Canadian Observatory on Homelessness
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.
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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.
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Author(s): Rachel Caplan, Geoffrey Nelson, Jino Distasio, Corinne Isaak, Betty Edel, Myra Piat, Ph.D., Eric Macnaughton, Maritt Kirst, Michelle Patterson, Tim Aubry, Susan Mulligan, Paula Goering
Publication Date: 2020
The purpose of this study is to examine the parent–child experiences of Indigenous and non‐Indigenous mothers and fathers experiencing homelessness, mental illness, and separation from their children. A qualitative thematic analysis of baseline and 18‐month follow‐up narrative interviews was used to compare 12 mothers (n = 8 Indigenous and n = 4 nonindigenous) with 24 fathers (n = 13 Indigenous and n = 11 non‐Indigenous). First, it was found that...
Author(s): Julian Hasford, Geoffrey Nelson, S. Kathleen Worton, Eric Macnaughton, Tim Macleod, Myra Piat, Ph.D., Sam Tsemberis, Vicky Stergiopoulos, Jino Distasio, Tim Aubry, Paula Goering
Publication Date: 2019
We examined communities’ expressed needs for capacity building in the implementation of Housing First (HF) for persons experiencing homelessness. The findings are based on thematic analyses of qualitative data obtained from participants (n = 77) in 11 focus groups conducted in seven Canadian cities. We identified capacity building needs in the areas of training (e.g., HF principles, clinical services, landlord engagement) and technical assistance...
Author(s): Eric Macnaughton, Geoffrey Nelson, Paula Goering, Myra Piat, Ph.D.
Publication Date: 2017
The purpose of this study was to understand the sustainability of the At Home/Chez Soi (AHCS) project with respect to its wider impact on homelessness policy in Canada and internationally. Using a qualitative case study approach with 15 key informant interviews (with project leaders and decision-makers) and archival data, we examined the strategies adopted to achieve sustainability of the Housing First (HF) programs implemented during this demons...
Author(s): Geoffrey Nelson, Eric Macnaughton, Susan Eckerle Curwood, Nathalie Egalité, Jijian Voronka, Marie-Josée Fleury, Maritt Kirst, Linsay Flowers, Michelle Patterson, Michael Dudley, Myra Piat, Ph.D., Paula Goering
Publication Date: 2016
Planning the implementation of evidence-based mental health services entails commitment to both rigour and community relevance, which entails navigating the challenges of collaboration between professionals and community members in a planning environment which is neither ‘top-down’ nor ‘bottom-up’. This research focused on collaboration among different stakeholders (e.g. researchers, service-providers, persons with lived experience [PWLE]) at fiv...
Author(s): Geoffrey Nelson, Rachel Caplan, Timothy MacLeod, Eric Macnaughton, Rebecca Cherner, Tim Aubry, Christian Methot, Eric Latimer, Myra Piat, Ph.D., Erin Plenert, Scott McCullough, Sarah Zell, Michelle Patterson, Vicky Stergiopoulos, Paula Goering
Publication Date: 2017
Abstract
This research examined the sustainability of Canada's At Home/Chez Soi Housing First (HF) programs for homeless persons with mental illness 2 years after the end of the demonstration phase of a large (more than 2000 participants enrolled), five-site, randomized controlled trial. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 142 participants (key informants, HF staff, and persons with lived experience) to understand sustainability outcomes a...
Author(s): Eric Macnaughton, Geoffrey Nelson, Paula Goering, Myra Piat, Ph.D.
Organization: Mental Health Commission of Canada National Qualitative Research Team for the At Home/Chez Soi Project
Publication Date: 2017
Executive Summary
The current research examines the policy impacts of the AHCS project beyond the demonstration project period. Part of a larger study about the sustainability of the services and their long-term impacts, the current report examines AHCS’s wider impact on homelessness policy in Canada. The study describes how efforts to achieve sustainability in a limited sense – that is, to attain transitional funding and secure a “safe landing”...
