Laura Littlepage
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Since 2007, Researcher Laura Littlepage has partnered with the Coalition for Homelessness Intervention & Prevention (CHIP) to coordinate and conduct the annual Point-in-Time (PIT) Count of those experiencing homelessness in Marion County, Indiana. CHIP mobilizes, advocates, and empowers community collaboration towards ending homelessness. Students in Littlepage’s course, “Do the Homeless Count,” collaborate with community organizations to collect data for the PIT Count.
The PIT Count data are used to inform policymaker, service providers, and local agencies on the issue of homelessness. The cross-sector collaboration and student engagement in the PIT Count has multiple benefits to the community. Benefits include A) trend data and analysis on the issue of homelessness, B) raised awareness of the issue of homelessness, C) increased visibility of serve agencies, and D) student volunteers.
Laura Littlepage’s work to provide trend data and analysis on the PIT count in Indianapolis to policymakers and local agencies is another example of how IUPUI faculty are TRANSLATING RESEARCH INTO PRACTICE.
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Recent Submissions
Item Volunteer Retention as Management Challenge. The Case of the Boy Scouts Crossroads of America Council(Indiana University Public Policy Institute, 2018-04) Walk, Marlene; Littlepage, Laura; Zhang, Ruodan; Scott, Charity; Harden, Seth; Bowers, Megan; Marope, NkuliItem It’s not all the same: Implemented and perceived HR practices in the volunteer context(Sage, 2021-01-25) Walk, Marlene; Scott, Charity; Littlepage, LauraBeing strategic and intentional in the management of volunteers is increasingly important to tackle volunteer retention and improve other volunteer outcomes. Drawing on strategic human resource management (SHRM), this inductive study utilizes qualitative data from interviews to explore how volunteers in a large youth organization perceive HR practices of training and recognition. Volunteer accounts are supplemented with focus group data from front-line staff to capture how HR practices are implemented. Findings indicate a disconnect between implemented and perceived HR practices in some, but not all, areas. Inconsistent and unintentional communication was the main driver for negative volunteer perceptions.Item “Don't you want to stay?” The impact of training and recognition as human resource practices on volunteer turnover(Wiley, 2019) Walk, Marlene; Zhang, Ruodan; Littlepage, Laura C.; School of Public and Environmental AffairsManaging volunteers is a difficult undertaking. This study draws on human resource (HR) management theory and literature to investigate the effect of two HR practices—training and recognition—on volunteer turnover. We use longitudinal administrative data collected by an Indiana nonprofit organization, which contains individual volunteer characteristics, organizational HR practices, and information on actual turnover behavior. We found that recognizing volunteer contributions with awards predicted volunteer retention in the following year. Training did not have a direct effect on volunteer turnover, but interacted with gender; men who received training were more likely to stay than women. The study contributes to the literature on HR management in the volunteer context, adds to the emerging literature on awards as incentives for volunteers, and addresses the common method bias by using longitudinal data.Item What WorX: Measuring the impact of faith-based service and social justice programs on Catholic youth(2018-10-11) Osili, Una; King, David; Zarins, Sasha; Bergdoll, Jonathan; St. Claire, Mallory; Clark, Chelsea; Austin, Thad; Richardson, Ayana; Littlepage, Laura; Ackerman, Jacqueline; Kou, Xionan; Davenport, Alexis; Tian, YuanThe Center for FaithJustice (CFJ) offers innovative programs that engage youth in faith, service, and social justice. With the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at IUPUI, they developed a survey to evaluate their programs and measure their longitudinal impact on alumni in those three focus areas. This report will offer related insights on youth engagement and suggest how CFJ’s programs relate to larger trends of youth disaffiliation within the Catholic Church. This study examines survey results from alumni and parents of alumni of CFJ’s youth programs, which are collectively called the “WorX” programs. These include curricula for middle school students (ServiceworX), high school students (JusticeworX, New Jersey Service Project/NJSP, MercyworX, and CommunityworX), young adults (LeaderworX), and adults (FaithJustice Fellows and adult volunteers). The results of this study focused on CFJ’s three core areas of interest: faith, service, and social justice.Item IU Public Policy Institute and Center for Homeless Intervention and Prevention, 2011 Homeless Count(Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2011-04-08) Littlepage, Laura; Rextroat, MarkieSince 2007, the Indiana University Public Policy Institute (PPI) under contract from the Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention (CHIP) has conducted a count of the persons experiencing homelessness in Marion County. On January 27, 2011, a team coordinated by CHIP administered the annual point-in-time count of homeless individuals. Our research discusses the details and background of the count as well as findings and thoughts for policymakers concerned with improving services for the Indianapolis community homeless population. The street count was carried out by teams assigned to designated areas of the county. The teams consist of outreach workers and at least one Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) student. The shelter count was administered by employees of the facility or by a survey assistant, usually an IUPUI student. The IUPUI students volunteered as part of the course Do the Homeless Count in which part of their coursework is to observe and participate in the annual homeless count. The students from the class were trained by outreach workers and practiced interviews in preparation for the count. Four teams consisting of two officers from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, one IUPUI student, and one employee from CHIP, searched abandoned buildings and aided in areas outside the immediate downtown area.Item Do the Homeless Count?(Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2013-04-05) Littlepage, LauraEach year since 2007, the Indiana University Policy Public Institute (PPI) has worked with the Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention (CHIP) to conduct the Point-in-Time Homeless Count in Marion County. This presentation will present results from the 2012 count conducted and considerations for policymakers. It will also have an interactive component to challenge stereotypes of homelessness.Item Fostering Public Service by Linking Benefits to Community, Campus, and Students: A Case Study(Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2014-04-11) Littlepage, LauraExperiential education can take many forms and is now common throughout undergraduate and graduate curricula; in part, because of the presumed public benefits of connecting an educational curriculum to community problem solving (Kuh, 2008). Given the joint involvement of university and community institutions in experiential education and the diverse motivations for encouraging student community involvement, this academic practice can be viewed through three lenses: (1) for the student as a form of student learning, (2) for the campus as a public policy instrument to promote civic engagement, and (3) for the community as a service delivery tool for community organizations (Littlepage, Gazley, & Bennett, 2012). Most of the research about student service learning has focused on the first two aspects (Bailis & Ganger, 2006; Imperial, Perry, & Katula, 2007; Jones, 2003). This poster will examine all three sides of the relationship through the lens of a service learning class called Do the Homeless Count. Since 2007, the Indiana University Public Policy Institute, part of the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, has partnered with the Coalition on Homeless Intervention and Prevention (CHIP) to conduct the point-in-time count of the homeless population (referred to hereinafter as “the count”) in Indianapolis, Indiana. The length and nature of this relationship has fostered benefits for the community through providing trend data and analysis to policymakers, raising awareness of the issue of homelessness and homeless serving agencies among the students, and providing volunteers for agencies.