Journey Out of Homelessness (P2)

By: Brandon Kelm

The most humane and cost effective solution for homelessness is to help people get their own home.

If you require help, please contact our Coordinated Access Team, details HERE.

Part Two: Finding Someone a Home

Think back to the last time you were looking to rent an apartment or house. What were the steps you took and what resources did you need?

Consider all of the information you were asked to provide on an application form:

  • Government-issued ID
  • Current address
  • Phone number
  • Proof of income
  • Credit check
  • References from current and past landlords
  • Damage deposit and first month’s rent

Now imagine looking at a rental application form if you are experiencing homelessness. There are many things people generally take for granted in the housing process that are major barriers for someone in that situation.

The search for an actual space to call home is just one of many steps on this journey.
A standard rental application can be a challenge for someone experiencing homelessness to complete in full.

Thanks to the efforts of the Housing Support participant and Housing Outreach Worker (HOW) up to this point, most of these items will have been procured or addressed.

The next steps involve:

  • making appointments to meet with prospective landlords to view available suites 
  • submitting applications
  • signing a lease
  • a move-in inspection
  • setting up tenants’ insurance
  • setting up utility accounts and booking hook-ups
  • sourcing furniture from Find and perhaps finding a way to move whatever belongings they may already have

These steps are time consuming. They are also exceedingly difficult to take for someone sleeping outdoors, or fleeing an abusive partner with their children, or recovering in a hospital and unable to leave. A HOW is a source of support, encouragement and guidance at times when they are most needed.

Keys to a new home. A physical representation of autonomy, safety and security.

Read Part One: Outreach

Read Part Three: Move-In Day

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LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We recognize we are gathered, in collaboration and with joint purpose, on Treaty 6 territory. This territory is the home and gathering place for diverse Indigenous peoples. The Cree, Blackfoot, Métis, Nakota Sioux, Iroquois, Dene, Inuit, and many others. We know the importance of the Treaty and our responsibility to these communities and that only in partnership can we create the social change necessary to end homelessness. It is vital that we meaningfully engage and partner with Indigenous people and communities in this work. It is important to recognize and address the conditions brought forth by colonialism. Displacement from traditional homelands, systemic racism, residential schools, the Sixties Scoop, and the ongoing overrepresentation of Indigenous people in child welfare, correctional systems, and homelessness are responsibilities we all share.