We are looking forward to this deep dive, chaired by Howard Koh, Harvey V. Fineberg Professor of the Practice of Public Health Leadership at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Over these two days, we will bring together the Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative Fellows with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and Chamber Foundation business leaders, healthcare providers, system leaders, advocates, researchers, people with lived expertise, and others from across the country to highlight important strategies that work, address emerging challenges, and discuss innovative solutions to the complex issue of homelessness.
You can find the latest schedule and session details below.
Download Schedule (Updated September 4, 2026)
Detailed Agenda
Thursday, September 17th
Sessions will take place in Aldrich 112 on the Harvard Business School campus unless otherwise noted.
8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Breakfast and Registration
9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Welcome and IHH Overview
Speakers:
Howard Koh, Harvey V. Fineberg Professor of the Practice of Public Health Leadership, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Peter Levesque, Advanced Leadership Initiative Coalition Member & Member of the Steering Committee of the Initiative on Health and Homelessness at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
This session will provide an introduction to the Initiative on Health and Homelessness and its vision for advancing cross-sector solutions to one of the nation's most urgent public health challenges. This opening session will outline the goals of the conference and invite participants to engage in collaborative learning and action.
Readings
9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Homelessness Policy in Action Keynote
Speaker:
Ras J. Baraka, Mayor, Newark, New Jersey
Mayor Ras J. Baraka will share Newark’s approach to addressing homelessness through The Path Home, the city’s collaborative strategy to end chronic homelessness by bringing together housing, outreach, health care, and community partners. He will discuss the lessons, challenges, and innovations behind Newark’s efforts—including expanded street outreach, transitional housing, and partnerships that connect people experiencing homelessness to health and housing resources—and what other cities can learn from Newark’s experience.
BREAK: 10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Homelessness in America: What Needs to Change
Speakers:
Jeff Olivet, Senior Advisor, Initiative on Health and Homelessness, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; Former Executive Director, U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness
Derek Winbush, Member, Consumer Advisory Board, Member, Board of Directors Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program
Homelessness is a complex challenge shaped by interconnected systems of housing, health care, behavioral health, and economic opportunity. This session will examine the varied experiences of homelessness and why homelessness persists in the United States and explore the bold policy and practice changes needed to create lasting solutions.
Readings
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Lunch
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Policy Solutions to America's Housing Crisis
Speakers:
Jennifer Molinsky, Director, Housing and Aging Society Program, Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, Lecturer, Harvard Graduate School of Design
Jamie Ding, New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency
Bill Owens, Chairman of the Board, National Association of Homebuilders
Moderator:
Peter Levesque, Advanced Leadership Initiative Coalition Member & Member of the Steering Committee of the Initiative on Health and Homelessness at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Housing affordability and supply remain central drivers of homelessness across the country. Experts from government, research, and the housing industry will discuss innovative policy approaches that can expand access to affordable housing while strengthening communities.
Readings
2026 The State of the Nation's Housing Report, Harvard University Joint Center for Housing
2025 The State of the Nation's Housing Report, Harvard University Joint Center for Housing
America's Rental Housing Report 2024, Harvard University Joint Center for Housing
2023 Housing America's Older Adults, Harvard University Joint Center for Housing
BREAK: 2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Private Sector Partnerships to End Homelessness
Speakers:
Makinizi Hoover, Senior Director, US Chamber of Commerce
Olivia Barrow Strauss, Vice President of Housing Policy, JP Morgan Chase
Moderator:
Peter Levesque, Harvard ALI Coalition Member
Businesses have an increasingly important role to play in providing housing opportunity through employment, investment, philanthropy, and community partnerships. This session will highlight successful collaborations between the private sector and public systems that are creating measurable impact.
Readings
BREAK: 3:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Changing the Narrative on Homelessness
Speakers:
Marisol Bello, Executive Director, Housing Narrative Lab
Roya Fox, Creator, @Royaventurera
Jaime Mahler, Creator, @RecollectedSelf
Moderator:
Amanda Yarnell, Senior Director of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health's Center for Health Communication, Lecturer, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Public perceptions of homelessness shape policy decisions, community support, and opportunities for change. Learn how advocates, storytellers, and communications experts are working to replace stereotypes with narratives rooted in dignity, evidence, and lived experience.
Friday, September 18th
Sessions will take place in Spangler Auditorium on the Harvard Business School campus unless otherwise noted.
8:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. Breakfast and Registration
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Making Meaning of Lived Experiences of Homelessness
Speakers:
Brendi Velasquez, SUD Counselor, La Casa Ujima Family Recovery Services
Dez Martinez, Founder and Executive Director, We Are Not Invisible
Moderator:
Va Lecia Adams Kellum, Initiative on Health and Homelessness Senior Advisor
People with lived experience offer essential insights into the realities of homelessness and the systems designed to address it. This conversation will explore how elevating these voices leads to more effective, equitable, and human-centered solutions.
Readings
BREAK: 10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Partnering Meaningfully: Fort Lauderdale and the Broward Business Council on Homelessness
Speakers:
Mayor Dean Trantalis, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Lynne Wines, Chairperson, Broward Business Coalition on Homelessness, United Way of Broward County, Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative Coalition Member
Moderator:
Gary Adamkiewicz, Associate Professor of Environmental Health and Exposure Disparities, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
This session will focus on Mayor Dean Trantalis’ efforts in Fort Lauderdale, Florida to address homelessness through a collaborative, housing-focused approach that brings together city government, service providers, and the business community. The panel will explore how the Broward Business Council on Homelessness helped mobilize private-sector resources and partnerships, and what Fort Lauderdale’s experience can teach other communities about making cross-sector collaboration meaningful and effective.
BREAK: 11:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. Destination: Home — National Expansion & Lived Experience Board
Speakers:
Claudine Sipili, Director of Lived Experience & Innovation, Destination: Home
Chad Bojorquez, Chief Program Officer, Destination: Home
Moderator:
Carin Clary, Director of Homelessness & Housing, Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab
Note: HBS case as background context; framed as a live update on D:H's progress and national expansion plans.
Discover how Destination: Home is expanding its nationally recognized model while embedding lived expertise into organizational leadership and decision-making. This session will provide an inside look at the organization's growth, innovation, and commitment to community-driven solutions.
Readings
Destination: Home and Scaling for National Impact Case Study
Kania, J., & Kramer, M. (2011). Collective Impact. Stanford Social Innovation Review, 9(1), 36–41.
12:45 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. Lunch
1:45 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. Recovery and Hope: Medical, Mental Health, and Substance-Use Disorder Care on the Street
Speakers:
Jim O'Connell, President, Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, Steering Committee Member, Initiative on Health and Homelessness, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Katherine Koh, Psychiatrist, Street Team, Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program and Massachusetts General Hospital, Director of Mental Health, MGH Homelessness Service, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
Mike Jellison, Recovery Coach, Street Team, Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program and Massachusetts General Hospital
Delivering health care to people experiencing homelessness requires meeting patients where they are with compassion, flexibility, and trust. Clinicians will share lessons from providing medical, mental health, and substance use disorder care through street outreach and discuss how integrated care can improve health and housing outcomes.
Readings
2:45 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Closing Remarks
Speakers:
Howard Koh, Harvey V. Fineberg Professor of the Practice of Public Health Leadership, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Peter Levesque, Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative Coalition Member, Member of the Steering Committee of the Initiative on Health and Homelessness at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
The conference concludes with reflections on the key themes, lessons, and opportunities that emerged over two days of discussion. Participants will leave with renewed inspiration and practical ideas for advancing collaborative solutions to homelessness in their own communities.