Greetings!

Although families enter shelter during their most challenging times, shelter should be a place of opportunity where families can shift their focus from surviving to truly thriving. 

A new report, Invest Now or Pay Later: Consequences of Ignoring the Mental Health Needs of New Jersey Children in Shelter, was developed in partnership with New Jersey Coalition to End Homelessness. The report explores the mental health needs of children living in NJ shelters by reviewing the state’s current support structures, as well as other mental health service models that exist across the country. The Coalition suggests that access to quality mental health services for children can further help a family succeed outside of a shelter’s walls.

For families living in shelter, services delayed are often services denied. By turning to the experts—families and staff at NJ shelters—we were able to learn about their experiences accessing mental health care and the wide range of barriers that NJ families face in receiving services, including transportation and building trust with mental health providers. To find out more, you can read the report here.

Learn more about the New Jersey Coalition to End Homelessness via their website: NJCEH.org.

We’ve been freshening up a bit—starting with a new web address: ICPH.org.

There, you’ll see some new additions and resources, like a list of frequently asked questions about family homelessness and a preview of our Instagram page (be sure to follow us on there, too!)

Uprooted: Voices of Student Homelessness is a graphic short story from education researchers at Southern Methodist University and Utah State University that depicts various living conditions that a student experiencing homelessness may face, including living doubled-up, in a vehicle, with an abusive family member, and in a shelter. Through careful collaboration with families with lived experience, the authors created clear and visually impactful portrayals of student homelessness that are an excellent resource for educators and others who work closely with students.

One of the most powerful insights from the piece is that our goal—whether we work in schools, faith-based organizations, shelters, or government—is to recognize how important it is to build meaningful relationships with the children and families we serve.

Read about the inspiration behind the comic via SMU’s blog.

Everyone is always asking us when our next Beyond Housing Conference is. While it has been on hiatus post-COVID, we are excited that we will be taking part in the second annual National Women’s Shelter Network Conference in Washington, DC from January 27 – 30, 2025.

Stop by our exhibit table at The Forum, the conference’s networking and resource space, to pick up recent publications or just chat. We’ll also be participating in panel presentations, including:

• From Shelter to Stability: Dreams Really Do Come True: Learn about innovative models that practice trauma-informed care and bring enriched supportive services that meet the specific needs of women, children, and gender-expansive people in the US.
• Strategies to Help Sheltered School-Age Children Succeed in School: Discover creative ways to bolster the education of children living in shelter and foster the vital school connections that can help guarantee their school readiness.

Keep up with ICPH with our quarterly newsletter: Debrief & Dialogue. Here you can find our latest reports, publications, webinars, and more.

ICPH is on Instagram!

Follow us @ICPH_ORG