Preparing Allied Health Students to Address Social Work’s Grand Challenge to End Homelessness

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ABSTRACT

Meeting Social Work’s Grand Challenge to end homelessness requires skills in collaborating across professions and the ability to actively engage marginalized people who may have physical, mental, and social challenges. We present our experience building an interprofessional community service and training Center in a neighborhood with high numbers of people experiencing homelessness. The Center provides services to people unhoused while simultaneously providing practicum education to Health Science and Human Services students. The knowledge gained from our Center’s experience can assist Social Work educators with identifying strategies for increasing collaboration among university departments and community-based organizations while simultaneously targeting the professional training of students to combat homelessness. Allied health professionals’ collaboration is essential to systematically ending homelessness.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Renie Rondon-Jackson

Renie Rondon-Jackson is an Assistant Professor at California State University, Monterey Bay.

Kai Medina-Martinez

Kai Medina-Martinez is an Assitant Professor at California State University, Monterey Bay.

Jacqueline D. Smith

Jacqueline D. Smith is Senior Manager at California State University, Monterey Bay, Community Health Engagement.

Julie Cooper Altman

Julie Cooper Altman is a Professor at California State University, Monterey Bay.

Maria Gurrola

Maria Gurrola is a Professor at California State University, Monterey Bay.