Driving Innovative Solutions to Housing Challenges

Since 2015, the Terner Center for Housing Innovation has been at the forefront of identifying, developing, and advancing innovative public and private sector solutions to tackle some of the nation’s most persistent housing challenges.

‍

As housing continues to be a top issue nationally, the Terner Center has recognized the need to expand the reach and impact of their data-driven research and analysis to connect with a broader audience.  

‍

For example, permanent supportive housing (PSH)—an evidence-based solution to chronic homelessness—often faces significant misunderstanding and misinformation. To ensure that policymakers continue to invest in housing and services to address homelessness, it is crucial to demystify what PSH is, how it works, and what is needed to make it work better.

Services Provided

• Narrative Writing

• Ui/Ux Design

• Engineering

‍

The Challenge

California’s homelessness crisis has grown in both complexity and scale in recent years, and the state has been making much-needed investments to increase the supply of affordable housing, including permanent supportive housing (PSH). Yet the public and policymakers don’t always understand what PSH is or what is needed to increase the impact of these investments.  

‍

Citizen Codex collaborated with Terner Center researchers who have been studying the successes and challenges of PSH, including conducting hundreds of interviews with residents and practitioners, to develop a narrative that demystifyed PSH’s impact. This partnership allowed us to share a well-rounded explanation of PSH and its power.

‍

‍

Our Strategy

Our goal was to ensure that every visitor—whether a housing expert or an interested member of the public—would gain a clear understanding of research-backed strategies to improve PSH and make meaningful progress toward ending chronic homelessness.  

‍

To achieve this, we blended traditional editorial content with clearly presented statistical data and highlights from first-hand experiences to create a compelling narrative journey. This approach showcases the scale of the homelessness crisis, explains the long-term benefits of PSH for residents, and highlights how PSH could expand to meet the need in California.

• Start with data: We focused on presenting the scale of the problem through accessible, impactful data visualizations.

• Provide in-depth resources: From there, we connected the broader issue to California-specific articles and policy throughout, making the narrative relevant and relatable.

‍

‍

The Results

The result is a digital experience that not only educates but inspires actionable change, equipping stakeholders with the insights they need to invest in lasting solutions.

‍