16-20LIHI: Program Evaluation for the Low Income Housing Institute's Supportive Affordable Housing Program

CONTACT INFORMATION

Organization: Low Income Housing Institute

Name: Stephen Elaimy

Title: Grants Manager

Phone: 206-957-8033

Email Address:

Street Address: 2407 1st Ave

City, State, and Zip Code: Seattle, WA 98121

Please provide some background information about your organization

Mission: The Low Income Housing Institute develops, owns, and operates housing for the benefit of low-income, homeless, and formerly homeless people in Washington state; advocates for just housing policies at the local and national levels; and administers a wide range of supportive service programs to assist those we serve in maintaining stable housing and increasing their self-sufficiency.
In operation since 1991, LIHI has a comprehensive and effective approach for reducing homelessness and helping the most vulnerable people in our region achieve stability and self-sufficiency through affordable housing development and management providing case management to our residents in need providing hygiene services to Seattle’s homeless population developing and supporting homeless encampments, and advocating for just housing policies.

PROJECT INFORMATION

Please create a tentative title for your project, e.g., "Program Evaluation for the Evans School" (your title will be shared with students)

Please indicate which of the following topic areas relate to your project (select all that apply):

  • Social Policy (Poverty, Education, and Social Welfare)

Please describe the problem, challenge, or opportunity that the consultant team will address.

We provide transitional and permanent housing to close to 4,000 low-income and homeless people including seniors, young adults, families, veterans, immigrants, refugees, and the working poor. LIHI recognizes our challenge of tracking and documenting the specific income, education, and health outcomes of the people we serve. We know we are helping families and individuals but do not have specific data we can point to. We also do not have research which demonstrates how our affordable housing programs impact equity and social justice outcomes in the neighborhoods we serve.

What would you like to find out or have accomplished; what is the desired deliverable?

The research project would provide LIHI with specific data relating to income, education, and health outcomes of our programs and services and an understanding of how we are affecting equity and social justice outcomes in the neighborhoods we serve. Our desired outcome would also include a set of tools for ongoing monitoring our effectiveness.

What are some key tasks the consultants will perform to complete the project?

• Determine how our supportive housing programs are changing income, education, and health outcomes of our residents.
• Compare the outcomes of minority residents in LIHI properties in predominantly white neighborhoods to the outcomes for minority residents living in predominately minority neighborhoods.
• Develop an outcome report.
• Develop tracking tools for ongoing measurement of resident outcomes.
• Develop recommendations for our Supportive Services Department on the case management we provide and our Housing Development Department on selecting sites that will improve equity and social justice outcomes.

What resources are available to complete the project (e.g., access to data, support from staff, etc.)?

LIHI supportive services and property management staff will provide oversight and help the students develop the project.

How many consultants is your project suitable for? Select all that apply:

-4

Have you submitted a research project to the Public Service Clinics before?No

If students are interested in your topic and have questions, can they contact you directly?Yes