NLCU: Local Solutions to End Homelessness

Course Description

Through this course, local leaders will gain a comprehensive understanding of the complex factors driving homelessness in U.S. cities and explore evidence-based solutions to create meaningful change in their community. This course is specifically designed for local leaders seeking to develop and implement effective solutions. 

Ideal For:

• Mayors, Council Members, and Policy Advisors who are interested in engaging with the issue of homelessness with seasoned practitioners.

Sign up today by clicking the “Register Now” button. When completing your registration, be sure to log in to your MyNLC account and fill out all required information.

When prompted to select a registration type, please choose Student. You can then proceed with any additional information and payment, if applicable.

If you experience any issues, feel free to reach out to university@nlc.org for assistance.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify the primary driver of homelessness: Understand that the fundamental cause of homelessness is the shortage of affordable housing.  

• Distinguish individual vulnerabilities from root causes: Recognize how individual vulnerabilities (e.g., mental health, substance use, adverse childhood experience) increase the risk of homelessness but are not the root cause.  

• Recognize disparities in homelessness: Due to longstanding racial discrimination, Black, Hispanic or Latino/a/x, and Indigenous people are disproportionately more likely to experience homelessness than white Americans.   

• Evaluate effective solutions: Learn and assess the most impactful solutions and strategies for addressing and ending homelessness in their communities. 

Course Instructor

Sara Shuman

She is an Associate Research Professor with the Southwest Institute for Research on Women (SIROW) at the University of Arizona. She holds a Ph.D. in Public Health from Temple University and has over 10-years of community-based experience in community-based research, program planning, and evaluation. Dr. Shuman’s work uses mixed-methods, qualitative methods, and participatory approaches to reduce homelessness and improve the health of individuals, families, and communities. She is interested in policy-relevant and actionable research. She is currently working on projects to better understand what works house people living in homeless encampments, the impact of flexible funds to prevent homelessness, and how physical activity opportunities can improve the health of people incarcerated in jails. Sara is also part of the Arizona Housing Analytics Collaborative (AzHAC), a tri-university research project focused on using data analysis and translation to prevent and reduce homelessness across Arizona.