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): Ken Kraybill, S Morrison
Organization: SAMHSA
Publication Date: 2009
This fact sheet provides information about many common problems faced by individuals experiencing homelessness in accessing and utilizing health related services.
Health problems cause homelessness. Homelessness causes health problems. Homelessness complicates efforts to treat health problems. Specific issues include the following:Unstable housing increases risk for serious health problems and complicates treatment adherence and recovery.Limited...
Author(s): Ken Kraybill, Suzanne Zerger
Organization: National Healthcare for the Homeless Council
Publication Date: 2003
Clinicians working with homeless individuals who have substance use disorders understand the critical need – and dire lack of – appropriate, accessible, and effective treatment for those in their care. And, much of the scientific research on what effective treatment for substance related disorders looks like is not directly applicable to persons without homes. The National Health Care for the Homeless Council convened interested clinicians and re...
Author(s): Ken Kraybill, Sharon Morrison
Publication Date: 2011
Motivational Interviewing (MI) is an empathic, person-centered, counseling approach that prepares people for change by helping them resolve ambivalence, enhance intrinsic motivation, and build confidence to change. Or, put more simply, helping people talk themselves into changing....The MI method is exceptionally compatible with a person-centered, trauma-informed, and recovery-oriented perspective. It promotes hope and self-direction in the conte...
Author(s): Ken Kraybill, Sharon Morrison
Publication Date: 2011
This resource on mental health includes a case study, a piece on understanding mental health and homelessness, guidance on relating to a person experiencing mental or emotional distress, and suicide myths and facts.
Author(s): Ken Kraybill, Sharon Morrison
Publication Date: 2011
There are not many publications on specific issues related to LGBTQI2-S (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersexed, and two-spirited) individuals experiencing homelessness. An overview of relevant topics is below to help raise awareness and to assist care providers in their work (Authors).
Author(s): Ken Kraybill, Sharon Morrison
Publication Date: 2011
Both the literature and in-depth interviews with PATH administrators and consumer practitioners are replete with the many advantages of hiring people with mental illnesses who experienced homelessness to engage their peers into treatment and services. Advantages accrue to the recipients of services, to the consumer practitioners themselves, and to the PATH-funded agencies they serve. We adapted the information below from ―Consumer Practitioners i...
Author(s): Ken Kraybill, Sharon Morrison
Publication Date: 2011
Serious personal health problems and flaws in health care systems are major contributors to contemporary homelessness. Some health problems—addictions, schizophrenia, major depression, physical disabilities—are distressingly obvious, particularly in persons living in public spaces, while others are less visible but equally insidious, undermining the capacity to maintain stable housing and function independently. In far too many cases, a fragmente...
Author(s): Ken Kraybill, Sharon Morrison
Publication Date: 2011
This document includes information on hand washing and how to clean Up blood and other bodily fluids.
Author(s): Ken Kraybill, Sharon Morrison
Publication Date: 2011
Health literacy is the “ability to read, understand, and act on health care information” (Center for Health Care Strategies, 2005). In the context of health promotion, an individual’s health literacy is critical to his or her buy-in and maintenance of healthy behaviors. It is important to understand that not all of your clients will have the same degree of health literacy (Authors).
Author(s): Ken Kraybill, Sharon Morrison
Publication Date: 2011
This document includes guidance on what to look for and when to call for help for the following conditions: Alcohol and Drug Withdrawal, Allergic Reactions, Asthma, Burns, Cough, Diabetes, Diarrhea, Emergencies caused by cold, Emergencies caused by heat, Influenza, Foot Care, Heart Attack, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, HIV, AIDS, Lice, Nosebleed, Scabies, Seizure, Signs of Dangerous Illness, Skin Problems, Sore Throat, Stroke, Stuffy or...
