Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative launched six faculty research studies

Portland State University’s Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative helped launch six research studies that address homelessness as part of its faculty grant program. 

The projects range from using predictive modeling to understand and change attitudes that block affordable housing to tracking health outcomes for people experiencing homelessness who receive intensive support. Faculty researchers will partner with community organizations to study solutions that inform best practices, public policy and community perceptions. 

The research was funded through the center’s first round of faculty grants, which totaled $116,000 awarded to PSU and OHSU researchers through a competitive process.

“We were impressed with the range of disciplines represented, the scope of the projects, and the community partners involved. This work will create a deeper understanding of how to address homelessness,” said Center Director Marisa Zapata.

Projects:

• PSU Associate Professor Lisa Bates, PhD, Urban Studies and Planning, will work with Community Alliance of Tenants on research that helps generate and advocate for community-driven solutions for renter stability, including this recent study.
• OHSU Assistant Professor Dr. Brian Chan, MD, MPH, General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, will study how “SUMMIT,” an intensive primary care team at Central City Concern’s Old Town Clinic, impacts the health of medically complex patients  experiencing homelessness. 
• PSU Senior Instructor II Janet Cowal, Applied Linguistics, Assistant Professor Melissa Haeffner, PhD, Environmental Science and Management, and Andrew Hogan with Street Roots will study how language shapes opinions to help educate leaders and empower marginalized voices, in partnership with Street Roots, an advocacy newspaper for people experiencing homelessness.
• PSU Instructor Kacy McKinney, PhD, Urban Studies and Planning, will collaborate with PSU students who have experienced homelessness to produce a comic series to change how we think about and teach homelessness and poverty.
• Associate Professor Hal Nelson, PhD, Public Administration, will use predictive modeling to understand and change attitudes that block affordable housing projects. 
• PSU Associate Professor Liu-Qin Yang, PhD, Psychology, will study the impact of TriMet’s reduced fare for low-income riders including those at risk of or experiencing homelessness.

With social distancing and the rise of telehealth appointments amid the pandemic, Dr. Chan’s work will explore how intensive primary care teams can adapt to meet the needs of patients at Central City Concern’s downtown clinic.

“I don’t think anyone has really studied how social distancing impacts care for the homeless population,” he said. “This study looks to understand the individual, environmental, and systemic  complex needs of these patients that may be heightened in times of pandemics.”

Dr. Rachel Solotaroff with Central City Concern said she is thrilled that Dr. Chan will continue his nationally recognized research about Central City Concern’s Summit program, she said.

“HRAC's support of Dr. Chan's research has the opportunity to influence regional and national health center leaders, payers, and policy makers.”

Associate Professor Bates’ work with Community Alliance of Tenants comes at a time when 75% of Oregon renters with extremely low incomes pay more than half of their income on rent, putting them at risk of homelessness. And that was before record unemployment due to COVID-19. 

Many worry what will happen when the rent moratoriums lift. Professor Bates will help build a new knowledge base for generating and advocating for community-driven solutions for renter stability, including a recent report on the insecurity of Oregon renters amid the pandemic.

Associate Professor Liu-Qin Yang will help TriMet evaluate the impact of its reduced fare program for low-income residents. She will measure benchmarks including employment, housing status, well-being, and overall outcomes compared with those who don’t participate. 

“We hope a project like this will help us offer new insights on what we can do to better support this population in the future,” she said.

Three of the research projects address community perceptions, which can impact community action and public policy. 

One of the key drivers of homelessness is a lack of affordable housing, but these developments often face community opposition. Influential homeowners often rally to effectively block affordable housing projects. 

But Associate Professor Hal Nelson plans to study a possible solution. He will use predictive modeling to better understand objections. This information can help advocates shape developments, from the number of units to the type of shelter, in order to make them less likely to cause opposition. The tool can even run models by neighborhood, allowing advocates to pick ideal sites.

Instructor Kacy McKinney will tackle perceptions from a different angle: a collaborative storytelling project. She will work with PSU students who have experienced homelessness and Portland-based cartoonists to create a comic series that changes the narrative around homelessness.

These comics will focus on the voices of historically marginalized groups who are often disproportionately represented among people experiencing homelessness, including people of color, individuals with disabilities, and LGBTQIA+ individuals.

“I hope this research changes how we think about and teach homelessness and poverty. The comics created through collaborative interviewing will be accessible to a wide audience and offer a range of experiences and perspectives. They can also be used in classrooms across PSU and beyond,” she said.

Senior Instructor II Janet Cowal and Assistant Professor Melissa Haeffner will work with Street Roots, an advocacy newspaper for those experiencing homelessness, to examine the impact language has to shape opinions. 

“The ways individuals talk about issues greatly impacts the ways communities define problems, and the actions they think will make the best solutions,” Cowal said. 

This project will amplify the voices of people with lived experience of homelessness to reach policy makers and stakeholders who can change the way communities both understand and address homelessness.