Visit our Research Matters blog for weekly posts from the homelessness sector here
The Canadian Observatory on Homelessness is the largest national research institute devoted to homelessness in Canada. The COH is the curator of the Homeless Hub.
Canadian Observatory on HomelessnessThe Canadian Observatory on Homelessness is the largest national research institute devoted to homelessness in Canada. The COH is the curator of the Homeless Hub.
National Indigenous Peoples Day, celebrated on June 21, is a day for all Canadians to celebrate and honour the legacies, cultures, and exceptional achievements of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples.
How do the rights of children and youth and housing rights intersect? What are the implications for young people and families at-risk of or experiencing homelessness? To date, these questions have not been satisfactorily addressed in conversations about Canadian human rights.
It’s been two years since the onset of COVID-19. At this point, the virus has left few of us unaffected. So, you likely won’t be surprised to hear that our research found that many young people experiencing homelessness were deeply impacted by the pandemic. With funding from Making the Shift Youth Homelessness Social Innovation Lab, we conducted a mixed-method study on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on youth experiencing homelessness.
“Naatamooskakowin” is a Cree word meaning “a place to come to for help, shelter, or resources.” Earlier this month, Elder Belinda Vandenbroeck gifted the name to Winnipeg’s new Indigenous-led Coordinated Access System, which provides a new way for people to connect quickly with the housing and supports they need. Naatamooskakowin offers:
People experiencing homelessness (PEH) are significantly impacted during public health emergencies, like the COVID-19 pandemic. Health emergencies of this kind often have health, social and economic impacts on this population. Although PEH or people experiencing housing instability may receive social, housing and health supports through programs like Housing First, they continue to face barriers which make them more vulnerable to the negative effects of health emergencies.
We’re pleased to announce the launch of the second round of the Making the Shift Youth Homelessness Prevention Awards Program. Sponsored by Canada Life, the program is part of a broader suite of activities co-led by A Way Home Canada and the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness to transform our response to youth homelessness. We were so pleased with the results of last year’s program. We gave two awards, and one honorary mention.
A lack of system coordination has long been a critique of the social service sector. Systems have been created without the end-user in mind, resulting in complicated pathways to care. To reduce these system barriers, coordinated systems, named “Coordinated Access” in Canada and “Coordinated Entry” in the United States, have been developed to streamline access to housing and support options among people experiencing homelessness.
I’m writing an open-access e-book on homelessness and have just released Chapter 1 titled “What causes homelessness?” The PDF version of the full chapter is available here.
1. Structural causes of homelessness determine whether a community has a little homelessness or a lot of homelessness. The more we understand these, the more we can work collectively to reduce homelessness.
As Australia’s most marginalized group and one of the most poverty-stricken First Nations peoples worldwide, the housing market continues to leave Aboriginal Australians out in the cold. Addressing Aboriginal homelessness requires empowerment, cultural security, self-determination and community leadership. In Western Australia (WA), Aboriginal-led community housing provider Noongar Mia Mia (NMM) is doing groundbreaking work in fostering a culturally responsive housing sector that listens to Aboriginal voices and treats culture as a birthright and great strength.
The Canadian Observatory on Homelessness (COH) was founded in 2008 thanks to a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) grant that supported partnership building between academics, the homeless-serving sector and beyond. In the years that followed, we built partnerships across Canada and internationally with the common goal of advancing our knowledge and understanding of solutions to homelessness. We received a second SSHRC grant that allowed us to continue this work while also conducting research in partnership along the way.