Chapin Hall

First Steps Initiative Brings Effective Interventions to Young Families Experiencing Housing Insecurity

What We Did 

We partnered with the Illinois Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics (ICAAP) on the evaluation of their First Steps initiative. First Steps, launched in January 2023, focused on improving health for three groups experiencing housing insecurity: young pregnant and parenting persons, their infants, and their young children. It was a collaboration between ICAAP and two community-based housing organizations, New Moms and The Night Ministry, to undertake small scale interventions to address children’s health.  

Chapin Hall observed project meetings and conducted two rounds of semi-structured interviews (June 2023 and March 2024) with participants on the First Steps project team, including staff from ICAAP, New Moms, and The Night Ministry, as well as lived-experience experts from each organization.  

What We Found 

Our interviews identified five primary gaps in health services or support: parent health, child development and the Early Intervention system, cooking skills and nutrition, parent mental health, and racism in health care. The project team implemented interventions to address these gaps. Examples include developing MOUs between housing organizations and Federally Qualified Health Centers to improve access for housing residents; joint trainings between the Early Intervention System and housing staff; a cooking class; and workshops for housing residents and staff focusing on racial discrimination and self-advocacy.   

Interview respondents believed the First Steps project provided an important space for reflection and strategic thinking, built consensus about threats facing children’s health, fostered collaboration between partners, and successfully implemented small-scale interventions to address gaps. Respondents also praised the inclusion of lived experience experts on the project team. We found that the project would have been well served to begin with a comprehensive needs assessment, although that was not possible given the original 12-month timeline, and that the “right people” need to be at the table for progress to be made.   

What It Means 

Those working in housing and homelessness often overlook the health of homeless children born to young homeless adolescents. The First Steps project and its evaluation were small steps toward bringing more attention to this vulnerable population. The project identified and implemented four interventions aimed at improving the health of housing-insecure young families. Most respondents believed these interventions were—and will continue to be—helpful to these families. They could especially be helpful if the organizations involved continue to follow up with one another. Ultimately, project team members expressed hope organizational decision makers, funders, and policymakers would prioritize finding solutions to homelessness itself and minimizing its impacts on child and parent health.  

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