Author(s): Ken Kraybill, Sharon Morrison
Publication Date: 2011
This section describes a framework of caring that emphasizes three key aspects of providing effective care for people experiencing homelessness: a person-centered, trauma-informed, and recovery-oriented approach. While these three perspectives overlap a great deal, the pages that follow explore them as separate approaches. We hope that this framework of caring will inform and infuse the work of all who provide services to people experiencing home...
Author(s): Ken Kraybill, Sharon Morrison
Publication Date: 2011
The health of the teeth and gums is related to the health of the whole person, just as the well-being of a person relates to the health of the entire community. Because of this, the usual separation between dentistry and general health care is neither reasonable nor healthy (Authors).
Author(s): Ken Kraybill, Sharon Morrison
Publication Date: 2011
Growing up in Philadelphia, the only contact that Richard Drain had with white people was with police, judges, and probation officers. Richard’s world started to expand when he went into the military. It was during the war in Vietnam, and the world was tumultuous. And though Richard wasn’t sent to Southeast Asia, his inner world was beginning to become tumultuous also. He began hearing voices. He became violent. He began to use drugs... Richard’s...
Author(s): Ken Kraybill, Sharon Morrison
Publication Date: 2011
The pages that follow include some basic information about family homelessness and its consequences, specific areas that deserve attention when working with families, and suggested resources for additional information (Authors).
Author(s): Ken Kraybill, Sharon Morrison
Organization: PATH Technical Assistance Center
Publication Date: 2011
While PATH providers often do not have medical training, they regularly encounter consumers who face health issues. This section of Assessing Health, Promoting Wellness provides an overview of common health issues among people experiencing homelessness.
Homelessness is a marker for illness. People living on the streets and in shelters are more likely to get sick, their health issues are more likely to be severe, and they are more likely to stay s...
Author(s): Ken Kraybill, Sharon Morrison
Organization: PATH Technical Assistance Center
Publication Date: 2011
This article provides basic information about allergic reactions. This information is only for guidance; individuals not trained in medical care should always consult a licensed doctor with questions.
Assessing Health, Promoting Wellness: Allergic Reactions
This article provides basic information about allergic reactions. This information is only for guidance; individuals not trained in medical care should always consult a licensed doctor with...
Author(s): Ken Kraybill, Sharon Morrison
Organization: PATH Technical Assistance Center
Publication Date: 2011
While PATH providers often do not have medical training, they regularly encounter consumers who face health issues. This section of Assessing Health, Promoting Wellness provides an introduction to trauma.
The unexpected loss of a loved one, a car accident, or exposure to a violent experience is familiar to many of us. Everyone reacts to such events, but the responses vary widely, ranging from numbness and withdrawal to crying, nervousness, and ag...
Author(s): Ken Kraybill, Sharon Morrison
Organization: PATH Technical Assistance Center
Publication Date: 2011
While PATH providers often do not have medical training, they regularly encounter consumers who face health issues. This section of Assessing Health, Promoting Wellness provides brief information on the signs of substance use withdrawal.
Assessing Health, Promoting Wellness Alcohol and Drug Withdrawal
This article provides basic information about substance use withdrawal. This information is only for guidance; individuals not trained in medic...
Author(s): Ken Kraybill, Bonnie Milstein
Organization: PATH Techncal Assistance Center
Publication Date: 2011
While PATH providers often do not have medical training, they regularly encounter consumers who face health issues. This section of Assessing Health, Promoting Wellness provides simple tips on how to take a temperature, pulse, and respiration rate. It also provides information about what symptoms indicate that the outreach worker should call for help.
This article provides basic information about how to take a temperature, pulse, and respiration...
Author(s): Ken Kraybill, Katy Hanlon
Publication Date: 2011
Outreach is essential to the national PATH program. Though outreach definitions vary and research is limited, a great deal of practical knowledge is available. Homeless outreach has as its foundation the principle of “meeting people where they are”–geographically, emotionally, and philosophically. The practice of outreach is critically important to engage people who are reluctant or unable to seek services and care. (Authors)