As homelessness continues to rise across the country, driven by an acute and worsening shortage of available and affordable housing, a number of alternatives to traditional mass shelters have emerged. But how do we ensure that the diverse needs, preferences, and experiences of people experiencing homelessness are incorporated into the design, evaluation, and dissemination of these emerging shelter models through an equity lens? This session will cover specific approaches used by the Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative at Portland State University to engage people experiencing or who have experienced homelessness as co-researchers, government committee members, and valued contributors to action-oriented research. Attendees will leave with clear models and new theories of community-engaged research and university-supported community innovation.