CSH recognizes that meaningful changes to decrease the disproportionate representation of families of color in child welfare and homelessness must be led by the people most impacted by these systems. CSH hired a part-time Keeping Families Together (KFT) Fellow to work with CSH staff in a one-year project to co-design CSH strategy and approach to engaging parents disproportionately impacted by child welfare and housing instability. The KFT co-design team approached their work in a relational way, co-creating every aspect of the work: from team meeting structure to determining final deliverables.
Below is a summary of major themes and recommendations from interviews and other experiments implemented by the KFT co-design team.