Innovative to End Homelessness The energy at the National Alliance to End Homelessness conference was palpable, especially during our “Intro to Housing Problem Solving” session! A huge thank you to all the 115 attendees and especially to our incredible speakers – Johnnie Walker from Partners for Peace in Maine, Jimmy Slattery from INTERFAITH WORKS in…
Author: schess3
NAEH: “So You Want to Implement Housing Problem Solving?”
Igniting Change: Engaging the Power of a New Approach I am still buzzing with energy from the “So You Want to Implement Housing Problem Solving?” session at the National Alliance to End Homelessness conference! A massive thank you to everyone who attended and especially to our incredible speakers – Jen Johnson (Homeward, Richmond, VA), Michelle…
June: National Alliance to End Homelessness
I am so excited to be a speaker and moderator for the National Alliance to End Homelessness conference in June-July 2025. There has been a surge in the interest and excitment for opportunities to integrate Housing Problem Solving, Rapid Resolution, and Diversion practices. Coming the The Conference? Stop by my sessions or contact me to…
October: Musical Chairs
This activity is not going to make you any friends with staff. It was an idea that came from a trainer I worked with in Santa Clara, California. It only takes a few minutes, but for best results try to make it a standard practice. It is particularly useful for people working with shelter guests…
To Be or Not To Be… In Person
Let me tell you about how the COVID-19 pandemic started for me. I was in New Orleans for a five day training, ending with the Train-the-trainer on Friday. At first, it just felt like distant news. You would here “Did you know they found someone has it in California?” or “Italy is getting hit hard.”…
Real Estate & Housing People?
Last month, I did something a little unexpected. Besides helping folks navigate the best ways for Diversion, Rapid Resolution & Housing Problem Solving to adapt to service community (which is still very much my jam & focus!), I also became a licensed real estate agent ~ Now, you might be wondering, “Wait, what?” Well, the…
Navigating the Nuances:
Expanding on the New York Times Piece I am deeply grateful to Aidan Gardiner & the New York Times for this insightful piece on shelter diversion and housing problem solving programs. The depth of their reporting and effort to highlight solutions is remarkable. It’s truly an honor to be included alongside the incredible people who…
March 2024 Meme Challenge
The meme contest will focus on creating memes that promote and celebrate Housing First, Diversion, Housing Problem Solving, and Rapid Resolution. Your memes could also complain about the day-to-day challenges of working these approaches (no lie- it gets tough!) You have until March 30th at 11:59 PM EST to submit your memes. We’ll host an…
Diversion Data Deep-Dive: 2023 Update
In 2021, the last Diversion Data Deep dive examined how Diversion and Rapid Resolution practices were performing in Connecticut. At this time, five years of data from 2016-2020 was available. With updated data through 2023, we can examine how the post-pandemic period may have affected systems and Diversion rates. As explained in the previous article, …
“Where Do We Put People?”
We do not put people anywhere. Full stop. In our systems or outside of our systems, Diversion and Rapid Resolution intervention do not ask providers to put people anywhere. Instead, we empower people struggling with their housing to evaluate their options, given their safety, needs, and preferences. We are navigators. We can help people understand what the housing…