UC Berkeley School of Social Welfare

New research co-authored by Associate Professor Jamie Chang examines the sharp rise in homeless encampment sweeps in Oakland following the 2024 Supreme Court decision in Grants Pass v. Johnson.

The study found that encampment closures more than doubled after the ruling, raising important questions about displacement, public policy, and long-term solutions to homelessness.

Read more via Berkeley News:

Homeless encampment sweeps spiked in Oakland after Supreme Court decision - Berkeley News In the first analysis of its kind since the 2024 Grants Pass case, UC Berkeley researchers found the number of encampment sweeps significantly increased and spread.

Get to know our latest alumni feature: Jude M. Antonyappan, Ph.D., J.D., Professor Emerita at California State University, Sacramento.

Her work spans social welfare, law, and justice systems, with a focus on how policy, practice, and education can better serve individuals and communities.

From her doctoral experience at Berkeley to a decades-long career in higher education, she reflects on the role of empiricism, human-centered learning, and continuous reflection in shaping effective social policy.

Read the full feature:

Alumni Profile: Jude M. Antonyappan, Ph.D., J.D. For Jude M. Antonyappan, Ph.D., J.D., pursuing a doctoral degree in social welfare at UC Berkeley was “not simply an educational journey; it was both a beginning and a culmination of an expansive pathway of learning to integrate the different dimensions of social welfare.” A Professor Emerita at...

Associate Professor Jamie Chang was recently featured in The Mercury News discussing the rise of vehicular homelessness in the Bay Area and the importance of safe parking programs as a support strategy for unhoused residents.

“If you’re experiencing homelessness, having a safe and legal place to be is one of the greatest challenges where your whole existence in and of itself is a crime,” Chang said. “In light of all of that, the safe parking programs are really an essential lifeline.”

West Valley cities consider overnight parking areas for homeless residents Safe parking programs provide designated areas for unhoused people to sleep in their cars. West Valley cities, where unhoused residents are more likely to live in their cars, held a meeting last month to explore safe parking as part of a…

Research from our Transition-Age Youth Research and Evaluation Hub (TAY-Hub) was recognized during a recent congressional hearing on legislation supporting transition-age foster youth.

Representative Danny K. Davis highlighted the importance of research in shaping policy during discussion of H.R. 7655, the Support for Expectant and Parenting Foster Youth Act.

Read more and watch the hearing clip:

Congressional Hearing Highlights UC Berkeley's Transition-Age Youth Research and Evaluation Hub During an April 29 hearing of the U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means, Representative Danny K. Davis (Illinois) recognized research from the UC Berkeley School of Social Welfare’s Transition-Age Youth Research and Evaluation Hub (TAY-Hub) during discussion of bipartisan legislation supporting t...

👏 Congratulations to former dean Jeffrey Edleson and Dr. Emma Katz on their forthcoming publication in the Journal of Gender-Based Violence.

Jeffrey Edleson Co-Authors Article on Domestic Violence and International Child Protection Jeffrey L. Edleson, former dean of the UC Berkeley School of Social Welfare, and colleague Dr. Emma Katz of the United Kingdom have had a new article accepted for publication in the Journal of Gender-Based Violence. The forthcoming article, “Protecting children from coercive control: A case for de...

A new interim evaluation of California’s CalAIM initiative examines how Medi-Cal is expanding beyond traditional health care to include housing support, nutrition services, and coordinated care.

The report highlights early findings from statewide implementation of programs including Community Supports and PATH, showing substantial growth in service use between 2022 and 2024 alongside ongoing challenges such as housing shortages that affect care delivery.

Professor Emmeline Chuang served as co-principal investigator for the evaluation and lead authored the Community Supports interim report.

Read more:

Emmeline Chuang helps lead statewide evaluation of California’s CalAIM reforms An interim evaluation of California’s CalAIM (California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal) initiative examines the state’s effort to integrate health care with social supports such as housing, nutrition, and care coordination. The evaluation focuses on implementation of key CalAIM programs incl...

Professor Jill Duerr Berrick recently joined WonkCast host Zach Laris for a conversation on child welfare policy, research evidence, and the challenges of reducing complex issues into simplified policy narratives.

The discussion explores the gap that can emerge between public policy narratives and the evidence used to support them, and why careful interpretation of research matters for children and families.

Find the episode here:

WonkCast #24: When Policy Outruns Evidence Listen now | Dr. Jill Duerr Berrick on poverty and neglect, child welfare abolition, and where policy narratives and the evidence for them drift

The UC Berkeley School of Social Welfare is proud to recognize additional academic and achievement award recipients from the Class of 2026.

These students and scholars have demonstrated excellence in research, teaching, leadership, and social justice through their work in the classroom, community, and field. Congratulations to this year’s honorees:

• Caroline Fenton, Social Welfare Dean’s Award for Social Justice�• Arlinda Ruiz, Social Welfare Dean’s Award for Social Justice�• Noa Elliott, Social Welfare Graduate Award for Outstanding Capstone Project�• Hyeonsook Kim, Social Welfare Graduate Award for Outstanding Capstone Project�• Ila Lane, Social Welfare Graduate Award for Outstanding Capstone Project�• Ryan Karnoski, James and Khadija Midgley Dissertation Award�• Taylor Brown, Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor (GSI) Award

Read about all of our recipients: https://socialwelfare.berkeley.edu/news/2026-commencement-speakers-and-award-recipients