While front-line staff recognize the importance of listening to those with lived experience of homelessness, this belief is not always shared by top leadership. In this interactive presentation, Noah at Central will share efforts to engage individuals with lived experience in the housing design process. Noah’s CEO, staff, and housing development partner will discuss strategies for authentic engagement and ensuring these individuals shape decisions. They will cover their philosophy on centering perspectives of those with lived experience, efforts to seek development partners with shared values, and creative funding approaches that allow for engaging those with lived experience while communicating this work to funders. The presentation will also delve into hiring processes involving lived experience consultants, engagement strategies such as board membership and creating a lived experience steering committee, and challenges faced with the steering committee, including group dynamics, compensation, and meeting structure. Additionally, they will discuss how they engaged these individuals in the design process and emphasize the importance of trust as a driver for engagement. Noah at Central aims to share their presentation with similar organizations to identify commonalities, differences, and brainstorm new solutions.