Systems in Sync: A Learning Community Helps State Leaders Align Systems to Address Family Homelessness

Nearly 450,000 infants and toddlers at this moment are experiencing homelessness in the US. Without a safe and stable home during the critical period of development from birth to age three, these children face severe risks to their health, development, and future, including developmental delays, chronic health issues, and emotional trauma.

In March 2026, the BUILD Initiative’s PN-3 Capacity-Building Hub launched Systems in Sync, a six-month cross-state collaborative designed to strengthen systems alignment across maternal health, mental health, housing stability, child welfare, and data systems, with family homelessness as the focus. Through this Whole Child, Whole Family, Whole Systems lens, participating states – Delaware, Hawaii, Louisiana, Michigan, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Wisconsin – are exploring how systems can work together more intentionally to advance coordinated, prevention-oriented strategies that strengthen family stability and improve outcomes, particularly for families furthest from opportunity.