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Homelessness services require appropriate funding, 
access to necessary resources, and experienced staff 
to effectively connect individuals with housing and 
services through a Housing First lens. This policy brief 
examines part of the solution to the third requirement: 
trained and experienced staff. 
 
public problem
Finding experienced social workers to act as case-
workers for a population with increasingly complex 
needs is a challenge. Staff turnover remains high due 
to low wages and significant burnout. The National 
Alliance to End Homelessness estimates pay for 
permanent supportive housing staff is approximately 
$42,912 annually; for emergency shelter staff, it is 
$27,830 (Dubois & Oliva, 2023). With an average 
cost of living marked around $49,255 to afford a one-
bedroom apartment (National Low Income Housing 
Coalition, 2023), these wages are not competitive, nor 
do they attract new staff to fill the gaps of an aging 
workforce. In addition to salary, high burnout rates 
result from working with individuals in desperate 
situations and having limited resources to solve 
increasingly complex problems (Fleetwood, 2010; 
Waegemakers Schiff & Lane, 2019). This brief will 
look at means to expand workforce licensure through 
appropriately applying requirements to ensure the 
workforce is accessible to and reflective of service 

users. Currently, social work licensure requires, in most 
cases, a bachelor’s or master’s degree and passage 
of a costly licensure exam that has produced racially 
biased outcomes (Apgar & Nienow, 2023; Mina, 2022; 
Nienow et al., 2023). With increased access to licensure, 
homelessness services could have a clear path for 
professional development, increased access to funding 
streams for salary increases and additional benefits, and 
a more diverse cohort of caseworkers that reflects the 
population of individuals experiencing homelessness. 
 

trends
In recent years, there has been a shortage of social 
workers in homelessness services. It has notably 
impacted program capacity in several large Continuums 
of Care (CoC) 1, including recently in Washington, 
D.C. The Washington Post reported in February 2023 
that hiring one licensed supervisor in a homelessness 
outreach organization would increase the program's 
caseload by 125 clients. This number means that 125 
people experiencing homelessness would have quicker 
access to resources, housing, and case management 
to connect them with appropriate services (Swenson 
& Lang, 2023). The profession needs to dramatically 
improve access to licensure to ensure that these gaps are 
filled promptly, programs can utilize all the available 
resources, and people experiencing homelessness can 
efficiently connect to housing.

Social work licensure as a form of professional 

Expanding Social Work Licensure 
to Strengthen the Homelessness 
Service Workforce

Author
CAITLIN MELLO 

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1 A CoC is the governing structure designed to coordinate homelessness response by directing community-wide planning and effective 
utilization of resources.



development and increased access to funding is 
not accessible to all and often does not reflect 
the populations experiencing and most at risk of 
homelessness. Homelessness is disproportionately 
experienced by Black, Indigenous, and Native Hawaiian 
or other Pacific Islander communities within the United 
States, according to the 2022 United States Point in 
Time data (de Sousa et al., 2022; National Alliance 
to End Homelessness, 2023). Culturally competent 
and specific care would call for providers that reflect 
those statistics. While graduating social workers are 
becoming more reflective of the populations served, 
White women remain approximately 80 percent of the 
workforce (Salsberg et al., 2020). Exam requirements 
for licensure disproportionately favor White test takers, 
with the most recent data showing roughly a 90 percent 
pass rate, as opposed to a 40 percent pass rate for Black 
test takers (Association of Social Work Boards, 2022). 
Further disparity could be found for individuals who 
spoke English as a second language. Included below is 
a table outlining the demographics of exam passage in 
2022. Beyond testing, Black social workers carry more 
significant debt burdens upon leaving MSW programs, 
according to recent data (Salsberg et al., 2020; 

Saunders et al., 2016). To have a workforce reflective 
of community needs, testing and expensive higher 
education should not remain the only way to access 
professional social work as a career.

policy considerations

Elimination of Exam Requirements

Following the release of data on the pass rates of 
the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) 

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Note: Percentages are pulled from the ASWB Exam Pass Rate Analysis and includes data from 2018-2021.

Table 1:

Homelessness is dispropor-
tionately experienced by Black, 

Indigenous, and Native Hawaiian or 
other Pacific Islander communities with-

in the United States, according to the 2022 
United States Point in Time data (de Sousa 

et al., 2022; National Alliance to End Home-
lessness, 2023). Culturally competent and 
specific care would call for providers that re-
flect those statistics.



exam concerning racial disparities, many state 
legislatures reconsidered the use of a licensure exam 
to reflect competency. Illinois SB1632 removed exam 
requirements and resulted in approximately 2,500 
additional social workers receiving licensure within six 
months compared to the prior year (National Association 
of Social Workers, 2022). Washington, D.C., has 
proposed the Social Work License Modernization 
Amendment Act of 2023, which would eliminate the use 
of the ASWB exam and convene a task force to create 
new recommendations for competency evaluations 
(2023). Utah H.B. 250 removed the examination 
requirement for licensure (2023). Maryland Senate 
Bill 145 passed in May of 2023 to provide temporary 
examination waivers for social work licensure until 
a new process for determining competency can be 
established.

