Childhood Homelessness Symposium
Schedule
February 25, 2025 • 8 am – 3:30 pm
Queen's Conference Center • Honolulu, HI
Registration and more info | Learn more about our speakers
7:30 – 8 am: Registration and Continental Breakfast
8-9 am: Public Policy Panel
9:15-9:45 am: Welcome and Opening Plenary
10-11 am: Breakout Sessions
1A: Strategies to Address Childhood Homelessness Among Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander children are at the highest risk of experiencing homelessness in Hawaiʻi. This panel will explore culturally responsive practices to support each of these communities and discuss specific strategies and solutions to prevent and end childhood homelessness for both Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders. Through this session, those who serve Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander children experiencing homelessness will be better equipped to serve their unique needs.
1B: Cutting-Edge Ideas to End Childhood Homelessness
Homelessness often seems like an intractable problem, but innovative ideas are being tested out across the country. Panelists will discuss new state funding streams to support children experiencing homelessness, universal basic income pilot programs, and other bold projects that are moving the needle for communities. Join this session to get inspired about creative solutions and explore how we can adapt these ideas to our communities in Hawaiʻi.
1C: Early Learning and Education for Children Experiencing Homelessness
Children experiencing homelessness often face barriers to accessing early learning and education, from birth to high school, and their academic outcomes reflect these challenges. Panelists will explore the challenges that children face and discuss potential solutions that bring together homeless service providers, early learning and child care providers, and K-12 schools. Attendees will come away with ideas to better support the care and education needs for children experiencing homelessness.
11:15 am – 12:15 pm: Lunch and Keynote
Featuring Cheryl Schuch, CEO of Family Promise (national)
12:30-1:30 pm: Breakout Sessions
2A: Low Barriers, Trauma-Informed Care, and Emerging Best Practices
How can we best serve the needs of children and families experiencing homelessness? In this panel, speakers will offer practical tips for low-barrier services, trauma-informed care, and other emerging trends in case management and service delivery. Whether you’re a homeless service provider or work with children experiencing homelessness in other settings, join this session to learn and discuss creative and compassionate practices for serving this population.
2B: Voices of Families with Lived Experience of Homelessness
Families who have experienced homelessness have unique perspectives that must be at the forefront of our discussions about solutions to family homelessness. This panel will showcase the voices of families with lived experience as they share how they navigated social service systems and explore ideas on how to improve those systems for families in the future. Join this session to hear directly from these families and discuss creative solutions to family homelessness based on their lived experiences.
2C: Toxic Stress, ACEs, and Health Impacts of Childhood Homelessness
Homelessness can have long-lasting impacts on children’s health. Panelists will discuss how the trauma of homelessness and housing instability can create toxic stress and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), which can affect children’s physical and mental health even into adulthood. Attendees will learn more about why housing is a social determinant of health and explore the data and solutions to improve children’s health by ending homelessness.
1:45-2:45 pm: Breakout Sessions
3A: Domestic Violence and Childhood Homelessness
Domestic violence is a significant cause of homelessness for children and families. This panel will share best practices for supporting survivors, explore the data around the intersection of DV and homelessness, and discuss opportunities to improve systems and policies that impact DV survivors. By joining this session, attendees will learn how to better support children and families experiencing homelessness because of domestic violence, on both the direct service and systemic levels.
3B: Homelessness is a Housing Problem
Research has shown that the root cause of homelessness is unaffordable housing. To truly end homelessness, our state will need to ensure that every family has a home they can afford. In this panel, speakers will explore the data linking homelessness and housing affordability and will share actionable ideas about how Hawaiʻi can improve its ability to provide housing that’s affordable for all families. Attendees will learn and discuss how everyone can play a role in these upstream solutions to homelessness.
3C: Strengthening Families and Building Resilience
Addressing homelessness and housing insecurity is recognized as a primary prevention strategy for child abuse and neglect and can prevent interactions with the child welfare system. This panel will explore how we can best build resilience and strengthen families undergoing the traumatic experience of homelessness. Join this panel to learn about the intersections between homelessness and child abuse and neglect prevention (CANP) and explore best practices to support families.