Overview
Beyond Shelter: The Business of Ending Homelessness in America Deep Dive
November 20 - 21, 2025
In this two day deep dive, 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 the registration form below. Please register to attend below. For any questions, please contact us at advancedleadership@harvard.edu.
Please note, we will continue to update this page with session details in the coming weeks.
Post-Session Materials
Please note, these slides are for the event attendees only and not intended for further distribution.
Event Details
Schedule (Updated November 12, 2025)
Detailed Schedule (Updated November 12, 2025)
Livestream
For those who cannot attend in person, you can register to attend our livestream.
Key Locations
American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 136 Irving St, Cambridge, MA 02138
Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy St, Cambridge, MA 02138
Spangler Auditorium, Spangler Center, Harvard Business School, Batten Way, Boston, MA 02163
Session Details
Session I: Welcome
Thursday, November 20th from 9:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.
Norton's Woods Conference Center at American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Speakers
Howard Koh, Harvey V. Fineberg Professor of the Practice of Public Health Leadership, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Peter Levesque, 2026 Advanced Leadership Initiative Senior Fellow
Session II: What Role Can Business Play?
Thursday, November 20th from 9:15 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Norton's Woods Conference Center at American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Speaker
Michael Carney, President, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation
Session Overview
In this session, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation will explore how businesses can play a pivotal role in addressing homelessness through innovation, investment, and community partnership. Drawing on examples from across the country, the session will highlight how employers are supporting housing stability, workforce inclusion, and systems change that strengthen local economies. The session will discuss practical strategies for business engagement that align social impact with economic growth and corporate responsibility.
Session III: Homelessness in America
Thursday, November 20th from 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Norton's Woods Conference Center at American Academy of Arts and Sciences
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, Board of Directors, Boston Healthcare for the Homeless
Session Overview
This session will contextualize the homelessness crisis in America from historical, public health, and policy perspectives. Addressing how we got to where we are now, the nature of the current crisis, and effective pathways forward, the session will also highlight bright spots from around the country and examples of how the corporate sector has played a critical role in addressing homelessness locally and nationally.
Background Reading
Session IV: America's Affordable Housing Crisis
Thursday, November 20th from 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Norton's Woods Conference Center at American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Speakers
Chris Herbert, Managing Director, Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies
Jennifer Molinsky, Director, Housing an Aging Society Program, Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies
Session Overview
Drawing from research by the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, Chris Herbert and Jen Molinsky will discuss the nation's widening housing affordability crisis and its links to the recent sharp rise in homelessness. They will touch on housing supply gaps, the implications for renters and homeowners, trends in federal support, and demographic changes that are reshaping housing need, with implications for businesses, communities, and policymakers nationwide.
Background Reading
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
Session V: Amazon's Affordable Housing Fund
Thursday, November 20th from 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Norton's Woods Conference Center at American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Speaker
Alice Shobe, Global Director, Amazon Community Impact
Moderator
Peter Levesque, 2026 Advanced Leadership Initiative Senior Fellow
Session Overview
This session will explore the design, implementation, and impact of Amazon’s $3.6 billion commitment to create or preserve affordable housing in Washington state, greater Washington DC, and Tennessee. Discussion will include strategies for leveraging corporate culture to effectuate community impact activities focused on homelessness, education, food security, and disaster relief.
Background Reading
Session VI: Opportunities in Modular Housing
Thursday, November 20th from 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Norton's Woods Conference Center at American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Panelists
Daniel Kroft, CEO, Giant Containers, Inc.
Andrew Lockwood, VP Sales, Giant Containers
Steven Oyer, Founder and Managing Partner, Sustainable Finance Partnerships
Velma Trayham, Founder, HomeAccess America
Moderator
Elizabeth Bowie Christoforetti, Assistant Professor in Practice of Architecture, Harvard Graduate School of Design
Session Overview
This panel will explore how innovative modular housing solutions are transforming the way we think about affordability, sustainability, and design. Featuring leaders from Home Access, Sustainable Living Innovations, and Giant Containers, the discussion will highlight how new construction technologies, materials, and how business models can reduce costs and expand access to quality housing. Panelists will share insights on overcoming regulatory, financing, design, supply chain, and scaling challenges to make modular housing a central part of the affordable housing landscape.
Background Viewing
Session VII: Academic Private Partnerships to End Homelessness
Thursday, November 20th from 3:45 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.
Norton's Woods Conference Center at American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Speakers
Howard Koh, Harvey V. Fineberg Professor of the Practice of Public Health Leadership, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Va Lecia Adams Kellum, Former CEO, Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority
Session Overview
This session will explore the future of homelessness response through the lens of public health, equity, and evidence-based collaboration. Drawing on the work of the Initiative on Health and Homelessness (IHH) at the Harvard T.H. Chan School, the discussion will consider how research, education, and practice can unite to reframe homelessness as a solvable health issue. The conversation will highlight IHH’s focus on narrative change, leadership development, and cross-sector partnerships as levers for systemic transformation. Together, they will consider what it will take to build a coordinated, learning system that accelerates progress toward health, housing, and dignity for all.
Background Reading
Session VIII: Keynote: Delivering Denver’s Historic Reduction in Unsheltered Homelessness
Thursday, November 20th from 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Norton's Woods Conference Center at American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Speaker
Moderator
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
Session Overview
In this fireside chat, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston will discuss his administration’s ambitious efforts to tackle homelessness and expand housing affordability across the city. Drawing on Denver’s innovative “House1000” initiative and partnerships with nonprofits, developers, and community leaders, Mayor Johnston will share lessons learned from implementing large-scale, compassionate, and data-driven solutions. The conversation will explore how city leadership can drive meaningful change in housing policy while balancing urgency, equity, and long-term sustainability.
