BC School of Social Work and United Way of Mass Bay host conference on housing stability in childhood education
The Boston College School of Social Work and United Way of Massachusetts Bay (UWMB) recently hosted a conference that examined the critical role of housing stability in childhood education and spotlighted an initiative to assist Boston Public Schools (BPS) families at risk of homelessness.
“Housing Stability=Student Success,” which took place on April 10 in the Corcoran Commons Heights Room, brought together representatives from BCSSW, UWMB, BPS, Lynn and Lawrence public schools, and various social services providers of Greater Boston to discuss the adverse effects associated with housing instability on children—among them increased stress and anxiety, and lower attendance, test scores, and graduation rates—and the remedies to such problems.
The all-day event also offered an opportunity for attendees to connect on a more informal level and share their observations and experiences on what works—and what doesn’t—in helping families with school-age children cope with housing instability.
In his welcome to the conference attendees, BCSSW Dean Gautam Yadama said the event reflected the school’s commitment to community-practice partnerships that seek practical solutions for compelling social and family issues.
“The knowledge we create must matter for improving lives; if it doesn’t matter, we matter less,” he said. “There must be a focus on translating research and knowledge into action.”
UWMB Ansin President and CEO Marty Martinez, who followed Yadama, underscored the conference’s significance at a time when social and financial supports for low-income families are “under attack.” Highlighting practices that address the root causes of housing instability, and the manifold problems it creates, he said, is vital: “We want the information and findings being discussed here to be usable, so we can help transform the lives of families.”
A series of 10-minute small-group breakout sessions in the morning provided a means of introduction to the various participating groups and their representatives. At one gathering, an attendee realized that the person sitting next to her was from a services provider that had been particularly helpful: “Thanks to you and your colleagues for doing a great job,” she said.
A small group session at the April 10 conference.
Anecdotes also made an impression. Jessi Perez of the Lynn Housing Authority recounted the experience of a homeless family referred to him through Lynn Public Schools. The father, who had a job that involved a two-hour commute both ways, slept in his car while his children “couch-surfed” at friends’ homes. Perez said he helped the father create a resume and apply for jobs that were closer to Lynn and paid better. The father landed a job in nearby Beverly that offered $6 more an hour than his old job and was able to find an affordable apartment; he also began taking ESL and computer classes and, Perez added, is seeking work in the construction or plumbing industries.
The conference featured a segment on the Early Homeless Intervention and Prevention (EHIP) program, a BPS collaboration with Greater Boston nonprofit FamilyAid Boston that provides services for BPS families facing homelessness. BCSSW Associate Professor Thomas Byrne, Associate Professor of the Practice Indrani Saran, and Director of Family Housing Hardship Program Jessica McCabe Johnson presented research—conducted through a partnership with UWMB, BPS, and FamilyAid—on EHIP’s progress since its 2019 launch.
Through the program, BPS identifies families at risk of, or experiencing, homelessness and links them to FamilyAid. Depending on a family’s situation, FamilyAid seeks short- and long-term solutions—providing assistance in resolving disputes with a landlord, facilitating access to housing vouchers from the Boston Housing Authority, or finding transportation to work, for example; or helping families to address financial issues contributing to their situation and to find educational, health, and other key resources for their children.
According to the study, in its nearly seven years of existence, EHIP has served almost 3,000 families—including 10,000 children and parents—and more than 1,300 have moved into new permanent housing. Drawing on surveys and interviews with program participants, analyses of BPS administrative data, and surveys of BPS staff, the research indicated improved wellbeing and academic performance and reduced chronic absenteeism among children in EHIP families after two years.
Parents reported less severe anxiety and depression, and there were marked decreases in housing-related disruptions affecting adult and child activity. One saw a clear difference in their child’s emotional health after they had found housing (“I feel he’s definitely happier”); another commended the program’s assistance in securing a place for the family (“They paid the realtor’s fee, the security deposit…they followed up weekly. They were very helpful”).
But housing instability remains an ever-present challenge, the BCSSW trio noted: More than 10 percent of BPS students experienced homelessness during the 2024-2025 school year. EHIP families remained vulnerable to high levels of financial precarity and food insecurity while experiencing only modest levels of social support, as indicated by surveys and interviews with parents.
In some cases, success can be fleeting: A parent who was approved for a housing unit 30 days after receiving a voucher had to wait a month for inspection—only to be denied because lead was detected (“I had to start my research all over again”).
BPS liaisons for homeless families reported difficulties in identifying students experiencing housing hardship and recommended systematic screening: “There should be an assessment completed to learn about the concerns early on and ensure all families are provided with the necessary support,” said one.
Interviewed last week, the BCSSW researchers expressed gratitude for the opportunity to present their findings at the conference. Conference attendees provided a strong endorsement of cross-sector professional relationships in family homelessness prevention research and practice, the trio said, and offered some potential ideas for future analyses and studies.
“We were eager to share the affirming results from our research with the practitioners and policymakers who are doing and supporting the work on a day-to-day basis,” said McCabe Johnson. “The event was also a chance for us to receive and integrate feedback from the community on our ongoing and future research into remaining challenges and opportunities.”
Saran emphasized that while the EHIP study contained encouraging results on housing stability and quality and improvement in parental and child wellbeing, more data are needed regarding improvement in children’s academic outcomes, particularly chronic absenteeism. Moreover, families still face challenges in financial and food security.
“While a larger-scale randomized evaluation would be needed to more rigorously assess the impacts of EHIP, this is one of the first studies to offer evidence on homelessness prevention implemented through a school-housing partnership,” she said. “Overall, our results suggest that initiatives like EHIP could be a promising strategy to improve families’ housing stability, well-being, and academic experiences.”
Byrne said the most meaningful reactions to the EHIP presentation were essentially “What’s next?”
“People were highly positive about what our findings meant for the potential positive impact for the EHIP program here locally,” he explained, “and on the other hand, also recognized that there is a need for more programs like EHIP throughout the country as well as more robust economic and social support for families that face housing challenges. These questions speak to the need for broader policy changes to make sure every child and family has a safe, decent, affordable and stable place to live.”