Representation matters, in public systems an on nonprofit boards, in hallway conversations and in formal coalitions. Even the most equity-minded and well-intended policies and programs will be hindered if they do not bring together the right combination of contributors. In particular, when making decisions about homeless services policies or programs, it is critical to meaningfully include the perspectives of people with lived expertise.

People with lived expertise of homelessness have unique insight into the factors that contribute to homelessness and also into solutions that are equitable and effective. Ideally, people with lived expertise should be meaningfully included in all phases of policymaking and programming, from inception and design to implementation and evaluation. In practice, this is a challenge for homeless services systems in many communities. A significant contributor to this problem is the reliance on hiring practices and procedures that may inadvertently exclude people with lived expertise or may discourage them from applying for jobs – even among local homeless services authorities and community-based providers of shelter and housing programs.

In November 2020, Heartland Alliance and stakeholders in Detroit brought together employees of the homeless services system and the public workforce system to hear directly from a panel of four workers with lived expertise of homelessness. The panelists hold a wide range of positions in the homeless services sector, either in local government or at non-profit or faith-based organizations. The panel covered topics including how public systems can better support them regarding hiring, management, and retention practices, professional development and career pathways, intersectionality, and more. Their recommendations point to the need for employers, including public systems, to play an active and affirmative role in hiring people with lived expertise of homelessness:

1) Recognize that people with lived expertise have unique and valuable insights

Drawing on their personal experiences, panelists explained that people with lived expertise of homelessness bring a distinct and invaluable lens to their work in human services. This perspective is extremely helpful in developing more effective, efficient, and equitable programs and in facilitating more positive participant experiences. Because they have been directly impacted by homelessness, people with lived expertise are uniquely well-suited to influence and design programs, processes, policies, and practices that best meet the real-life, on-the-ground needs and preferences of participants, to whom they can personally relate. This expertise benefits organizations and the people they serve, since participants are more likely to achieve their goals in programs that are thoughtfully geared toward their needs and preferences and staffed with relational workers with whom they can build trusting relationships. Panelists emphasized that employers miss out on an incredible amount of skill and talent when they pass over or fail to recruit candidates with lived expertise.

2) Examine and adjust hiring practices that exclude people with lived expertise

Panelists emphasized that people with lived expertise don’t want a “hand-out” or preferential treatment in the hiring process – they just want a fair chance to demonstrate their skills and knowledge to employers. Panelists said that one step in leveling the playing field for job applicants is removing requirements for particular educational degrees or certificates from job descriptions whenever possible, since this common practice serves as a deterrent to many people with lived expertise who are well-suited to the work but do not have specific credentials. They suggested that employers consider using skills tests in place of these credentials. Additionally, panelists explained that employers should adjust other hiring practices to actively seek out people with lived expertise. These include using plain language regarding the value of lived expertise in all job descriptions, advertising jobs and holding job fairs in places – virtually and in-person – where people with lived expertise are likely to see them, and learning and applying practices such as trauma-informed care in the hiring process to avoid retraumatizing job applicants. This is particularly important in the case of job applicants with lived expertise of homelessness, as homelessness itself is a significantly traumatic experience that is often accompanied by other acute traumas.

3) Educate all staff so that workers with lived expertise feel welcome and valued

One panelist described a time when she began working at a new job and quickly felt tokenized, as if her employer had hired her to meet a quota. She felt that her employer was not interested in investing in her as an employee. Several panelists also explained that in the workplace, employees may choose not to disclose their lived expertise of homelessness to colleagues due to concerns about stigma and stereotypes. To fully support employees with lived expertise in the workplace, employers need to play an active role in educating and training their entire staff at all levels about the value of lived expertise and about how to relate to colleagues with that expertise. This could include hearing and learning directly from staff with lived expertise, if they want to disclose and discuss their experiences. Trainings should also cover other topics that will help people with lived expertise feel more welcome in the workplace, such as cultural sensitivity and anti-racism, and any other topics workers with lived expertise identify.

*Author’s note: The term “lived expertise” is used in this blog post because of the special convening’s focus on hiring and professional advancement. It is meant to underscore the unique professional value that people who have experienced homelessness bring to the workplace. We consider it to be interchangeable with the term “lived experience,” which may be more familiar and more useful, depending on the context and the individual.