Post-secondary attainment is increasingly necessary to break the cycle of poverty and homelessness. However, people facing homelessness and housing insecurity experience barriers in transitioning into post-secondary education, including barriers to financial aid, retention, and completion.
Portland State University‘s (PSU) Homelessness Research and Action Collaborative addresses the challenges of homelessness through research that uncovers conditions that lead to and perpetuate homelessness. Their goal is to help reduce homelessness and its negative impacts on individuals, families, and communities, with an emphasis on communities of color. Recent projects include a study of PSU faculty, staff, and student hunger and homelessness; research to guide Portland’s proposed non-police response for individuals experiencing homelessness or a mental health crisis; and a survey of housing/shelter needs for people experiencing homelessness during the pandemic. Current projects include research with a local government agency on their response to community homelessness and with a set of culturally-specific organizations on best practices for providing supportive housing services.
CUMU and the Portland State Homelessness Research and Action Collaborative are collaborating on examining issues of homelessness and housing insecurity across the CUMU membership.