Center for Learning

Emergency shelter is a vital part of the homeless response system: it saves lives in the short term and can reduce homelessness—if it employs effective practices. This course will cover five key principles of effective emergency shelter. It’s appropriate for people who are, or would like to become, direct service staff, shelter management, or leadership, as well as for funders, system leaders, or government employees with an interest in local shelters. Anyone enrolled in any Center for Learning course is invited to a live online office hour every month. Some office hours are opportunities to ask questions about material in our courses; others focus on emerging issues or specific populations. We offer a variety of discounts: see our FAQ page. Questions? Email learning@naeh.org.  Read more

Street outreach is a life-saving practice: outreach staff seek out people experiencing unsheltered homelessness and connect them with resources and housing opportunities. To accomplish this, outreach staff must build trust through multiple interactions. This course explores best practices for building trust and fostering connections to housing and resources. It’s designed for anyone who works or would like to work with those experiencing homelessness. Anyone enrolled in any Center for Learning course is invited to a live online office hour every month. Some office hours are opportunities to ask questions about material in our courses; others focus on emerging issues or specific populations. We offer a variety of discounts: see our FAQ page. Questions? Email learning@naeh.org.  Read more

Harm reduction is a life-saving practice that helps people stay safer while engaging in risky behavior. It can be a pathway to full recovery and help people stabilize in housing while they rebuild their lives. This course will explore principles of harm reduction, so that you can help people reduce their risk. This course is appropriate for anyone who works with or wants to work with people at risk of or experiencing homelessness. It will also be of interest to managers, leaders, funders, and government employees. Anyone enrolled in any Center for Learning course is invited to a live online office hour every month. Some office hours are opportunities to ask questions about material in our courses; others focus on emerging issues or specific populations. We offer a variety of discounts: see our FAQ page. Questions? Email learning@naeh.org.  Read more

Supercharge your outreach through community partnerships. Persons living unsheltered are especially vulnerable. Learn how to reach them, build a system-level strategy, and get some partners. Courses in this series cover: Strategies for outreach staff to build strong connections with people experiencing homelessness Strategies for recruiting partners from outside the homeless response system Coordinating across the system to ensure clients have good outcomes   This course is intended for staff, managers, and directors in homeless outreach programs. Read more

People who are at immediate risk of homelessness will often need to enter a shelter, but in some cases, they could avoid entering the homeless response system with a little help. This practice is called diversion, and its heart is a customized problem-solving approach. This course provides a big-picture overview of how communities can design and implement a diversion strategy. It’s appropriate for anyone interested in helping their community use diversion. Anyone enrolled in any Center for Learning course is invited to a live online office hour every month. Some office hours are opportunities to ask questions about material in our courses; others focus on emerging issues or specific populations. We offer a variety of discounts: see our FAQ page. Questions? Email learning@naeh.org.  Read more

Homeless outreach is a highly skilled profession. Outreach staff need to understand the dynamics of homelessness and the homeless response system as well as key skills for ending homelessness. This learning path includes fundamental outreach skills plus harm reduction, cultural humility, trauma-informed care, and an overview of homelessness.  Read more