Strong partnerships take time to build as teams learn how to work together, communicate, and share responsibility for outcomes. The criteria below highlight qualities in model partnerships. Use these criteria as guideposts to help your team check in on the partnership’s progress, celebrate what is working, and address challenges.
The examples below describe how cross-sector teams in several states applied these partnership criteria through work supported by the Housing and Services Partnership Accelerator (HSPA). HSPA state names are provided for context; each example involves collaboration across housing, health, aging, disability, and related service systems.
- Shared Vision and Goals
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Partners agree on the same goals and use them to guide decisions.
Ways to measure:
- A documented and jointly approved vision statement
- All partners can articulate the same goals
- Goals are reflected in meeting agendas, work plans, and/or memorandums of understanding
- Progress toward shared goals is discussed and reviewed regularly
What this looks like in practice
In North Carolina, housing, health, and aging partners recognized that agencies were using different terms to describe the same housing‑related services. This made it difficult to align goals and coordinate planning. With support from HSPA, the team created a services inventory and cross-sector reference document that showed available housing-related services, target populations, and service gaps. Having one shared picture helped partners align around a common vision and make clear decisions about what they wanted to accomplish. As a result, partners were able to prioritize investments more effectively and reduce conflicting service definitions across programs.
- Shared Accountability
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Partners own the work together, not separately.
Ways to measure:
- Shared performance metrics or dashboards
- Partners participate in joint reviews or performance updates
- Responsibility for outcomes is documented across organizations
- Partners openly discuss challenges and collective solutions
What this looks like in practice
In Arizona, partners from housing, aging, and long‑term care systems worked together to strengthen accountability for housing outcomes. Through a HSPA-supported pilot with area agencies on aging (AAAs) and long-term care partners, agencies shared data, tested a unified referral process for housing vouchers, and reviewed outcomes together. Instead of working in parallel, partners made joint decisions about what needed adjustment and took collective responsibility for improving the process. As a result of shared review and decision‑making, partner agencies took responsibility for improving how people accessed housing and services together. This kind of joint ownership reflects a broader set of partnership qualities that help teams work effectively across systems.
- Defined Roles and Responsibilities
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All partners share an understanding of each other’s roles and responsibilities.
Ways to measure:
- Roles are clearly documented and accessible to all partners
- Partners report clarity about who does what
- Tasks in work plans align with assigned organizations
- Minimal duplication or overlap in responsibilities
What this looks like in practice
Through HSPA, Arizona disability agencies, public housing agencies, and continuums of care convened to understand how each group contributed to the housing and services delivery process. As they aligned prioritization criteria and explored ways to braid funding, partners identified who was responsible for outreach, eligibility review, voucher management, and service coordination. This shared understanding made it easier to launch a pilot with AAAs and long-term care partners, because everyone knew their part in supporting a streamlined referral pathway.
- Trust and Communication
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Open and consistent communication builds trust and helps partners solve problems together in a timely and responsive manner.
Ways to measure:
- Regular and structured communication channels (e.g., meetings, updates, meeting notes, etc.)
- All partners feel adequately informed and heard
- Issues are elevated and addressed respectfully and quickly as a team
- Follow-through on commitments is documented and shared
What this looks like in practice
In Washington, housing and health partners built trust through regular meetings focused on permanent supportive housing funding needs, program challenges, and upcoming legislative changes. These monthly conversations helped agencies better understand each other’s priorities and constraints. As trust deepened, coordinated communication improved. As a result, the team was able to issue joint policy documents and bulletins that offered consistent guidance to providers across the state.
- Collaboration
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The partnership accomplishes more together than any one organization could achieve on its own.
Ways to measure:
- Joint initiatives produce outcomes unattainable by any single partner
- Evidence of reduced duplication and increased efficiency
- Shared projects attract more funding, capacity, or reach
- Partners identify concrete “better together” wins
What this looks like in practice
By coordinating discussions about funding decisions, program operations, and legislative updates, the Washington HSPA partners were able to issue joint policy documents that gave providers consistent guidance statewide. This shared effort reduced confusion, strengthened program alignment, and helped organizations deliver streamlined support to communities. The resulting impact of these coordinated actions was far greater than any single agency could have achieved alone.
- Resource Sharing
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Partners share funding, data, staff time, and tools to advance shared goals.
Ways to measure:
- Shared funding arrangements or braided resources
- Data sharing agreements in place
- Cross-organization staffing, training, or technical assistance
- Resource contributions documented in memorandums of understanding or work plans
What this looks like in practice
In Hawaii, partners established a coordinated, cross-agency approach to planning around housing resources, funders, and eligibility requirements statewide. Through ongoing joint review and communication, partners aligned funding strategies, clarified how resources could be used together, and adjusted referral processes in real time. By pooling information and expertise, partners created a clearer picture of what was available and were better able to connect people to the right housing options and services.
- Mutual Benefit
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Each partner gains value through participation.
Ways to measure:
- Partners can clearly describe what they gain from participation
- Positive return on investment for each organization
- High partner retention and ongoing engagement
- Each partner reports equitable benefits, not just burdens
What this looks like in practice
In North Carolina, partners saw clear benefits from working together to crosswalk statewide housing and services. Agencies gained a shared tool that helped them understand available services, identify gaps, and align supports for different populations. The crosswalk also proved useful beyond the original project. State teams used it during disaster response efforts to quickly identify housing resources for people displaced by a hurricane. Because each partner gained something valuable from the work, the collaboration was sustainable and meaningful for everyone involved.