October 2026 North America Newsletter
Housing instability and homelessness are cross-cutting issues that shape countless aspects of people’s lives, from educational opportunities to job prospects to physical and emotional health. Addressing these challenges is possible, and evidence is one tool that can help.
Following World Homeless Day earlier this month, J-PAL North America is officially launching our new Homelessness Evaluation Resource Hub. Through this new digital repository, we are equipping policymakers, practitioners, and researchers with the tools to leverage rigorous research to address homelessness.
While evidence is a critical tool for ensuring everyone has a safe and stable home, rising constraints on decision-makers’ time, funds, and other resources can make high-quality evidence inaccessible. The Hub seeks to address these barriers by providing free evergreen resources, accessible research briefs, and multimedia training materials that can be applied to users’ specific contexts.
The Hub is the product of years of shared learning with partners and researchers dedicated to understanding the current literature and building the evidence base of effective homelessness prevention and reduction efforts. We’re deeply grateful to everyone who shaped its development, with special thanks to David Phillips, Research Director at the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities at University of Notre Dame, for his invaluable leadership as the Hub’s Scientific Advisor.
We invite you to explore the Hub, share these resources with your network, and send us your feedback as we work together to build evidence-informed solutions.
Sincerely,
Laina Sonterblum
Manager of J-PAL North America’s Homelessness and Housing Stability Team
Homelessness Evaluation Resource Hub Launch Event
Join our webinar this afternoon to hear from Laina Sonterblum (J-PAL North America), David Phillips (Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities at University of Notre Dame), and Adrian Schurr (Google.org) as they discuss the Hub, share insights on how practitioners can best leverage these new resources, and address questions on how these tools can help build a culture of evidence-informed policymaking in the homelessness sector. Register now »
In the news: Homelessness experts want housing without strings attached
Housing First, a strategy that offers housing and support services to individuals without preconditions, has been a major approach to addressing homelessness in the United States for over two decades. In a new Shelterforce article, experts including J-PAL North America Director of Strategic Partnerships and Innovation Vincent Quan and J-PAL affiliated professor David Phillips (Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities at University of Notre Dame) unpack the research findings behind this evidence-informed approach. Read the article »
New working paper: What Can (and Cannot) be Learned About Systemic Racial Discrimination from Randomized Evaluations
How can randomized evaluations help us understand systemic racial discrimination? A new working paper from members of J-PAL North America’s Racial Equity Advisory Committee, Dania Francis (University of Massachusetts, Boston), Rob Gillezeau (University of Toronto), Damon Jones (University of Chicago), and Angelino Viceisza (Spelman College), explores this question, helping us understand the role of evidence in advancing racial equity. Read the paper »
FEATURED EVALUATION SUMMARY
The Effect of Election Day Festivals on Voter Turnout in the United States
As Election Day approaches in the United States, we’re revisiting a 2009 paper. Efforts to increase the voting rate in the United States have often focused on reducing the costs associated with voting, such as offering mail-in ballots or early voting. But what if voter turnout could be increased by making the voting process more attractive? A study by Elizabeth Addonizio, James Glaser, and J-PAL affiliated professor Donald Green evaluated the impact of Election Day festivals, which can create a more festive and social voting atmosphere, on voter turnout. Read the summary »
FEATURED RESEARCH RESOURCE
Administrative steps for launching a randomized evaluation in the United States
Researchers must take a number of logistical and administrative steps to launch a randomized evaluation that adheres to legal regulations, follows the transparency guidelines of academic journals, and complies with security procedures required by regulatory or ethical standards. The order of steps may vary by project and many steps are interdependent, adding complexity to the process. This J-PAL research resource provides guidance on these steps, many of which require advanced planning at the beginning of the research process. Access the resource »
Media highlights
What a year of free money meant: Softer diapers, clean laundry, a visit to Six Flags
The New York Times
J-PAL North America and Overdeck Family Foundation fund new study on building children’s language skills out of University of Chicago
The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab