Cross-Sector Homeless Service Collaboration: Perspectives from Social Service Providers

Coordinated and comprehensive services are needed for individuals experiencing homelessness or those at risk for homelessness. Various organizations working in collaboration and partnerships to address social issues face several barriers. This study aims to examine the efforts of a cross-sector collaboration of social service providers supporting individuals experiencing homelessness in the United States through the Collective Impact framework. Organizations specializing in behavioral health, medical, housing, and HIV/AIDS services encompass these providers. To measure how well the conditions of collective impact were being met, an online survey was delivered to the service providers from the organizations. Follow-up focus groups aimed to explain and enhance the survey results. ANCOVA evaluated the differences in meeting collective impact conditions across organizations. While no significant differences were found, the highest mean scores were for common agenda and continuous communication, indicating strong alignment and open dialogue across agencies. The lowest scores were for mutually reinforcing activities and backbone infrastructure. Thematic analysis of the focus groups supported these findings and revealed four key challenges: concerns with safety and security, role confusion, inconsistent communication, and organizational culture differences. These results suggest a need for clearer protocols, shared leadership structures, and strategies to align organizational roles and expectations. Findings highlight the importance of continuous relationship-building and structural coordination to strengthen collective impact in cross-sector collaborations.