Homelessness 101: History of Homelessness & Ending Homelessness

Homelessness 101 is a series of trainings covering essential material needed for working in homelessness and supportive housing. It is best suited for staff who are newer to the field or for staff looking for refreshers on best practices. Currently, the six modules included are: Principles of Housing First & Harm Reduction, History of Homelessness, Client Engagement, Boundaries & Ethics, Ending Homelessness and Trauma Informed Practice. We believe that these six trainings cover content that every person in the field should have a basic understanding of as we work towards the goal of preventing and ending homelessness.

• History of Homelessness will examine the socio-economic and political factors that cause homelessness, as well as attitudes and responses toward people experiencing homelessness through several major periods of history.
• Ending Homelessness can seem like a daunting task. Is it even possible? This section of Homelessness 101 will explore the strategies and programs that Minnesota is using to prevent and end homelessness such as continuum of care, coordinated entry, and a slew of acronyms, and will seek to clarify and simplify some of the complexities of these different strategies. We will explore the multi-faceted approaches needed to reach “functional zero” to help participants better understand their personal and professional role in this work!

Presenters:

Courtney Knoll: Courtney has been working in the homelessness and supportive housing field for the last 10 years, including the past 4 at MESH. She has a Master’s in Social Work from the University of Minnesota and is passionate about ending homelessness and creating policy and programs that work for people who need them most. She “curates” the MESH Facebook page (that you should follow) at www.facebook.com/mesh-mn and can be reached via email at courtney@mesh-mn.org

Steve Carlson: Steve Carlson, Psy. D. is a Clinical Trainer with the University of Minnesota’s Center for Mental and Chemical Health, a Community Faculty member with Metropolitan State University, and provides consultation and training for organizations in a variety of models including the Sanctuary Model for Trauma Informed Organizations.  Topics for training include: Motivational Interviewing and Stage-Wise Treatment, Harm Reduction, Mindfulness and Mental Health, and the History and Psychology of Long-Term Homelessness.  As a Certified Trainer in Illness Management and Recovery (IMR), Steve provides training and consultation to various agencies around the state of Minnesota as well as nationally.  He can be reached at carlson561@gmail.com