In February 2019, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services released an Early Childhood Action Plan that documents ten goals related to improving outcomes for young children. The plan addresses physical health, social and emotional well-being, cognitive development, learning competencies and social environments. 

For the past three years, this team has been conducting research to develop innovative, practical, evidence-based policy and implementation guidance to help the state reach its goals. In 2021-2022, the team’s aim was to analyze the current landscape of child and family housing resources in North Carolina, particularly as it intersects with structural racism and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Building on this analysis, team members worked to develop a comprehensive resource to be used by the North Carolina Integrated Care for Kids (NC InCK) program and others. 

To garner qualitative data about current resources and gaps in service provision, the team hosted focus groups and conducted family interviews, learning from those with lived experience. The team also conducted a systematic review of empirical literature and compiled information on policies and practices in North Carolina and other states. They hope that their research and recommendations for both policy- and practice-level change will help inform effective integration between housing and early childhood services at the state level.

Early Childhood Housing Instability and Homelessness in North Carolina: Informing Cross-Sector Alignment

Poster by Sophie Hurewitz, Karina Vasudeva, Ainsley Buck, Stephanie Green, Sophie Johnson, Laura Stilwell, Michelle Franklin, Beth Gifford, Gillian Sanders Schmidler and Rushina Cholera