The Housing Support Worker (HSW) initiative was started as a pilot project in 2011. This initiative is a partnership between the Department of Community Services and agencies in the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) which offer support to individuals who are homeless or are at-risk of becoming homeless. The agencies included in this initiative are:
- Adsum for Women & Children
- Shelter Nova Scotia
- Salvation Army Centre of Hope
- Metro Non-Profit Housing Association
- Tawaak Housing
- Mi'kmaq Friendship Centre
- Phoenix
This evaluation of the Housing Support Worker Initiative was conducted between April and December 2013. The method used for this evaluation included both primary and secondary research to collect qualitative and quantitative data. Data was collected through: an internal document review; a literature review; a stakeholder questionnaire; and stakeholder, staff and client interviews.
This evaluation was designed to address the following key questions:
- What has worked well in terms of the implementation, process, and activities undertaken to date? What could be improved?
- How successful has the initiative been in contributing to the achievement of the stated outputs / outcomes?
Based on the data gathered from all sources the HSW initiative has been successful in its efforts to achieve positive outcomes for its clients including finding and maintaining housing. The program has been effective because of its decentralized design in which HSWs are located in agencies as front-line service providers able to adapt and provide flexible on-one-one supports. Indeed, the HSW initiative has served more clients and with more complex needs than it was originally designed. Therefore, the sustainability of its success depends on strengthening the model internally through improved administration and support across all seven agencies.