Emily Leickly, PhD

• Portland State University, PhD in Applied Community Psychology
• Portland State University, MS in Applied Community Psychology
• University of Washington, BA in Psychology 

• Postdoctoral Research Associate, Washington State University 
• Research Associate, Portland State University

Dr. Leickly is a Research Assistant Professor in the Promoting Research Initiatives in Substance Use and Mental Health (PRISM) Collaborative. Dr. Leickly’s research interests include the experiences of people with serious mental illnesses (SMI) in a variety of contexts including community mental health centers, supportive housing, and public spaces (e.g., libraries, parks). She also works at the intersection of SMI and homelessness in the public space, where she and her colleagues completed a two-year evaluation of Portland Street Response, an alternative first responder program designed to address over-policing of people experiencing mental and behavioral health crises and homelessness. She is particularly interested in qualitative and mixed methods, including narrative inquiry, ethnography, media content analysis, social network analysis, and place-based methods (e.g., geographic information systems, participatory mapping). 

• Greene, J., Ferry, T., Leickly, E., & Spurbeck, F.H. (2025). Cost comparison of congregate, motel, and village-type shelters for people experiencing homelessness. Journal of Social Distress and Homelessness. (In press.)
• Leickly, E., DuBoise, D., Brott, H., Dickard, K., & Townley, G. (2025). Community members’ knowledge of and experience with the Portland Street Response Program. Journal of Social Distress and Homelessness. (In press.)
• Leickly, E., Greene, J., & Ferry, T. (2024). “It feels like I’m a step closer to my ultimate goal of stable housing:” A qualitative study of unhoused people’s experiences in alternative shelters in Portland. Journal of Social Distress and Homelessness. 1–9.
• Leickly, E., Leickly, E., & Townley, G. (2024). Left behind: Experiences of community mental health center clients with serious mental illnesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Community Mental Health Journal.  60,1131–1140. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-024-01264-9
• Townley, G., & Leickly, E. (2023). Portland Street Response: Year Two Full Evaluation. Portland State University Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative. 
• Leickly, E., Townley, G., Ferry, T., & Petteni, M. (2022). Case study of a pod village for women experiencing homelessness: Learned lessons through residents’ experience. Journal of Urban Affairs. 
• Cowal, J., Leickly, E., Ajibade, J., Hines, M., Knowlton, S., & Petteni, M. (2022). Natural / disaster: Differential media portrayals of wildfire displacement and homelessness in Portland, Oregon. Cultural Studies <=> Critical Methodologies.
• Leickly, E., & Townley, G. (2021). Exploring factors related to supportive housing tenure and stability for people with serious mental illness. Journal of Community Psychology, 49(6), 1787-1805.
• Townley, G., Sand, K., Kindschuh, T., Brott, H., & Leickly, E. (2021). Engaging unhoused community members in the design of an alternative program aimed at reducing the criminalization of homelessness. Journal of Community Psychology, 2021;1-18. 
• Leickly, E., Townley, G., Dover, T.L., Brusilovskiy, E., & Salzer, M.S. (2020). Exploring urbanicity and its relationship with stigma and well-being outcomes for people with serious mental illnesses. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 91(2), 208.