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): Brittany Bingham, Akm Moniruzzaman, Michelle Patterson, Jitinder Sareen, Jino Distasio, John O’Neil and Julian M. Somers
Publication Date: 2019
Indigenous people are over represented among homeless populations worldwide and the prevalence of Indigenous homelessness appears to be increasing in Canadian cities. Violence against Indigenous women in Canada has been widely publicized but has not informed the planning of housing interventions. Despite historical policies leading to disenfranchisement of Indigenous rights in gender-specific ways, little is known about contemporary differences i...
Author(s): Brittany Bingham, Akm Moniruzzaman, Michelle Patterson, Jino Distasio, Jitender Sareen, John O’Neil, Julian M Somers
Publication Date: 2019
Indigenous people in Canada are not only over-represented among the homeless population but their pathways to homelessness may differ from those of non-Indigenous people. This study investigated the history and current status of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people experiencing homelessness and mental illness. We hypothesised that compared with non-Indigenous people, those who are Indigenous would demonstrate histories of displacement earlier in...
Author(s): Karen Urbanoski, Scott Veldhuizen, Michael Krausz, Christian Schütz, Julian M. Somers, Maritt Kirst, Marie-Josée Fleury, Vicky Stergiopoulos, Michelle Patterson, Verena Strehlau, Paula Goering
Publication Date: 2017
Background and Aims
Evidence supports the effectiveness of Housing First (HF) programs for people who are experiencing homelessness and mental illness; however, questions remain about its use in people with comorbid substance use disorders (SUD). The aim of this project was to test whether SUD modifies the effectiveness of an HF intervention.
Design
Secondary analysis of data from a randomized controlled trial of HF versus treatment-as-usual (TAU...
Author(s): Julian M. Somers, Akm Moniruzzaman, Michelle Patterson, Lauren Currie, Stefanie N. Rezansoff, Anita Palepu, Karen Fryer
Publication Date: 2017
Objective
No previous experimental trials have investigated Housing First (HF) in both scattered site (SHF) and congregate (CHF) formats. We hypothesized that CHF and SHF would be associated with a greater percentage of time stably housed as well as superior health and psychosocial outcomes over 24 months compared to treatment as usual (TAU).
Methods
Inclusion criteria were homelessness, mental illness, and high need for support. Participants wer...
Author(s): Carol E. Adair, David L. Streiner, Ryan Barnhart, Brianna Kopp, Scott Veldhuizen, Michelle Patterson, Tim Aubry, Jennifer Lavoie, Jitender Sareen, Stefanie Renee LeBlanc, Paula Goering
Publication Date: 2017
Purpose
Housing First (HF) has been shown to improve housing stability, on average, for formerly homeless adults with mental illness. However, little is known about patterns of change and characteristics that predict different outcome trajectories over time. This article reports on latent trajectories of housing stability among 2140 participants (84% followed 24 months) of a multisite randomised controlled trial of HF.
Methods
Data were analyzed...
Author(s): Verena Strehlau, Iris Torchalla, Michelle Patterson, Akm Moniruzzaman, Allison Laing, Sindi Addorisiob, Jim Frankish, Michael Krausz
Publication Date: 2017
Background
Homeless individuals with mental illness are challenging to recruit and retain in longitudinal research studies. The present study uses information from the Vancouver site of a Canadian multi-city longitudinal randomized controlled trial on housing first interventions for homeless individuals. We were able to recruit 500 participants and retain large number of homeless individuals with mental illness; 92% of the participants completed...
Author(s): Denise M Zabkiewicz, Michelle Patterson, Alexandra Wright
Publication Date: 2014
Objectives:
This study draws on baseline data from the At Home/Chez Soi demonstration project to examine the association between parenting status and mental health among homeless women and whether the association varies by duration of homelessness. Setting: Structured interviews were conducted with participants in five cities across Canada including Moncton, Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and Winnipeg.