Background Reading
Session IX: Welcome
Friday, November 21st from 9:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.
Harvard Business School, Spangler Auditorium
Faculty
Nitin Nohria, George Fisher Baker Jr. Professor of Business Administration
Harvard University Distinguished Service Professor
Session X: The Business of Affordable Housing
Friday, November 21st from 9:15 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
Harvard Business School, Spangler Auditorium
Speaker
Robin Zeigler, Founder, CEO, and CIO, MURAL Housing Partners
Moderator
Peter Levesque, 2026 Advanced Leadership Initiative Senior Fellow
Session Overview
What if affordable housing were seen not as charity, but as smart, inclusive community building? This session examines how public–private real estate models can unlock both financial and social returns—developing mixed-use communities that integrate housing with essential amenities like health care, childcare, and retail access to create places where families can truly thrive.
Background Reading
Session XI: Case Study – Destination: Home and Scaling for National Impact
Friday, November 21st from 10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Harvard Business School, Spangler Auditorium
Speakers
Brian Trelstad, Senior Lecturer, Harvard Business School; Faculty Chair, Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative
Ray Bramson, Chief Operating Officer, Destination: Home
Jennifer Loving, Chief Executive Officer, Destination: Home
Session Overview
This session will feature a new Harvard Business School (HBS) case, Destination: Home and Scaling for National Impact, to explore how a Silicon Valley nonprofit built a collaborative, data-driven model to address homelessness through prevention, housing, and systems change. Through the HBS case method, participants will analyze the leadership, strategy, and cross-sector partnerships that enabled Destination: Home to mobilize government, philanthropy, and the private sector around a collective impact framework. The discussion challenges students to consider how successful local models can be scaled nationally while maintaining impact and community trust.
Required Preparation
NEW! Destination: Home and Scaling for National Impact Case Study
Kania, J., & Kramer, M. (2011). Collective Impact. Stanford Social Innovation Review, 9(1), 36–41.
Assignment Questions
What opportunities and risks do you see for the Right at Home program that Destination: Home is seeking to expand nationally? What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of being a “backbone organization”?
What responsibility does a company have to address a social problem like homelessness in the locations where it operates?
How do you evaluate Cisco’s first $50M commitment to Destination: Home? Too much, too little? Too early, too late? If your company got a call from Chuck Robbins to make a contribution to Right at Home, how would you think about the gift?
Session XII: Recovery and Hope: Medical, Mental Health, and Substance-Use Disorder Care on the Street
Friday, November 21st from 1:15 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
Harvard Business School, Spangler Auditorium
Speakers
Jim O’Connell, President, Boston Health Care for the Homeless
Katherine Koh, Psychiatrist, Street Team, Boston Health Care for the Homeless
Mike Jellison, Recovery Coach, Boston Health Care for the Homeless
Session Overview
This panel brings together leaders from Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program to explore compassionate, integrated approaches to caring for people experiencing homelessness. Dr. James O’Connell and Dr. Katherine Koh will discuss the medical and psychiatric dimensions of providing care in street settings, drawing on decades of frontline experience. Peer recovery specialist Mike Jellison will share his perspective on building trust and supporting recovery through lived experience. Together, they will highlight how empathy, innovation, and community partnership can foster healing and hope among the most vulnerable.
Background Reading
Session XIII: When We Walk By
Friday, November 21st from 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Harvard Business School, Spangler Auditorium
Speakers
Kevin F. Adler, co-author When We Walk By: Forgotten Humanity, Broken Systems, and the Role We Each Play in Ending Homelessness in America
Dave Chesley, Peer Support Specialist, VA Boston Health Care System
Session Overview
This session will explore the central themes of Mr. Adler’s book, When We Walk By: Forgotten Humanity, Broken Systems, and the Role We Can Each Play in Ending Homelessness. Drawing on personal stories, social research, and his work with Miracle Messages, this session challenges us to see and respond to homelessness through the lens of empathy and human connection. This session will offer a hopeful, practical vision for how individuals, businesses, and communities can help repair systems and relationships that leave too many people unseen.
Background Viewing
Session XIV: Conclusion
Friday, November 21st from 3:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Harvard Business School, Spangler Auditorium
Speakers
Howard Koh, Harvey V. Fineberg Professor of the Practice of Public Health Leadership, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Peter Levesque, 2026 Advanced Leadership Initiative Senior Fellow
Further Reading for the Deep Dive
The Social Impact Review's Health and Homelessness tag explores the deep interconnection between housing insecurity, health, and human dignity, highlighting homelessness as both a moral and policy choice. Through expert interviews, case studies, and commentary, the series examines systemic causes—mental health, trauma, and economic inequity—and showcases collaborative, data-driven solutions such as “housing first” models, integrated care, and cross-sector partnerships. It calls for bridging political divides and rehumanizing those experiencing homelessness, framing effective prevention and permanent housing as both compassionate and cost-effective public health imperatives.
https://www.sir.advancedleadership.harvard.edu/articles/tag/Health+and+Homelessness+Series
Nearby Hotels
While there is no organized hotel block for this event, a list of nearby hotels is included below for your convenience.
The Charles Hotel, 1 Bennett St, Cambridge 617-864-1200.
The Sheraton Commander, 16 Garden St, Cambridge, MA 617-547-4800.
Hotel Veritas, 1 Remington St, Cambridge 617-520-5000.
Harvard Square Hotel, 110 Mt Auburn St, Cambridge (617) 864-5200.
DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Hotel Boston – Cambridge, 400 Soldiers Field Rd, Boston 617-783-0090.