man in suit beside projector screen

Commissioned Research

We seek new ideas from other communities across the country and engage providers in meaningful conversation about what's working- and what isn't.

As our initiative grows, so does the need for continued learning and engagement. We want to deepen our understanding of community experience and what residents want to see changed in the safety net. We seek new ideas from other communities across the country and engage providers in meaningful conversation about what's working- and what isn't. Our journey is a commitment to continual learning.

HealthSpark has a longstanding history of partnering with the community on Commissioned Research projects to support the health of the safety net. These projects allow us to engage external researchers and topic experts, as well as local practitioners and persons with lived expertise, to dig deep into policy issues. Past research has included work on racial equity, food pantry best practices, health insurance expansion in PA, seniors, and homelessness prevention

2021 Research Project

HealthSpark Foundation is supporting Your Way Home Montgomery County in developing a new service intake and triage process for homeless services that will center an anti-racist and trauma-informed approach. This project will transform Your Way Home's assessment and prioritization processes, resulting in a more equitable and inclusive system for delivering limited housing stability services and subsidies countywide. In addition to HMIS data analysis and a national best practices research scan, the project will incorporate the voices of people with the lived experiences of homelessness and systemic discrimination in addition to those of systems leaders and researchers. 

For more information, please visit YourWayHome.org.

Have an idea for a research project that will enhance the resiliency of the safety net system? We're always exploring new ideas and are interested in pursuing projects that are meaningful to the community. Email Emma or Russ to share your idea for commissioned research.