ekaplan's blog

The Unseen Work: Emotional Labour in Community-Based Research

Data collection is more than just numbers and statistics. When collecting data on youth and families experiencing homelessness or dealing with familial conflict, a significant and frequently overlooked challenge arises: the need to navigate emotional labour. In this blog post, we will explore the concept of emotional labour during the data collection phase of research, drawing from our experience with the Family and Natural Supports (FNS) intervention program. 

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Bright Mindz Youth Housing Initiative: Honourable Mention of the 2023 MtS Youth Homelessness Prevention Awards

The Bright Mindz youth housing initiative, developed by the Canadian Mental Health Association - Kelowna in Kelowna, BC was recently recognized as an honourable mention for the third annual Making the Shift Youth Homelessness Prevention Awards.

This blog will discuss what this initiative is, why it was designed, how it fills the gaps in preventing youth homelessness, and much more. 

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Understanding the Role of Anti-Black Systemic Racism in the Housing and Homelessness Sector– A Precursor for Housing Instability

During the 2022 National Conference on Ending Homelessness (CAEH), I began discussing a doctoral research project I have been working on since 2021. This research aims to create a framework that addresses anti-Black racism in the housing and homelessness sector. During this year's conference, I will provide an update on the progress of this project. This blog post will give an overview of the achievements made so far.

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Niginan Housing Ventures - Omamoo Wango Gamik Program: MtS Youth Homelessness Prevention Awards Winner

The Omamoo Wango Gamik program developed by Niginan Housing Ventures (NHV) in Edmonton, AB, is an Indigenous-led registered charity that serves those with complex medical, social and housing needs, was recently selected as one of the winners of the third annual Making the Shift Youth Homelessness Prevention Awards. 

We spoke with Keri Cardinal, CEO of NHV and Melissa Keith, Team Lead of Omamoo Wango Gamik, to learn more about the initiative, why it was designed, how it fills the gaps in preventing youth homelessness, and much more. 

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Care & Intention in Research: Tips on Creating Surveys for Youth with Lived/Living Experiences of Homelessness

The role of the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness is to do just that, observe. Creating a survey to gather information and data which will be used to understand a particular subject is one way to “observe” a problem. It’s a science, and the selection of questions, scales, and peer-reviewed measures is a critical aspect in deciding how to approach quantitative data. 

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Wyndham House - Concurrent Specialized Youth Hub Program: MtS Youth Homelessness Prevention Awards Winner

The Concurrent Specialized Youth Hub program developed by Wyndham House in Guelph, ON was recently selected as one of the winners of the third annual Making the Shift Youth Homelessness Prevention Awards. 

We spoke with Kristen Cairney, Executive Director of Wyndham House, to learn more about the initiative, why it was designed, how it fills the gaps in preventing youth homelessness, and much more. 

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Co-designing homes with Indigenous Youth; Understanding land, home and relationality

Alex Wilson is a First Nations scholar, researcher and educator from Opaskwayak Cree Nation. In 2014, Wilson worked with Sylvia McAdam and other Idle No More organizers to develop One House Many Nations (OHMN), an educational campaign and sustainable housing project for Indigenous communities. Through Making the Shift funding, Wilson, the OHMN research team, and Indigenous partners are tailoring their community-led approach for First Nations youth. 

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Making Supportive Housing Work for Canada’s Most Vulnerable

With the 2023 National Conference on Ending Homelessness approaching, I am excited to discuss the findings of a research project that I have been involved with. This project is a 2-year qualitative and quantitative study of a permanent supportive housing program in London, Ontario. The findings of this study provide key insights into the experienced value of permanent supportive housing and the current policy challenges that limit the development of new supportive housing stock. 

This blog will provide an overview of the project and its key findings.

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