Policy Research Shop Testimony: May 24, 2010

One Voice: Policy Research Shop Students Host New Hampshire/Vermont Conference on Homelessness at the Rockefeller Center

Four Dartmouth students working in the Policy Research Shop convened a day-long conference, “One Voice: A Conference and Discussion on Homeless Shelters in New Hampshire and Vermont,” for more than two dozen homeless shelter executive directors and state officials from New Hampshire and Vermont on Monday, May 24, 2010. The PRS students—Margaret Goldstein ’10, Nickolas Barber ’10, Kelsey Clark ’11 and Nina Brekelmans ’12—shared their analysis of the ways in which homeless shelters care for their guests in New Hampshire and Vermont based on the research they had conducted during the previous six months and helped craft guidelines for coordination and best practices among homeless shelters. 

The conference was entirely student-run. The Policy Research Shop took on the project at the request of Sara Kobylenski, executive director at the Upper Valley Haven, a homeless shelter in White River Junction, Vermont. The task was to develop a comprehensive analysis of standards and best practices for the two states in order to improve the system as a whole. The students collected data through interviews with shelter directors and state representatives, homeless shelter records, and on-site visits. At the conclusion of the conference, Kobylenski expressed her gratitude to the PRS team members, “The conference exceeded my highest expectations. Thank you for your great efforts.”