housing instability. The bill imposes new barriers to Medicaid and nutrition assistance that will disproportionately impact individuals with complex health and housing needs. These are the very people supportive housing is designed to serve.

Supportive housing succeeds because it pairs affordable homes with the services that help people stay housed and maintain their health. When the government restricts access to those services, it weakens the entire model. Limiting state Medicaid funding tools, imposing burdensome recertification requirements, and expanding work requirements for vulnerable populations all threaten the stability and well-being of those we serve.

CSH remains committed to advancing effective policies that recognize the interconnectedness of housing, healthcare, and human services. We urge Congress to consider the full impact of this legislation, not just its housing investments, but also the barriers it creates for those most in need and the burdens it places on the communities in their districts. We will continue to work with partners across sectors to ensure that supportive housing remains a viable and effective solution to homelessness and housing insecurity.
 
Deborah De Santis
CSH President and CEO