Author(s): Eric Macnaughton, Greg Townley, Geoffrey Nelson, Rachel Caplan, Timothy MacLeod, Lauren Polvere, Corinne Isaak, Maritt Kirst, Christopher McAll, Danielle Nolin, Michelle Patterson, Myra Piat, Ph.D., Paula Goering
Publication Date: 2016
ABSTRACT
Qualitative narrative interviews were conducted with 195 participants with histories of homelessness and mental illness at baseline and at an 18-month follow-up. Participants were randomly assigned at baseline to Housing First (HF; n = 119) or treatment as usual (TAU; n = 76) in five Canadian cities. Changes in consumers’ narratives over time were examined for 13 life domains (e.g., housing stability, typical day, social relationships)....
Author(s): Eric Macnaughton, Ana Stefancic, Geoffrey Nelson, Rachel Caplan, Greg Townley, Tim Aubry, Scott McCullough, Michelle Patterson, Vicky Stergiopoulos, Catherine Vallée, Sam Tsemberis, Marie-Josée Fleury, Myra Piat, Ph.D., Paula Goering
Publication Date: 2015
This article examines later fidelity and implementation of a five-site pan-Canadian Housing First research demonstration project. The average fidelity score across five Housing First domains and 10 programs was high in the first year of operation (3.47/4) and higher in the third year of operation (3.62/4). Qualitative interviews (36 key informant interviews and 17 focus groups) revealed that staff expertise, partnerships with other services, and...
Author(s): Myra Piat, Ph.D., Lauren Polvere, Maritt Kirst, Jijian Voronka, Denise Zabki
Publication Date: 2014
This qualitative study examined how homeless individuals with mental illness experience pathways into homelessness. Study participants were enrolled in the At Home/Chez Soi project, a Pan-Canadian Randomized Controlled Trial comparing the Housing First approach with Treatment as Usual for homeless individuals. This inquiry is grounded in social ecological perspective, which considers interactions between individual and structural factors. Finding...
Author(s): Geoffrey Nelson, Ana Stefancic, Jennifer Rae, Greg Townley, Sam Tsemberis, Eric Macnaughton, Tim Aubry, Jino Distasio, Roch Hurtubise, Michelle Patterson, Vicky Stergiopoulos, Myra Piat, Ph.D., Paula Goering
Publication Date: 2013
This research sought to determine whether the implementation of Housing First in a large-scale, multi-site Canadian project for homeless participants with mental illness shows high fidelity to the Pathways Housing First model, and what factors help or hinder implementation. Fidelity ratings for 10 Housing First programs in five cities were made by an external quality assurance team along five key dimensions of Housing First based on 84 key inform...
Author(s): Myra Piat, Ph.D., Lauren Polvere, Greg Townley, Geoffrey Nelson, Eric Macnaughton, Nathalie Egalité, Paula Goering
Organization: Mental Health Commission of Canada
Publication Date: 2012
This report presents a synthesis of the findings of the baseline consumer narrative interviews collected for the At Home/Chez Soi project1. This pan Canadian project, which is funded by the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC), is a five-year research demonstration study exploring interventions for homeless adults who have mental illnesses. At Home/Chez Soi applies evidence-based interventions in the Canadian context to better understand whi...
Author(s): Geoffrey Nelson, Eric Macnaughton, Susan Eckerle Curwood, Nathalie Egalité, Myra Piat, Ph.D., Paula Goering
Organization: Mental Health Commission of Canada
Publication Date: 2011
This report presents the overall findings emanating from the planning and proposal development phase of the At Home/Chez Soi project. This pan Canadian project is funded by the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) . It is a five-year research demonstration project exploring ways to help the growing number of homeless people who have a mental illness. It builds on existing evidence and knowledge and applies it in Canadian settings to learn...
