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Publication Date: 2020
Addressing the vulnerability and unique needs of homeless populations during pandemics has been a major component of the Canadian federal response to the COVID-19 crisis. Rural and remote communities, however, have received little to no funding to aid in their care of homeless people during the pandemic. Similarly, there has been little to no research on rural communities’ pandemic preparedness in the context of homelessness. There are large numb...
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: University of New Brunswick
Publication Date: 2018
The following is a discussion paper based on the basic findings of a simple survey study undertaken between 2017-18 at Red Deer College. The study was done to get a preliminary idea of what post-secondary student homelessness looks like, and as such the findings presented here are suggestive, not conclusive. Currently, the study is being undertaken at three other sites and the methodology and findings are being refined. However, some very compell...
Publication Date: 2018
Purpose: People experiencing homelessness are high-users of hospital care in Canada. To better understand the scope of the issue, and how these patients are discharged from hospital, a national survey of key stakeholders was conducted in 2017. The paper aims to discuss this issue.
Design/methodology/approach: The Canadian Observatory on Homelessness distributed an online survey to their network of members through e-mail and social media. A sample...
Organization: Rural Ontario Institute
Publication Date: 2017
Homelessness and Hidden Homelessness in Rural and Northern Ontario confirms the widespread prevalence of homelessness in rural and northern communities, even though it may be less visible. The research team analyzed recent Canadian Social Survey data and discovered that, compared to city dwellers, a higher percentage of people from rural Ontario reported that they had experienced homelessness or hidden homelessness.
The report explores the contex...
Publication Date: 2016
Until recently, there was little acknowledgement that homelessness existed in rural areas in Canada. Limited research and scarce data are available to understand the scope and dynamics of rural homelessness in Canada. As suggested in our previous work, there is a need for rural homelessness research to examine themes from a provincial perspective. The aim of this research was to contribute to expanding the knowledge base on the nature of rural ho...
Publisher: Canadian Observatory On Homelessness
Publication Date: 2016
The main objective of disaster management is to have an effective plan in place before the event occurs. However, emergency planning is often not prioritized in the allocation of time and resources; particularly for health and social service providers who must dedicate often scant resources to addressing the significant demands of providing direct client services. As a result, little attention is dedicated to effectively plan for vulnerable popul...
Publisher: Canadian Observatory On Homelessness
Publication Date: 2016
The health outcomes of homeless people are poor, with higher rates of acute and chronic conditions than the general population (Hwang et al., 2011). Even more troubling is that people experiencing homelessness are subject to premature death (Frankish, 2005; Hwang, 2009). It is well known that the conditions under which homeless people live, such as having a lack of permanent and stable housing, inadequate income combined with food insecurity, soc...
Publisher: Canadian Observatory On Homelessness
Publication Date: 2016
As homelessness in Canada worsens, it is essential to ask what kind of impact an influenza pandemic might have on the homeless population and urban communities across the country. Estimates suggest that at least 200,000 individuals use homeless shelters annually across Canada (Gaetz, Donaldson, Richter, & Gulliver, 2013; Gaetz, Gulliver, & Richter, 2014). Canada’s homelessness response system has historically been focused on emergency res...
Publisher: Canadian Observatory on Homelessness
Publication Date: 2016
Over the past decade, most major Canadian municipalities have been involved in the development of formalized systems-level collaborative approaches to addressing homelessness and housing issues. The implementation of such approaches has been widespread and, to some extent, standardized based on the design of ‘community advisory boards’ (CABs) mandated and created by the federal government through the Homelessness Partnering Secretariat (HPS). The...
Publisher: Canadian Observatory on Homelessness
Publication Date: 2016
Canada’s northern and remote regions experience unique challenges related to housing and homelessness. As such, there is a need to understand and develop strategies to address housing-related concerns in the North. The diversity of communities across the North demands the tailoring of specific local-level responses to meet diverse needs. Over the past decade, local networks have emerged as a powerful method for governance and development of local...
Publication Date: 2015
Until recently, there was little acknowledgement that homelessness existed in rural areas in Canada. With a few exceptions, most research and intervention has concentrated on individuals and families living in urban areas; consequently homelessness has most often been framed as an urban phenomenon. Rural homelessness was unacknowledged, until reports from diverse rural areas began to emerge in the last decade which shed light on the unique contex...
Publication Date: 2014
A rich body of literature attests to the importance of affordable accommodation and support services necessary, appropriate, and acceptable to persons disabled by amental illness.However, there is a little which provides a means for housing and service planners to determine the gap between available supportive housing and need. Such understandings are needed to prepare strategies and develop the resources needed to accommodate persons with a disa...
Publication Date: 2010
Aboriginal women, many with concurrent addiction and legal difficulties, constitute a large proportion of homeless females in western Canada. Debate about housing approaches reflects conflicting strategies and points to the necessity of identifying effective and acceptable models. This paper describes a preliminary study in 2008 of the housing needs and preferences of five Aboriginal women involved with a drug treatment court, in order to explore...
Publication Date: 2010
Housing practices and models of community care for persons disabled by mental illness have undergone significant evolution in the last 30 years. This review of over 750 reports from academic and grey literatures examines the evolution of policy and best practice movements that have linked housing, treatment, and supports for persons with a mental illness disability. A notable gap in this literature is that reports assume homogeneity among this po...
Organization: Homeless Individuals and Families Information System (HIFIS)
Publication Date: 2011
All data for this report was collected from Regina organizations participating in the national Homeless Individuals and Family Information System (HIFIS) (page 7).
Participating Organizations There are 7 umbrella organizations in Regina using HIFIS at 19 shelter sites (page 8).
Three Year TrendThe average number of beds occupied on a daily basis rose between 2008 and 2010 by 44.5% (page 9).Among all HIFIS shelter service providers, the average da...
Publication Date: 2008
On November 19 and 20, 2008 a Roundtable on Homelessness in Regina was held in the Ron Mitchell Room of the Regina Public School Board. Over ninety individuals from fifty organizations participated in the roundtable including: Regina community -based organizations, business service clubs, municipal government and school board, regional health authority, provincial, and federal government departments and universities in Regina. The central purp...
Publication Date: 2007
This review of the literature sought out examples of “best practices” in housing persons with a persistent mental illness. The term ‘best practices’ is synonymous with ‘evidence based practices’ and refers to evidence-based practices, that is, those that have been proven to be effective. While there is still discussion and some debate about different housing models, the best practice consensus is for a supported housing approach. Best practices a...
Publication Date: 2007
This report provides an estimate of the number of housing units needed in the city of Calgary for persons disabled by mental illness. It is based on several well established principles: • Some, but not all, persons with a serious mental illness require housing supports • Housing supports consist of financial assistance to pay for housing and utilities, as well as instrumental assistance with activities of daily living • Many persons with a s...