2021 Conference Presentations

Overview

2021 CWDA Hybrid Conference

This year, CWDA welcomed over 1,400 attendees to our first ever hybrid conference in October. We had phenomenal keynote speakers who are noted below and a wide-array of fantastic breakout sessions.

Below are PDF versions of breakout presentations from those presenters who shared visual presentations with CWDA. 

Keynote speakers:

  • Dr. Manuel Pastor – USC Equity Research Institute Distinguished Professor of Sociology and American Studies & Ethnicity

  •  George Takei – Key Speakers Actor, Social Justice Activist, Social Media Mega-Power

  • Dr. Terri Givens – Professor of Political Science and the Founder of Brighter Higher Education

  • Kate Washington – Author of Already Toast: Caregiving and Burnout in America

Below are the breakout session presentations:

Presentation

Recovering From the Pandemic of Structural Racism

While the world reeled from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, a new awareness of the impact of structural racism emerged after the murder of George Floyd. However, we have been struggling with the effects of structural racism our whole lives. Despite our best efforts to address it, the pandemic of structural racism has decimated communities for generations.

Presentation

Sheltering from the ground up: Santa Cruz County’s experience mobilizing the direct provision of care and shelter for people experiencing homelessness in a pandemic

The presentation describes the approach Santa Cruz County’s Human Services Department (HSD) took to provide shelter and care for people experiencing homelessness PEH at the onset of COVID 19. Santa Cruz County HSD quickly built an infrastructure, from the “ground up”, to meet the need of sheltering vulnerable PEH due to COVID. This required the dedication and commitment of HSD staff, Disaster Service Workers, local governmental jurisdictions , close collaboration with the Health Services Agency and many community partners.

Presentation

Targeting Prevention Assistance to Reduce Homelessness

Unprecedented federal and state investments have the potential to stabilize the housing of millions of people under threat of eviction and homelessness. But are the funds being used effectively and equitably so they will actually reduce homelessness? This workshop will provide an overview of existing and emerging research that should shape how policymakers structure and target rental assistance funds. Promising program and policy strategies to prevent homelessness will be explored as will guiding principles to advance an equitable and just use of resources.

Presentation

The Family Urgent Response System: 24/7 Trauma-Informed Support

Enacted in 2019, the Family Urgent Response System (FURS) is designed to provide children and youth currently or formerly in foster care and their caregivers with the immediate trauma-informed support they need when issues arise through a statewide hotline and county mobile response systems.

Presentation

Using Performance-Based Contracting and Active Performance Management to Deploy Recovery Funding Effectively and Efficiently

How can local governments ensure that they are deploying funding to programs that will improve outcomes for clients? Social Finance, in partnership with the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) CalWORKS and Family Resilience Branch, will share resources and toolkits on outcomes-based contracting and performance management for social services programs and how they can be used to maximize the impact of new funding streams and existing resources.