First-Shift Practice Lab

Help new interim-housing staff practice the moments that matter, before they meet them alone.

Rich Los Angeles context. Skills that work wherever you practice.

A facilitator-led onboarding kit for supervisors, shift leads, program managers and agency trainers. Six 55-minute sessions cover the first two weeks:

• Explaining the purpose of interim housing
• Welcoming an arrival
• Calm, safe shifts
• Notes that move housing forward
• Concerns, grievances and fair routing
• Handoffs and taking care of yourself

A 30-day plan of observation, feedback and quick recall follows the sessions. It's built for adult interim housing, with notes for adapting it to youth and family sites. All practice scenarios are fictional.

Included in the buyer download

• 83-page facilitator guide (PDF and Word): session plans, scripts, timing, practice activities, debriefs, answer keys, numbered notes and a dated bibliography.
• 62-slide deck (PowerPoint and PDF) with speaker notes.
• Participant workbook (PDF and Word): worksheets, quick checks and private reflections.
• 8 fictional scenario cards for role play and tabletop practice.
• Single-point observation form and a week-by-week 30-day reinforcement plan (PDF and Word).
• Excel onboarding tracker for sessions, observations and check-ins. It holds no resident information.
• Start Here and the license for your tier.

License options

• Individual Self-Study: One person, for their own learning. Doesn't cover running group sessions. $89
• Site Training: Up to 15 named users. Facilitators and attendees all count. $299
• Agency Training: Up to 50 named users. Facilitators and attendees all count. $599

Before you buy

• What it is: an independent practice and onboarding resource. It is not a certification and does not replace your funder's required trainings, HMIS user training, mandated-reporter training, or HR, clinical or legal guidance. Completion records confirm participation only.
• Preparation: the scripts, slides and cards are ready to use, but the kit expects real preparation. Before the first session, plan two to four hours with your program lead to answer each session's "Check your local policy" questions from your site's current contract and procedures. After that, about 30 minutes per session.
• Self-study: one person can work through the guide, model responses and quick checks alone. The observed practice needs a second person to read the scenario lines and give feedback.
• Evidence, dated: California law is cited from the current text as of October 27, 2026, with who it binds. Los Angeles context is dated: since July 1, 2026, LA County HSH has administered County homelessness funding, and in October 2026 control of LA's HMIS and Coordinated Entry System was unsettled. LAHSA documents appear only as dated examples, never as current rules. Research claims are labeled with their limits. No agency endorsement is implied.
• Safety: every session teaches the same rule: for an emergency requiring police, fire or medical response, call 911 without delay.
• Files: Word and PowerPoint files are editable; check the layout in your own software. PDFs are not certified PDF/UA accessible.

Published by Homeless Services Learning Lab Foundation (California). Downloadable digital resource; no coaching service or membership included.