Community Assessments Reveal Widespread Affordable Housing Challenges, an Interview with Nicole Lessard

Nicole Lessard shares her insights on the value of community needs assessments and how data can be used for program planning and to meet families’ needs. Ms. Lessard is a consultant with Foundations for Families, specializing in community needs assessments, data research, and grant writing. She is experienced working with Head Start/Early Head Start programs across the country.What is your professional background?I worked in various policy roles for over ten years at the Massachusetts Department of Education, followed by the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care and then as a State Research and Evaluation Consultant. This work focused on a variety of early education programs and systems. The role allowed me expertise in developing early childhood programs to be disseminated statewide; analyzing data, policy options, and recommendations to address complex public policy issues; and monitoring and data analysis related to implementation of public policies and programs. Recently, I also worked in a preschool classroom which was invaluable to supplement my understanding of the daily complexities and inner workings of early childhood programs.As a consultant for Foundations for Families, I have worked with programs across the country on the development of DRS, baseline and continuation grants, as well as on Community Assessments and Change in Scope Requests. While FFF takes a systematic approach to ensure the development of high quality products that meet Head Start requirements, the process is also flexible and curated to meet the program’s unique needs. While programs often report similar trends, each program has its own strengths and challenges, and it is to the aim to employ approaches that meet their individual needs to support their future grant applications, initiatives and/or programmatic goals.Why is it important to conduct a comprehensive community assessment and keep it updated year to year?A meaningful community assessment allows programs to be responsive and ensures that the most appropriate services are being provided to the populations most in need. When Foundations for Families works with programs year over year, the consistent format and systematic update process supports analysis of historical changes over time to highlight areas for programmatic consideration.The process also includes valuable information gathering through the survey of families, staff, and community providers. Surveys offer an opportunity for respondents to provide insights about a variety of issues, such as housing (including affordability, homelessness, doubling up, multigenerational trends) and other prevalent community issues. In recent years, affordable housing has become a more pressing issue, exacerbated by the pandemic, for a great number of families enrolled in programs that FFF has surveyed on behalf of Head Start programs.Surveys also inform programs about what resources families feel they have access to, where gaps may exist and what additional resources are needed. FFF triangulates data to provide an analysis that is informed by families, staff, and community providers which allows for a robust understanding, informed by multiple key perspectives, of how to potentially improve access to services for enrolled children and families and the greater community.In your work with community agencies, what types of trends are you noticing related to housing, and particularly affordable housing? What type of data do you recommend programs look at to understand housing needs in their community?Affordable housing has been a consistent challenge for many families served by the majority of Head Start programs. Historically, the lack of affordable housing generally has had a disproportionate impact on the most marginalized and lowest-income people in the country. More recently, during and after the pandemic, with inflation and related price increases, this issue has begun to rise to a crisis level in many areas, as the capacity of affordable housing has decreased. Some Head Start programs report that eligible families are moving to areas where they can afford or secure housing, or they’re choosing to double-up with friends or live with family members in multi-generational households.As reported by the National Low Income Housing Coalition, across the country there is a “shortage of more than 7 million affordable homes for our nation's 10.8 million plus extremely low-income families.”  This is one resource that programs can use to understand the gap between the wages a renter working full-time (minimum wage) would need to earn to afford average two-bedroom rental costs.What other types of data do you recommend programs look at to understand housing needs in their community?The rental market has also seen significant changes, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is a resource that offers current data on the FY 2024 Fair Market Rents. That data can be analyzed in terms of the wages a Head Start program’s staff and families are generally paid to understand the gap that likely exists between income levels and the ability to afford rent.While U.S. Census data is a strong data source and replicable year over year, in recent years the median price of homes rose sharply with values increasing dramatically between data reporting periods. With these pandemic related impacts, FFF recommends supplementing Census data with real time data sources to inform and understand the current changes in the housing market.Is there other information programs should consider to reveal issues impacting housing stability?Affordable housing in one of many factors that impact the health and well-being of children, families, and staff in communities. As noted above, the wages for families that are employed in minimum wage jobs will likely not support housing costs. The same dilemma exists for many Head Start staff.As described in a FFF March 2024 blog post, the Office of Head Start released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) with new language about pay parity in wages for Head Start/Early Head Start staff with similar qualifications and experience. Making progress towards pay parity means that Head Start programs need to start closing the wage gap for their teachers and education staff. Conducting a strong wage and benefits comparability study is a critical step in planning for parity.We encourage you to explore Foundations for Families’ Consulting Services. If your program needs assistance conducting or updating its community assessment, please be in touch. Our team of consultants will work with your program to determine a process, timeline, and approach that is the best fit for your needs.Thank you.Thank you for reading our blog. We encourage you to use our blog posts for thought, integration, and sharing. 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