J-PAL North America is launching a free Homelessness Evaluation Resource Hub to help researchers, policymakers, and practitioners make better evidence-based decisions on homelessness and housing stability. The public repository, developed with support from a Google.org grant, combines practical guidance, policy briefs, and training modules aimed at both using existing evidence and generating new evidence.
Key facts
- The hub is a free, public resource from J-PAL North America, a research and policy center in MIT’s Department of Economics.
- It focuses on two areas: using evidence already available and generating new evidence through rigorous evaluation.
- The launch includes two-page policy briefs on five homelessness and housing interventions, plus seven modules on impact evaluation methods.
- J-PAL North America will host a virtual launch event on Oct. 27.
- The project draws on work with partners, nearly 20 informational interviews, and guidance from David Phillips of the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities at Notre Dame.
What does the hub mean for people working on homelessness programs?
The hub gives a free starting point for anyone designing, funding, studying, or running homelessness programs. It is aimed at decision-makers who need accessible tools on what evidence says about housing stability, especially when time and resources are limited. The materials are meant to help users compare interventions, understand research findings, and shape programs with more confidence.
For the launch, the hub includes two-page briefs on Housing First, emergency financial assistance, case management, legal assistance in housing court, and housing vouchers. It also offers seven modules covering ethics, data and measurement, and opportunities for randomization, with an emphasis on applying those ideas in the homelessness sector.
- Use the policy briefs to review evidence on established interventions.
- Use the modules to build or strengthen evaluation skills.
- Use the hub as an entry point for evidence-informed program design and assessment.
What is in the Homelessness Evaluation Resource Hub?
The hub is organized around two main activities: using evidence and generating evidence. In the Using Evidence section, J-PAL North America offers newly developed policy briefs that synthesize experimental and quasi-experimental research on five interventions: Housing First, emergency financial assistance, case management, legal assistance in housing court, and housing vouchers.
The section also includes J-PAL North America’s 2019 evidence review, Reducing and Preventing Homelessness: Lessons from Randomized Evaluations, which draws together results from 40 rigorous evaluations of 18 distinct programs focused on homelessness prevention and reduction in North America.
Why does the center say evidence matters here?
J-PAL North America says homelessness is both a cause and a consequence of poverty and inequality, and that rigorous evidence is important for finding effective solutions. The center also says limited time, funds, and other resources can make it harder to develop and access high-quality evidence, which is why it sees a need for free, accessible tools.
That is the practical case behind the hub: it is meant to reduce barriers to evidence use and help expand the research base on what works to reduce homelessness and improve housing stability. The center says the materials are built to support both better decision-making and stronger evaluation design.
Who helped build the hub?
The hub was developed in close collaboration with partners at the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities, or LEO, at Notre Dame. David Phillips, LEO’s director of research and a research professor of economics at the University of Notre Dame, served as scientific advisor.
The resources also reflect nearly 20 informational interviews with researchers, intermediaries, government leaders, and service providers in the region, according to J-PAL North America. The organization says the hub builds on more than a decade of work with partners on homelessness research and on its experience training more than 30,000 learners over two decades.
Frequently asked questions
When is the hub launching?
J-PAL North America is launching the resource hub on Oct. 26, 2026, and says it will host a virtual launch event on Oct. 27. The launch announcement frames the event as part of introducing the new public resource to researchers, policymakers, and practitioners.
What kinds of homelessness interventions does the hub cover?
The hub currently includes policy briefs on five interventions: Housing First, emergency financial assistance, case management, legal assistance in housing court, and housing vouchers. J-PAL North America says more briefs are on the way.
