The Canadian Observatory on Homelessness, A Way Home Canada, and The Housing First Europe Hub are conducting an international study to better understand how Housing First for Youth (HF4Y) programs are adopted and come to function effectively and sustainably. To do this, we are examining the experiences of established HF4Y programs in Canada and Europe.
Who Is Invited To Participate?
We are looking to speak with Program Founders - those who led the decision to adopt a HF4Y program, as well as Team Leads - those responsible for managing the day-to-day program operations, overseeing the case management team’s activities, and coordinating/leading training efforts.
What Are We Aiming To Know?
➔ Program Adoption: What are Program Founders' experiences in deciding to adopt HF4Y? What was important to consider in the program design and planning stage prior to implementation? Who were the key stakeholders, and how were they involved?
➔ Implementation and Capacity-Building: What were the experiences of program implementation and early operations? How is practice competence defined and achieved, and how are training and technical support needs identified and monitored over time?
➔ Program Fidelity: To what degree do programs align with the core principles and practices of the HF4Y Program Model?
➔ Innovative Service Delivery Practices: What are the ways in which programs adapt to the needs of their communities to generate innovative practices, or contribute new solutions to address youth homelessness?
What Will Participation Involve?
➔ Program Founders and Team Leads will each be invited for an interview with someone from the Research Team. Interview appointments will be 90 minutes and will take place on Zoom.
➔ Team Leads will additionally be asked to complete an online survey to describe their HF4Y program; self-assess their program’s fidelity to the HF4Y Program Model; and identify their training, capacity-building, and technical assistance needs. This will take up to 45 minutes.
How Will the Information We Collect Be Used?
Study results will be published through a variety of knowledge products that include: Best Practice Guidelines on HF4Y adoption, implementation, and capacity-building; technical reports; academic publications; a blog series; conference presentations; and a Community of Practice information series.
If you are interested in participating or would like more information, please contact Samara Jones: sgkjones@yorku.ca.
You can also contact Stephen Gaetz, Principal Investigator: sgaetz@edu.yorku.ca.
Thank you for your interest in the study!