States should continue removing examination 
requirements for determining social work competency. 
This step requires reviewing current licensure 
regulations and adopting appropriate edits to remove 
examination requirements. This language may vary from 
state to state.

Adoption of Licensed Social Work Associate 
Requirements

Massachusetts is the only state that allows access 
to licensure with four years of human services 
experience, documented supervision by a licensed social 
worker, and a high school diploma. Other states can 
replicate this model to expand access to social work 
professionalization beyond those who can access four-, 
five-, or six-year degree programs or have accessibility 
challenges within the current education model. The 
model language to create this pathway can be found in 
Massachusetts 258 CMR 9.06: Licensure Requirements 
for a Licensed Social Work Associate (2017). This 
policy requires 1,000 hours of education in social work 
theory and methods in courses or programs provided 
by field supervision, approved by the Massachusetts 
Licensure Board. Current programs in this context 
can mean working under the supervision of a licensed 
social worker providing community-based services 
for four years. This pathway expands opportunities 

for individuals living in poverty, parents or caretakers, 
and people with disabilities that prohibit them from 
accessing higher education. If implemented, this could 
create a workforce more reflective of the populations 
served as access expands. 
 

implications 
In implementing these two policy recommendations, 
state licensure boards can combat years of systemic 
racism and inaccessibility within the social work 
profession. To ensure the workforce reflects those 
experiencing homelessness, BIPOC social workers and 
social workers who speak English as a second language 
must have increased access to licensure. Licensure 
opens doors to supervisory roles that continue to be 
held predominantly by White social workers with 
advanced degrees. It can also create a larger pool for 
hiring during a significant social worker shortage across 
the country. By removing the exam requirement that 
disproportionately fails BIPOC social workers and 
opening licensure to people without completed degree 
requirements, the social work profession can take a step 
closer to equity.

Homelessness services can increasingly bill Medicaid 
for casework and other benefits when the provider has 
a license in social work. If more individuals can access 
licensure through lived experience, work experience, 
and mentorship, services can access increased funding 
through Medicaid reimbursement. This increased 
funding can be directed towards caseworker salaries 
and providing additional resources to individuals 
experiencing homelessness. The need for increased 
wages within the homeless services workforce is clear, 
and accessible funding streams can start to close that 
gap. 

Social work licensure as a means to professionalize 
has resulted in a predominantly White workforce 
with advanced degrees (Salsberg et al., 2020). It has 
diminished access to a helping professional career path 
for BIPOC and low-income communities. For this 
reason, social workers should dedicate resources to 
question the current education and regulatory systems 
and consider significant shifts in the field with justice 

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in mind. In the immediate future, the solutions outlined 
here can increase access to professional development, 

funding, and decision-making power for BIPOC 
providers and those with lived expertise to practice 
community care in homelessness services. 
 

recommendations 
Local leaders can begin addressing the historical 
inequality of the social work licensure process by first 
eliminating an exam requirement. The test outcomes 
disproportionately harm Black, Latino/Hispanic, 
and Indigenous social workers and the communities 
that greatly benefit from providers that share identity 
and culture. Elected officials can eliminate the exam 
requirement through the legislative process following 
models developed in Illinois SB1632. Local advocates 
can contact their legislators for the adoption of similar 
measures in their states. Social workers should connect 
directly with state licensure boards to request alternative 
licensing models that do not include exams.

State leaders should consider expanding access to 
licensure beyond those with a degree in social work. 
State licensure boards and elected officials can expand 
their licensure to include a high school diploma and 
relevant experience by recommending the adoption 
of language similar to Massachusetts 258 CMR 9.06: 
Licensure Requirements for a Licensed Social Work 
Associate (2017). It creates a new pathway to social 

work that can ensure a diverse workforce reflective of 
the people served. Advocates and social workers can 
request these measures from state elected officials. In 
particular, homelessness service providers have a role 
in advocacy at the state level, as the potential for an 
increased licensed workforce pool will create more 
effective and responsive services.

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If more individuals can  
access licensure through lived 

experience, work experience, and 
mentorship, services can access in-

creased funding through Medicaid reim-
bursement. This increased funding can be 

directed towards caseworker salaries and 
providing additional resources to individuals  
experiencing  homelessness.



References

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Newly released data on exam-
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