People Of Housing Security:
Laura Littlepage

Laura Littlepage has dedicated her career to utilizing research to improve the quality of life for people facing adversity. For the past two decades, Laura has been doing qualitative research centered on homelessness. 

Since 2018, Laura has been a Clinical Professor at Indiana University in the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. In this role, Laura teaches three undergraduate courses including: Homelessness in America, Nonprofit Management, and Grant Writing. She also teaches a grad level capstone class. Additionally, Laura is the campus coordinator for the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance. The Alliance partners 8th graders with college students to explore the nonprofit field. 

Prior to becoming a faculty member of Indiana University, Laura was a clinical lecturer at the Public Policy Institute at Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis. During this time, Laura was deeply rooted in Indianapolis’ volunteer network. Laura has helped organize volunteers for Family Promise, a partnership of congregations and community organizations working to respond to the crisis of family homelessness in Indianapolis. Within the Family Promises network, congregations provide emergency shelter for families at their churches. 

During one of Laura’s volunteer experiences, she had an opportunity to do the point-in-time (PIT) count with some of her students. The PIT count is an unduplicated count on a single night of the people in a community who are experiencing homelessness. After completing the PIT count, one of her students told her that they thought its methodology needed help.

After this conversation, Laura and another faculty member contacted theCoalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention (CHIP) to offer a class where students and other volunteers could assist with improving the PIT count’s methodology. Laura explained that once they began to offer the class, students were curious to learn more about homelessness and what was being done to address it. This class eventually evolved into the Homelessness in America course, which Laura still teaches to this day. 

” “I tell my students, if you have skills, use those skills to help people.”

Following this class, Laura began to do contract work with nonprofits and local government entities. Laura has conducted research studies on housing needs in Marion, Monroe, Greene, and Lawrence counties. (The Lawrence County research was commissioned by Heading Home in 2023.) 

Laura has found it intriguing to see the differences between urban and rural homelessness. For example, rural homelessness can often be more hidden compared to urban homelessness. Due to its hidden nature, rural counties may be mistaken to believe that homelessness isn’t a problem for their communities. 

In all of the studies Laura has conducted, she firmly believes that “it’s hard to address a problem when you don’t have good data.” Laura’s studies have helped communities make data-informed decisions to build their communities’ capacities to strengthen housing security in Central and South Central Indiana. 

As Laura continues to teach and mentor students who are interested in the nonprofit field, she encourages them to pursue the O’Neill slogan: Lead for the Greater Good. Laura added: “I tell my students, if you have skills, use those skills to help people.”

To those who may be doubting their ability to make a difference, Laura encourages students and the broader community to start small. She added: “Everyone has something to give or do.”

Laura and her husband Art’s biggest joy in this season of life is being grandparents to their three grandkids. They also enjoy going to IU basketball games and IU Auditorium plays. In her free time, you can find Laura reading a mystery novel or volunteering at a nonprofit.