Participants:
Eligibility criteria included th...
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, 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): Adrienne Cheung, Julian M. Somers, Akm Moniruzzaman, Michelle Patterson, Charles J. Frankish, Krausz
Publication Date: 2015
Background
Homelessness, substance use, and mental disorders each have been associated with higher rates of emergency department (ED) use and hospitalization. We sought to understand the correlation between ED use, hospital admission, and substance dependence among homeless individuals with concurrent mental illness who participated in a ‘Housing First’ (HF) intervention trial.
Methods
The Vancouver At Home study consisted of two randomized contr...
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): Geoffrey Nelson, Michelle Patterson, Maritt. Kirst, Eric Macnaughton, Corinne A. Isaak, Danielle Nolin, Christopher McAll, Vicky Stergiopoulos, Greg Townley, Timothy MacLeod
Publication Date: 2015
Objective:
This study compared the life changes of homeless people with mental illness participating in Housing First or treatment as usual and examined factors related to various changes.
Methods:
Semistructured narrative interviews were conducted with 219 participants in five Canadian cities at baseline; 197 were interviewed again at 18 months after random assignment to Housing First (N=119) or treatment as usual (N=78). Interviews were co...
One-Year Outcomes of a Randomized Controlled Trial of Housing First With ACT in Five Canadian Cities
Author(s): Tim Aubry, Sam Tsemberis, Carol E. Adair, Scott Veldhuizen, David Streiner, Eric Latimer, Jitender Sareen, Michelle Patterson, Kathleen McGarvey, Brianna Kopp, Catharine Hume
Publication Date: 2015
Objective:
Housing First is a groundbreaking approach to ending chronic homelessness among people with mental illness. This article presents one-year findings from a multisite randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing Housing First with treatment as usual.
Methods:
The study was a nonblind, parallel-group RCT conducted in five Canadian cities. A sample of 950 high-need participants with severe mental illness, who were either absolutely hom...
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): Julian M. Somers, Stefanie N. Rezansoff, Akm Moniruzzaman, Anita Palepu, Michelle Patterson
Publication Date: 2013
Homelessness and mental illness have a strong association with public disorder and criminality. Experimental evidence indicates that Housing First (HF) increases housing stability and perceived choice among those experiencing chronic homelessness and mental disorders. HF is also associated with lower residential costs than common alternative approaches. Few studies have examined the effect of HF on criminal behavior.
Methods Individuals meeting c...
Author(s): Julian M. Somers, Stefanie N. Rezansoff, Akm Moniruzzaman, Anita Palepu, Michelle Patterson
Publication Date: 2013
Homelessness and mental illness have a strong association with public disorder and criminality. Experimental evidence indicates that Housing First (HF) increases housing stability and perceived choice among those experiencing chronic homelessness and mental disorders. HF is also associated with lower residential costs than common alternative approaches. Few studies have examined the effect of HF on criminal behavior.
Author(s): Michelle Patterson, Akm Moniruzzaman, Anita Palepu, Denise Zabkiewicz, Charles J. Frankish, Michael Krausz, Julian M. Somers
Publication Date: 2013
This study used an experimental design to examine longitudinal changes in subjective quality of life (QoL) among homeless adults with mental illness after assignment to different types of supported housing or to treatment as usual (TAU, no housing or supports through the study). We hypothesized that subjective QoL would improve over time among participants assigned to supported housing as compared to TAU, regardless of the type of supported housi...
Author(s): Denise M Zabkiewicz, Michelle Patterson, James Frankish, Julian M Somers
Publication Date: 2012
<i>Objectives: </i>The Vancouver At Home (VAH) Study is part of a multi-site Canadian program of research that seeks policy relevant evidence surrounding service interventions for adults who are homeless and mentally ill. This paper provides an overview of the ocal VAH study design, including demographic and mental health characteristics of the baseline sample. <i>Participants: </i>Eligi...