On June 26-27, 2024, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and ACL hosted a conference focused on supporting and strengthening partnerships that align health, housing, and social care programs and accelerate local efforts to provide more streamlined services and supports to individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness, especially older adults and people with disabilities. While the conference was closed to the public, the following sessions were livestreamed.
Persons with Lived Experience Panel hosted by National Council on Independent Living (NCIL)
A panel of individuals with lived experience with homelessness or housing instability. Each brings a unique perspective on the challenges and successes they experienced while trying to find and secure adequate housing and the services they use to create housing stability. The panel was co-moderated by Mary-Kate Wells, program director with the National Centers for Independent Living (NCIL), and a peer co-moderator.
Keynote: Meeting the Complex Needs of Populations Experiencing or At-Risk of Homelessness
Dr. Kushel discusses the complex needs of various populations experiencing or at risk of homelessness, including specific challenges for older adults, persons with serious mental illness or substance use disorder, individuals with complex health needs, people living with a traumatic brain injury, and more.
Strategies for Cross-Sector Data Exchanges
This session opens with Alicia Woodsby, senior associate at Technical Assistance Collaborative, Inc., outlining the core fundamentals that need to be created to operationalize a data goal. A panel of speakers from Arizona, California, and Massachusetts discusses goals for data integration and innovations to improve data-sharing capabilities, along with challenges and solutions. Kim Keaton, director of data and analytics at the Corporation for Supportive Housing, facilitated the panel.