Overview:
Health Share contracted with Portland State University’s Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative and Providence CORE to answer the question: What does it look like for homelessness research and evaluation practices to be centered on or rooted in racial equity and people who have lived experience with homelessness?
To answer this question, we interviewed community members including Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color who had experienced homelessness or housing insecurity and/or worked for homelessness service providers, in health care, or as researchers. We also conducted a literature review and environmental scan and drew on Portland State University’s practice-based research experience in racial equity in the Portland metropolitan area. Across the interviews and literature review, we found broad agreement on how to engage in community centered, participatory research and governance.