Author(s): Geoffrey Nelson, Eric Macnaughton, Rachel Caplan, Tim Macleod, Greg Townley, Myra Piat, Ph.D., Ana Stefancic, Sam Tsemberis, Paula Goering
Organization: Mental Health Commission of Canada
Publication Date: 2013
This report presents the overall findings from an implementation and fidelity evaluation of the At Home/Chez Soi initiative, a pan-Canadian Housing First demonstration project presently being implemented in Moncton, Montréal, Toronto, Winnipeg, and Vancouver. The present study examined the second phase of implementation, using a mixed methods strategy. The quantitative data were gathered by an external Quality Assurance team, which produced 10 fi...
Author(s): Geoffrey Nelson, Jennifer Rae, Greg Townley, Paula Goering, Eric Macnaughton, Myra Piat, Ph.D., Nathalie Egalité, Ana Stefancic, Sam Tsemberis
Organization: Mental Health Commission of Canada
Publication Date: 2012
This report presents the overall findings from an implementation and fidelity evaluation of the At Home/Chez Soi initiative, a pan-Canadian Housing First demonstration project presently being implemented in Moncton, Montréal, Toronto, Winnipeg, and Vancouver. The present study examined the first phase of implementation, using a mixed methods strategy. In particular, the study sought to understand the extent to which the interventions met fidelity...
Author(s): Geoffrey Nelson, Eric Macnaughton, Susan Eckerle Curwood, Nathalie Egalité, Myra Piat, Ph.D., Paula Goering
Organization: Mental Health Commission of Canada
Publication Date: 2011
This report presents the overall findings emanating from the planning and proposal development phase of the At Home/Chez Soi project. This pan Canadian project is funded by the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) . It is a five-year research demonstration project exploring ways to help the growing number of homeless people who have a mental illness. It builds on existing evidence and knowledge and applies it in Canadian settings to learn...
Author(s): Eric Macnaughton, Geoffrey Nelson, Myra Piat, Ph.D., Susan Eckerle Curwood, Nathalie Egalité
Organization: Mental Health Commission of Canada
Publication Date: 2010
This research is an examination of the conception of the national Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) demonstration project, “At Home/Chez Soi.” The purpose is to uncover the origins of this demonstration project. This research should be valuable in elucidating how innovative, large-scale demonstration projects come into being. No previous research has examined the origins of Housing First research projects in different jurisdictions, even...
Author(s): Myra Piat, Ph.D., Lauren Polvere, Greg Townley, Geoffrey Nelson, Eric Macnaughton, Nathalie Egalité, Paula Goering
Organization: Mental Health Commission of Canada
Publication Date: 2012
This report presents a synthesis of the findings of the baseline consumer narrative interviews collected for the At Home/Chez Soi project1. This pan Canadian project, which is funded by the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC), is a five-year research demonstration study exploring interventions for homeless adults who have mental illnesses. At Home/Chez Soi applies evidence-based interventions in the Canadian context to better understand whi...
Author(s): Geoffrey Nelson, Eric Macnaughton, Paula Goering, Michael Dudley, Patricia O’Campo, Michelle Patterson, Myra Piat, Ph.D., Natasha Prévost, Verena Strehlau, Catherine Vallée
Publication Date: 2012
This research focused on the relationships between a national team and five project sites across Canada in planning a complex, community intervention for homeless people with mental illness called At Home/Chez Soi, which is based on the Housing First model. The research addressed two questions: (a) what are the challenges in planning? and (b) what factors that helped or hindered moving project planning forward? Using qualitative methods, 149 nati...
Author(s): Myra Piat, Ph.D., Judith Sabetti
Publication Date: 2010
The provision of decent and affordable housing is one of the most important elements for integrating persons with serious mental illness into the community, and is fundamental to their recovery. Housing is a basic human right and a requirement for living in society. Over the past fifty years, a continuum of professionally controlled housing models has been developed for people with serious mental illness in several developed countries, including...