Schools and Communities: Housing Policy and K-12 Education

Housing and schools are often planned in parallel but rarely in concert. Yet the stability of one deeply affects the success of the other. Stable housing ensures children remain connected to their schools, supports teacher recruitment and retention, and sustains healthy neighborhoods. This presentation explores the intersection of housing and education, highlighting innovative policy-group approaches planners can use to prevent student displacement and strengthen community support.

Panelists discuss the groundbreaking work done in Hennepin County, Minnesota, with Stable Homes, Stable Schools. Topics include workforce development, housing policy interventions that support labor markets, the implications of student stability for planning, and how adequate public-facilities ordinances can better integrate educational needs into neighborhood development.

Leave with practical tools to forecast and plan for housing growth alongside school capacity, identify key risk factors that lead to student homelessness, and adapt workforce housing models that directly benefit educators. Panelists emphasize equity by showing how proactive, inclusive planning can mitigate displacement, reduce long-term service costs, and build resilient, opportunity-rich communities where children, teachers, and families thrive together.