His work focuses on the methods and ethics of doing collaborative, community-based historical research, especially with those living in extreme poverty. For example, Kerr interviewed nearly 200 homeless people and facilitated dozens of workshops in shelters and drop-in centers where unhoused people could view, reflect upon, and interpret these oral histories. The themes that emerged from these workshops structured the questions and archival research that gave rise to the book, Derelict Paradise: Homelessness and Urban Development in Cleveland (2011). He currently serves on the editorial board for Oral History Review.