Housing Team Attend MUTEH’s Rapid Re-Housing Institute Conference

IDS Rapid Re-Housing Program staff recently attended the MUTEH’s Rapid Re-Housing Institute Conference of 2025. The conference kicked off with a multitude of speakers considered experts in their fields followed by professional networking and small group sessions.

Amongst the speakers was Jason Spencer who explained an update of the housing choice voucher. Karla Weir discussed the five types of domestic abuse during the Human Trafficking and Domestic Violence lecture. The Redesigning Case Management lecture led by Allen Tisdale and Bethany Rodgers considered the variations of staff wish lists versus the reality of the field to connect conference participants with community resources.

The slogan of this year’s conference was Back to the Drawing Board. The concept behind this slogan is to encourage employees to regroup and share information to advocate for their clients. The meeting was used as a way for providers to sit down and discuss the challenges they face through reviewing economic issues, violence, case management, legal issues, and more. Through these discussions, providers were able to learn about new resources and create a broader network of support for their clients.

The IDS Housing team are grateful for the opportunity to participate in the conference and are thrilled to bring back new resources and skills to service the Pine Belt through the Project Recovery Rapid Re-Housing Program. Our staff are committed to furthering our professional development and sharing what we learn with our community both through our programs and participation in conferences and events.

The Rapid Re-Housing Program is a project of the Institute for Disability Studies housed on the campus of USM, administered by the Mississippi United to End Homelessness Continuum of Care, and funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) which secures safe, stable housing for families experiencing crises such as homelessness or living in a location unfit for human settlement.

For more information on Project Recovery, contact Executive Coordinator for Housing Tracy Coleman at 601-266-6063 or tracy.coleman@usm.edu.