2016 Curriculum

THE CURRICULUM

Homelessness is a complex social problem and requires that leaders learn and use new skills, approaches and mindsets to tackle it. To date, most government and community responses to homelessness have approached the issue as if it were a technical problem, where meticulous planning (often in 10 year cycles), and execution will achieve the desired result. But due to its complex nature, homelessness is alway changing, new information is always available and stakeholders (government, NGOs and people experiencing homelessness) are always adapting their approach, often without consulting with one another. The IGH Leadership Program curriculum has been specifically designed for such complex challenges and provides leaders with the tools they need to tackle homelessness.

Agile Problem Solving

Agile Problem Solving (APS) is an adaptive approach to tackling complex challenges, developed by CS. A Complex Challenge is a social situation in which: 1) the situation is emergent; 2) there is a constant flow of information to negotiate; and 3) actors are constantly adapting their behavior. Agile Problem Solving teaches leaders how to address complex challenges such as homelessness by developing a core set of mindsets and skills to embed in their daily work.

Through training in Community Solutions' (CS) adaptation of the Agile Problem Solving (APS) approach, participants will further develop their leadership skills by applying tools including Adaptive Leadership, Improvement Science, Behavioral Economics, and Design Thinking to a problem of their choosing, related to their work.

Participants in the IGH Leadership Program will identify a complex challenge related to their work in homelessness, create a plan for tackling that challenge using the tools provided through APS, and workshop that challenge and their plan among their peers, creating connections and sense of shared accountability.

Participants will receive coaching between each convening to support and deepen the skills learned during the convenings, and identify further opportunities for growth. ExperiencePoint and IDEO will provide a day of intensive experiential training on Human-Centered Design. Participants will have the opportunity to plan a design cycle related to a problem in their community, with support from ExperiencePoint through follow-up coaching.

Homeless Action Labs

The Homeless Action Lab model, initially developed in partnership with the Rapid Results Institute, was one of the primary interventions used during CS' 100,000 Homes Campaign, in which communities were coached to set aggressive short term goals related to ending homelessness, and then execute on those goals in a short “sprint” period (usually 100 days).

As the program progresses, and as the leaders hone their skills related to the various tools and mindsets of APS, they will plan and deliver a Homeless Action Lab. Through this process, participants in the Leadership program will have the opportunity to step into their role as emerging global leaders in homelessness, applying their new skills to a concrete change effort.

As part of the Leadership Initiative, CS and IGH will pilot a virtual community of practice where initiative participants can share challenges, mistakes, suggestions and ideas. As future participants join the program, IGH’s Community of Practice will have hundreds of members sharing challenges and potential solutions.