Planning: CRISES: Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Housing and Homelessness

University Of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles CA

Investigators

Abstract

The housing and homelessness crises are caused by a complex web of factors ranging from lack of housing production and zoning policies to structural racism in labor markets and criminal justice systems. The consequences of homelessness for individuals and families are profound, and these crises strain public services and systems. Research on housing and homelessness is often siloed, and fragmentation in funding and program delivery across housing and homelessness organizations undermines effective solutions. This planning project focuses on the development of an interdisciplinary research Center that brings housing and homelessness research communities together. The project considers the social, health, economic, and policy dimensions of these intersecting crises, and emphasizes the structural reforms that are needed to reduce homelessness and improve the well-being of individuals. It also aims to inform the public debate on housing and homelessness by replacing misconceptions with data and accessible research. Research on housing and homelessness is often not informed by interdisciplinary research approaches spanning economics, psychology, anthropology, geography, sociology, and other social science disciplines. The project plans for interdisciplinary research to advance knowledge by integrating the perspectives of housing and homelessness research, employing a dynamic rather than static framework of homelessness, and integrating structural and individual approaches to the experiences of different demographic and risk groups. Planned activities will help inform policy solutions to the housing and homelessness crises, such as identifying a strategic interdisciplinary research agenda, improving the data ecosystem for social science research on housing and homelessness, and supporting community participatory research. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.