Search Library
Sheltering risks: Implementation of harm reduction in homeless shelters during an overdose emergency
Publication Date: 2017
Background: The current opioid overdose crisis in North America is heightening awareness of the need for and the challenges of implementing harm reduction, notably within complex and diverse settings such as homeless shelters. In this paper, we explore the implementation of harm reduction in homeless shelters during an emerging overdose emergency. Methods: The objective of this qualitative study was to identify and understand micro-environment le...
Publication Date: 2018
Background: Substance use and homelessness often overlap. Harm reduction is an evidence-based response to reducing harms of use rather than preventing use per se. While harm reduction is a key principle of Housing First, there has been limited research related to the implementation of harm reduction within programmes that aim to end homelessness.
Methods: As part of a community-based research study, we conducted 29 qualitative interviews with sta...
Organization: Canadian Network for the Health and Housing of People Experiencing Homelessnes
Publication Date: 2020
The below guidance was developed by a number of public health professionals, primary care physicians, psychiatrists, addictions medicine specialists, Municipal shelter and housing leadership, community health, social support, housing and addictions agencies, provides practical information and guidance to reduce the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the homeless population. Due to the unique circumstances of serving people experiencing homelessne...
Publication Date: 2020
This guide presents clinical evidence to help develop interventions to improve health and social outcomes for folks vulnerably housed or experiencing homelessness.
Key Points:
Clinical assessment and care of homeless and vulnerably housed populations should include tailoring approaches to a person’s gender, age, Indigenous heritage, ethnicity and history of trauma; and advocacy for comprehensive primary health care.
As initial steps in the c...
Publication Date: 2020
This Australian-based article outlines six research-informed recommendations for improving housing retention among folks experiencing homelessness.
Publication Date: 2020
Homelessness has negative implications for mental well-being and quality of life. This paper identifies the quality of life variables that contribute to positive or negative wellbeing, reporting on a regression analysis from 343 individuals experiencing homelessness in Canada. Results indicate that a lack of sleep duration and quality reduced mental well-being for both genders, not having access to food and/or hygiene facilities decreased men’s w...
Organization: Canadian Medical Association Journal
Publication Date: 2020
This is an open-acces article outlining clinical guidelines for health and social service providers seeking to build relationships with Indigenous Peoples experiencing homelessness.
Key Points:
• In Canada, Indigenous people are 8 times more likely to be homeless than non-Indigenous people and represent 10%–80% of the total homeless population in large urban centres.
• The roots of Indigenous homelessness involve colonial disruptions of relatio...
Organization: Canadian Public Policy
Publication Date: 2020
This journal article investigates the impact of supportive housing (Housing First, or HF) programs on public service utilization of people experiencing homelessness in Calgary, Alberta. We use data on clients between 2012 and 2016, and, using a pre–post design, we assess the interaction of each client with the health and justice systems. We estimate the savings for $1 spent on HF to be between $1.17 and $2.84. There are potential estimation biase...
Organization: HOP-C, Center for Addiction and Mental Health, Center for Mindfulness Studies, Covenant House, Loft, SKETCH Arts and the Wellesley Institute
Publication Date: 2017
mindyourmind worked with a group of youth in Toronto that know the struggle of transitioning out of homelessness and into stable housing. These youth wanted to empower others in similar circumstances to seek help, and provide information, coping tools, tips and distractions around the issues they may be facing. Together we created “My _________”, a 92 page prompted bullet journal/survival guide! You can download and print your own journal.
mindyo...
Publication Date: 2020
The challenges facing domestic violence (DV) survivors has become the subject of a growing body of intersectional analysis; this paper presents a new intersectional framework for analysing DV policy and practice. Examining a partnership between women’s sector organizations and the criminal justice system in London, using interviews with professionals from the bodies, the paper offers an intersectional analysis of the implications, positive and ne...
Organization: Journal of Community Psychology
Publication Date: 2020
Prior research with youth experiencing homelessness suggests that community experiences can play an important role in their resilience and well‐being. This literature suggests that a sense of community (SOC) and social support may be two key interpersonal factors related to the well‐being of this population. However, quantitative research exploring these relationships has resulted in inconsistent findings, which may be due to a lack of understand...
Publication Date: 2020
Frequent emergency department (ED) users experiencing homelessness are associated with high costs for healthcare systems yet interventions for this group have been minimally investigated. This study used 24-month data from a multisite randomized controlled trial of Housing First (HF) to examine how effective the intervention is in helping frequent ED users with a mental illness to achieve housing stability, improve behavioural health and function...
Publication Date: 2020
The relationship between housing stability and drug injecting is complex, as both outcomes fluctuate over time. The objectives were to identify short-term trajectories of housing stability and injecting frequency among people who inject drugs (PWID) and examine how patterns of injecting frequency relate to those of housing stability.
Publication Date: 2020
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, and Queer (LGBTIQ+) people’s experiences of homelessness is an under-explored area of housing and homelessness studies, despite this group making up 20–40% of homeless populations. Despite this, much of the existing literature focuses on specific elements of LGBTIQ+ homelessness, and often does not consider the intersections of these elements, instead placing them into individual siloes. Our approach...
Organization: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Publication Date: 2017
This project builds upon initial proof of concept work examining the optimal set of supports for youth who have recently exited homelessness - an intervention comprised of mental health and peer supports alongside transitional case management. This collaborative model will be tested as a proof-of-concept in Thunder Bay with Indigenous youth and a trial will be conducted in Toronto to optimize and determine the effectiveness of the existing model...
Publication Date: 2020
Gender-based violence is associated with an elevated risk of physical and psychological harm for girls and women. This study examines service user and provider experiences of a trauma-informed, peer-facilitated group psychosocial intervention (Peer Education and Connection through Empowerment [PEACE]) targeting female-identified youth experiencing homelessness and gender-based violence.
Participants were recruited among service users and provider...
Organization: Social Science and Medicine
Publication Date: 2020
A growing body of research indicates that structural interventions to provide permanent supportive housing (PSH) to homeless adults within a Housing First approach can improve their health. However, research is lacking regarding the impact of PSH on youth experiencing homelessness. This article seeks to understand how PSH for youth impacts a basic health need—food security— across multiple levels of the social-ecological environment. In January o...
Publication Date: 2020
On any given night, thousands of Canadian youth face homelessness in either absolute (living on the street) or relative (couch surfing, staying in emergency shelters) terms (Gaetz, Dej, Richter, & Redman, 2016). This study explores influences on primary health care access among youth experiencing homelessness in a large Canadian urban centre. Using a qualitative research design and critical social justice lens, eight youth participated in ind...
Publication Date: 2020
The overarching aim of this study is to assess whether and how rent subsidies and mentorship influence social integration outcomes for formerly homeless young people living in market rent housing in 3 Canadian cities. The primary outcome measures for this study are community integration (psychological and physical) and self-esteem at 18 months. Secondary outcomes include social connectedness, hope, and academic and vocational participation at 18...
Publication Date: 2020
Homelessness is a chronic public health issue in the U.S. This paper reviews the endurance and evolution of individual, youth, and family homelessness over the past 40-plus years. Thematic findings detail research on predictors of homelessness among adolescents, runaway youth, veterans, older adults, sheltered families, and female-headed families. Results provide a summary of contributors to homelessness, including issues related to family instab...