HKS Government Performance Lab’s Post

How are jurisdictions across the country approaching alternative emergency response implementation? GPL Assistant Director Gabriela Solis Torres recently joined a panel with staff from Tradeoffs, The Marshall Project, and the City of Durham to discuss the national landscape.    She shared trends from the GPL’s work with more than 20 alternative emergency response programs, including that many programs are: 1. Hiring individuals with specific behavioral health expertise and providing them with intensive on-the-job training to ensure they can safely respond to calls. 2. Working to cultivate early and ongoing support from other emergency response stakeholders. 3. Expanding eligibility for alternative response teams beyond mental health calls. Read more: https://lnkd.in/exuxgQhC 

TODAY: When We Walk By: Forgotten Humanity, Broken Systems, and the Role We Can Each Play in Ending Homelessness in America. Join us at 1pm ET for a hybrid event with Kevin F. Adler, founder of Miracle Messages, a nonprofit that helps people experiencing homelessness rebuild their social support systems and financial security through family reunification services, a phone buddy program, and the first basic income pilot for unhoused individuals in the US. Adler will discuss his co-authored book, When We Walk By, which recasts chronic homelessness as a byproduct of twin crises: the failure of both our social services systems – and our humanity. Time: 1:00–1:50 PM Location: Kresge G3, Chan School of Public Health and virtual Online Registration Form: https://lnkd.in/eHRfv5ky This event is co-sponsored by the Initiative on Health and Homelessness at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the HKS Government Performance Lab, and the Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative.

**NEW PUBLICATION ALERT** Supporting substance-using caregivers on their journey to recovery is essential for both parents’ and children’s health and well-being. Early efforts can strengthen family stability and improve the likelihood that children can remain in their parents’ care.   https://lnkd.in/exCzmzR7 In "Supporting Substance-Using Caregivers: Pregnancy, Birth, and Early Childhood," a new publication from the Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab, we highlight three ways that jurisdictions can offer voluntary, upstream support to substance-using caregivers and their families:    1 - Structure supports to build trust   2 - Offer support earlier, before a crisis  3 - Design recovery services to honor caregiving     Read the publication here: https://lnkd.in/exCzmzR7

EVENT: When We Walk By: Forgotten Humanity, Broken Systems, and the Role We Can Each Play in Ending Homelessness in America. Join us at 1pm ET on October 1, 2024 for a hybrid event with Kevin F. Adler, founder of Miracle Messages, a nonprofit that helps people experiencing homelessness rebuild their social support systems and financial security through family reunification services, a phone buddy program, and the first basic income pilot for unhoused individuals in the US. Adler will discuss his co-authored book, When We Walk By, which recasts chronic homelessness as a byproduct of twin crises: the failure of both our social services systems – and our humanity. Time: 1:00–1:50 PM Location: Kresge G3, Chan School of Public Health and virtual Online Registration Form: https://lnkd.in/eHRfv5ky This event is co-sponsored by the Initiative on Health and Homelessness at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the HKS Government Performance Lab, and the Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative.

Last week, GPL Project Leader Hena Rafiq and Government Innovation Fellow Natosha D. shared early insights on the Alameda County Pretrial Service Referral System pilot program, supported by technical assistance from the GPL, to pretrial practitioners from across the nation. They spoke alongside Cory Jacobs, Alameda County Pretrial Service Program Manager, at the 51st Annual National Association of Pretrial Services Agencies (NAPSA) Conference and Training Institute in New Orleans. @#NAPSA2024 Learn more about expanding the use of service referrals during pretrial release in our latest blog: https://lnkd.in/geKcZpwG

We're at #NIJ2024! Attendees: Hear Assistant Director Gabriela Solis Torres share insights about data-driven approaches to selecting eligible 911 calls for alternative emergency response during the lightning talk, "Innovations in Crisis Response," at 1:30 p.m. ET.    We're also exhibiting: Swing by our table for tools and research related to community-based safety, alternative emergency response, and pretrial reform.

The GPL is excited to present next week at the National Institute of Justice’s Research Conference, which will bring together researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and more to explore how scientific evidence can promote safety, equity, and justice. GPL Assistant Director Gabriela Solis Torres will join other experts on the lightning talk, “Innovations in Crisis Response,” to share insights on data-driven approaches to selecting eligible 911 calls for alternative emergency response informed by the GPL’s work with more than 30 jurisdictions.    The GPL will also serve as an exhibitor, showcasing research and tools focused on community-based safety, alternative emergency response, and pretrial reform. Interested in learning more about #NIJ2024? Visit: https://lnkd.in/eNdBEF3K   U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs (OJP)

New research from our colleagues at the Program in Criminal Justice Policy and Management draws on insights from residents in four Boston neighborhoods to explore what thriving communities look like and what role police could play in creating and maintaining safe, healthy, and thriving communities: https://lnkd.in/gMzFNEh5    The GPL explored similar themes through interviews with 50 young people in St. Paul who shared what makes them feel unsafe and how their behavior would change if they felt safe. These interviews resulted in a set of actionable public safety indicators that are rooted in youth lived experience, such as playing outside and riding the train. Explore the GPL's New Measures of Public Safety report here: https://lnkd.in/ezgxBdjX

We are excited to announce that the GPL, in collaboration with Enterprise Community Partners, is launching the Coordinated Entry Systems (CES) Housing Optimization Initiative. This initiative aims to better understand the challenges jurisdictions face placing people experiencing homelessness into permanent housing.     To understand how Coordinated Entry shapes referrals and placements into Permanent Supportive Housing, the GPL is launching a short survey for staff and leaders working within Coordinated Entry Systems and Permanent Supportive Housing. Access the survey here: https://lnkd.in/eZmnCkdG Please visit our webpage to learn more about the initiative and share it widely with your networks: https://lnkd.in/eTgNS4P9