Invited Presentations

States are making strategic choices about delivery systems for the new housing-related services and supports (HRSS). In some states, managed care plans (MCPs) play an important role in the delivery of HRSS, including in access, implementation, sustainability, and ensuring quality services. Other states have adopted different delivery systems. Regardless of the type of system, states have a set of key decisions to make as they seek to support cross-sector collaboration between housing and services systems, reduce administrative burden on providers, and promote effective person-centered service delivery in accordance with evidence-based and best practice models and approaches.

Hawaiʻi presented their experience with their MCPs and efforts around homelessness, state requirements and standardization around housing related supports and services across MCPs, and the use of pilots and their learnings such as Rapid Cycle Assessments, to drive state MCP requirements.

This table presentation exhibited findings from a Photovoice project with residents at the State of Hawaiʻi’s first medical respite kauhale, Pūlama Ola. Residents worked with traditional researchers to develop a model for the State’s Kauhale Initiative based on their own lived experiences with homelessness and health challenges.

Demonstration on how to use GIS to map affordable housing using data from a Housing First program in Honolulu County.

This research study aims to better understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people experiencing homelessness in South Santa Barbara County, California. The findings of this study can inform local decision making and response efforts to the current and future pandemic/s that specifically impact people experiencing homelessness. The findings can also inform Cottage Health in terms of emergency planning and including special considerations around serving people experiencing homelessness during the pandemic. Furthermore, this study has the potential to be a useful addition to the growing body of knowledge that can influence COVID-19 related initiatives at the national and global level.

An estimated one in three children in Hawaiʻi lived in a food insecure household in 2020. In other words, almost 90,000 children in Hawaiʻi lived in a household that lacked access to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members. This estimation largely is due to preexisting poverty and the state’s high rates of unemployment attributed to the COVID-19 Pandemic. In addition to rising unemployment, educators and policymakers have wondered if school closures have contributed to family food insecurity, particularly for the approximately 93,000 children statewide who received in-school reduced-price/free meals.

This project sought to understand these factors and the overall impact of COVID-19 on hunger and food insecurity among Hawaiʻi families with school-aged children. We must understand the extent of this issue because childhood food insecurity can have short- and long-term impacts on health & wellbeing. Addressing food insecurity among families with children is imperative for the future of Hawaiʻi.

Photovoice (PV) is a participatory research methodology that uses photography to (a) identify issues of concern; (b) engage in critical dialog about these issues; and (c) communicate these issues to higher-powered stakeholders (Wang, 1999). In evaluation contexts, PV engages individuals who are typically “participants” as co-evaluators in the evaluation process. As such, PV is well-suited for transformative participatory evaluations that seek to create conditions in which individuals who have traditionally had little access to power can empower themselves (Cousins & Chouinard, 2012). Despite PV’s benefits, evaluators and researchers often struggle with the participatory analysis stage, which is rarely described in project summaries or methods sections (Catalini & Minkler, 2010). As a result, many PV projects fall back on traditional researchers’ interpretations of data. This workshop will provide a how-to for PV participatory analysis, including tips for remaining participatory at this important – and often misunderstood – stage of the PV process.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

• When to use either Photovoice (participatory) and photo-elicitation (participatory-inspired) methodologies
• How to engage in Photovoice participatory content analysis in a rigorous and ethical way
• Understand the difference between Photovoice (participatory) and photo-elicitation (participatory-inspired) methodologies 

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control warns that individuals experiencing homelessness are at increased risk for contracting COVID-19 and for developing severe disease. Homeless service providers also can be at increased risk for contracting COVID-19 due to their close contact with at-risk groups, as well as are at risk for mental health complications, such as burnout and stress. Thus, the COVID-19 Pandemic may have disproportionately negative impacts on individuals experiencing homelessness and the individuals who serve them.

This exploratory study sought to understand the impacts of COVID-19 on homeless service provision on O‘ahu. In particular, it examined needs and risk factors of individuals experiencing homelessness; frontline workers’ needs and stress levels; and the challenges of serving vulnerable populations during the pandemic. Preliminary results suggest that service providers—particularly outreach workers—have conducted a significant number of COVID-19 screenings but have reached only a small percentage of the homeless population and may be experiencing stress and burnout. Additionally, findings suggest that pre-existing needs of individuals experiencing homelessness (e.g., permanent housing and mental health services) have increased due to COVID-19.

Three perspectives on ministering to homeless persons matched to the gifts of unique ministry programs that empower people. Discussion will key in on the role of faith community members and the types of collaborations that work to effectively meet needs and unleash both the gifts of congregations and competencies of homeless people being served.  A researcher will share what the data says about homeless people’s engagement with faith-based supports.

“A picture is worth a thousand words,” so goes the old adage. Able to convey complex notions in a succinct form, photos can be powerful and persuasive tools. Photovoice, a participatory research methodology, uses photography, critical analysis, and group discussion to capture the perspectives and experiences of marginalized people in an effort to give voice to underserved communities and populations. Participants become active researchers at each stage of the research process, providing insight through their analysis of their photos and assisting in the dissemination of findings. This method is especially useful when evaluating programs that work with marginalized groups, youth, and indigenous populations. By giving program participants and stakeholders a voice in the evaluation, Photovoice can lead to more accurate accounts of people’s experiences with the program, resulting in richer and more valuable data. Although particularly beneficial when conducting evaluations for programs with marginalized groups, Photovoice also can be useful when engaging various stakeholders at different stages of evaluation – from engagement, needs assessment, and program implementation to process and outcome evaluations. This workshop will provide hands-on instruction for using Photovoice in various evaluation projects, with an emphasis on the ultimate goal of Photovoice: to achieve social action through the dissemination of the results. 

Participants will:

• Learn how Photovoice has been used in evaluations and research that work with different underserved communities and populations; 
• Learn how different populations can be engaged through community-based participatory action research (CB/PAR) to achieve project and evaluation goals;
• Practice analyzing photos in a Photovoice format; and 
• Explore how social action may be facilitated through Photovoice projects. 

Participants are encouraged to bring a picture answering the question: “What does evaluation look like for me/my organization?”

Format: Interactive with hands-on training in Photovoice

Target audience: Beginners to Intermediate