Community Based Research Project: Low Income Immigrant and Refugee Seniors: Housing and Health Needs Assessment
Every year, Homeward Trust funds up to 5 community research projects. During Housing Month, we are releasing one report a week. This week’s highlighted report is:
Low Income Immigrant and Refugee Seniors: Housing and Health Needs Assessment By Dr. Louanne Keenan
Funded by the Government of Canada’s Homelessness Partnering Strategy through Homeward Trust Edmonton’s Community Research Projects funding.
Every year, Homeward Trust funds up to 5 community research projects. During Housing Month, we are releasing one report a week. This week’s highlighted report is:
The Life We Deserve: A Model of Supportive Housing for Teen Families By Dr. Rebecca Gokiert, Melissa Tremblay, Dr. Bethan Kingsley, Karen Mottershead, Rob Appleyeard, Dr. Jane Springett
Funded by the Government of Canada’s Homelessness Partnering Strategy through Homeward Trust Edmonton’s Community Research Projects funding.
Every year, Homeward Trust funds up to 5 community research projects. During Housing Month, we are releasing one a week, starting with:
Youth Bans: Policy, Implementation, and the Perspective of Youth and Stakeholders By The Old Strathcona Community Mapping and Planning Committee
This 2015-2017 community-based participatory research study responds to a need identified by service providers to investigate the banning of youth who are homeless or without secure and adequate housing.
Funded by the Government of Canada’s Homelessness Partnering Strategy through Homeward Trust Edmonton’s Community Research Projects funding.
Edmonton joins the global campaign to end street homelessness by 2030
Homelessness is a global challenge, with an estimated 100 million people worldwide living without shelter. The Institute of Global Homelessness at DePaul University is launching a campaign to help 150 cities work toward ending street homelessness by 2030.
The campaign, A Place to Call Home, will begin with 10 vanguard cities across six continents. Each city will commit to achieving significant progress towards that goal by the end of 2020. Edmonton is one of those vanguard communities, and together, the community has committed that by 2020, no one staying in a shelter or sleeping rough will experience chronic homelessness.
“Edmonton is a leader and innovator on many fronts and has brought this to bear in our efforts to end homelessness,” said Mayor Don Iveson. “While the number of people experiencing homelessness in our city has decreased by 43% since 2008, there is still much work to do. Being selected as a vanguard city by the Institute of Global Homelessness is both an honour and an opportunity. We will be contributing to an international effort, and in our commitment to evidence-based approaches, we will build local capacity to ensure we meet our goal.”
“Homelessness looks different everywhere, and agreeing on definitions of homelessness had slowed down these types of collaborations in the past,” explained Kat Johnson, Director of the Institute of Global Homelessness. In 2015, the Institute of Global Homelessness released a framework that defines different types of homelessness so that international collaborators can work from the same definition. In recent years, IGH has drawn together policy makers and front-line staff from every continent to kick this work off.
“There is an emerging global movement to end homelessness, and A Place to Call Home helps cities and countries to work collaboratively to tackle the problem world-wide,” said Kat Johnson. “Edmonton is leading by example and will help other cities around the world to take action to end street homelessness.”
Edmonton’s efforts to end homelessness have realized significant results – more than 6,600 people who were without a home have been housed and supported through the Housing Support program. Eighty-five percent of Housing Support participants remain housed a year after entering the program. Recently updated, Edmonton’s Updated Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness shows that this ambitious goal is still within reach. Through the Housing Support Program, Permanent Supportive Housing, and diversion and prevention efforts, Edmonton is well on its way to achieving this goal.
“We are committed to preventing and ending homelessness in our community and working collectively to do so,” added Susan McGee, CEO of Homeward Trust Edmonton. “Being a vanguard city in this global movement will allow us to share best practices with other cities, and to learn how they are ending street homelessness in their own communities.”
For more information about the Institute of Global Homelessness visit ighomelessness.org.
November is Housing Month in Edmonton, an annual campaign that raises awareness of the need for affordable housing throughout our community. Since our last Community Update in November 2016, there has been a lot of work and much progress. With the release of A Place to Call Home: Edmonton’s Updated Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness in July 2017, we committed to bold targets, as well as regular updates to community on our progress and impact.
