In 2019, Tipping Point Community created a Community Advisory Board (CAB) comprising members with lived experiences of homelessness. The CAB provided input on strategies undertaken as part of the Chronic Homelessness Initiative (CHI), which aimed to halve chronic homelessness in San Francisco by 2022.

This brief evaluates the CHI CAB, exploring its role, influence, and contributions and providing considerations for organizations that currently have or are interested in starting a CAB.

Why This Matters

One of CHI’s primary goals was to incorporate the voices of people with lived experiences of homelessness and to give them an opportunity to directly shape the initiative’s work. This brief provides an in-depth evaluation of CAB members’ experiences and CHI staff and leadership perspectives to understand their progress toward this goal.

Incorporating community member input and feedback is an important mechanism for developing relevant programs and policies that meet the needs and preferences of affected communities. Community Advisory Boards offer one way to increase community engagement in research, policy, and practice.

What We Found

• CHI CAB members and Tipping Point staff shared that the CAB provided valuable feedback and insights across strategies. They reported that the CAB played an important role in CHI’s overall work to reduce homelessness.
• CHI CAB members benefited personally and professionally from their involvement with the initiative.
• CHI CAB members brought their personal experiences and insights to CHI and changed the tone and tenor of the conversation.
• Compared with other CABs across the country, the CHI CAB had similar goals and structures; the primary differences related to CAB size and level of influence.

How We Did It

To understand the role the CAB played in CHI, we spoke with CAB members, Tipping Point staff, CHI leadership, and board members. Our interviews focused on the CAB’s activities, their influence across CHI programs and the overall initiative, and peoples’ experiences of serving on or working with the CAB. In collaboration with CHI CAB members, we also interviewed members of similar CABs across the country to learn more about the similarities and differences in their scope and influence.