Please join us on Tuesday, November 7, 2017 as we celebrate successes, share local data, and profile new initiatives. Our partner organizations will be presenting and providing updates, learning, and next steps on their work and we will be updating the progress we have made over the past year. Reserve your free ticket here.
We are proud to announce Rosanne Haggerty from the Institute for Global Homelessness as a keynote speaker for the event.
About Rosanne Haggerty:
Rosanne Haggerty is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Community Solutions. She is an internationally recognized leader in developing innovative strategies to end homelessness and strengthen communities. Community Solutions assists communities throughout the US in solving the complex problems facing their most vulnerable residents by leading large scale change initiatives including the 100,000 Homes and Built for Zero Campaigns to end chronic and veteran homelessness, and neighborhood partnerships that bring together local residents and institutions to change the conditions that produce homelessness. Earlier, Rosanne founded Common Ground Community, a pioneer in the development of supportive housing and research-based practices that end homelessness.
Rosanne Haggerty is a:
- MacArthur Foundation Fellow
- Ashoka Senior Fellow
- Hunt Alternative Fund Prime Mover
- Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce Fellow
- 2012 Jane Jacobs Medal for New Ideas and Activism from the Rockefeller Foundation
- 2015 Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneur
- 2015 Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum’s National Design Award
- 2017 John W. Gardner Leadership Award
The start-up cost for anyone moving into their first home is expensive. It can be a barrier for someone securing sustainable housing.
You may already know that Find provides essential furnishings free of charge to people moving out of homelessness through the Housing Support program. Find also collaborates with local agencies to support their housing efforts. The Furniture Program, a service offered by Edmonton John Howard Society’s Family Violence Prevention Centre, is one such partnership. Natasha is the Community Liaison Worker with that program. She shares the experience of her client “Mary” at Find:
“I picked up Mary and her three-year-old daughter early Monday morning. They were in incredible spirits. Both mother and daughter chatted away during our commute to Find. Mary had previously told me at her intake appointment that they had very little furniture, having just left the shelter and secured a home for their fresh start. They had been spending their evenings sleeping on a crib mattress on the floor.
As we moved through the selection process with Mary, she was incredibly appreciative of every table, chair, shelf, and lamp, and her daughter warmed the hearts of many employees. That day, there were no dressers available, but Diane told her not to worry that they would find her one. Diane also found Mary some amazing pictures that would fit in with her design style. Mary was so moved by Diane’s consideration that she immediately hugged her while her daughter proceeded to hug and thank every employee within arm’s reach. As we returned to the vehicle and headed to Mary’s new home, her daughter clutched the new teddy bear that had just been given to her by Find staff.
The next day I met the Find delivery crew at Mary’s home. The townhouse was essentially empty, aside from numerous boxes filled with clothes and accessories. Mary told me about how kind the people at the shelter were and showed me the items donated to her and her daughter as they left. There was an abundance of clothes, boots, toys and various other items. She explained that the shelter did not have access to furniture which is why The Furniture Program was such a blessing to her. She and her daughter were elated as the crew brought in each item and put it in the room she requested. Diane had found Mary’s daughter a lovely pink dresser that had been recently donated to Find. Both mother and daughter were overjoyed as Mary outlined how she would decorate her little girl’s new bedroom.
As we completed the delivery, Mary said The Furniture Program and Find had given her a new start, providing her with the ability to make a home for her and her daughter. She mentioned these programs are what gives people the chance and strength to break away from bad situations and she would be forever grateful.
Everything about this program, every donation, every stakeholder, every participant, every client, makes it a remarkable resource for the community. My experience over the years has demonstrated to me how difficult it is for victims of family violence to break away from the cycle of abuse. Often, they are reliant on their partner financially and have young children to consider. Both components don’t even remotely define the extensive damage an abusive situation can do to the confidence, self-esteem, independence and ability to believe in a brighter future of someone entrenched in it.”
Between January and September 2017, Find provided and delivered furniture to 48 new homes for people in Edmonton John Howard Society’s Furniture Program who had to flee an abusive relationship. Your donations of preloved furniture and housewares either go directly to a person in need, or proceeds from those sales to the public are reinvested into the program. Find more about Find here.
The LGBTQ2S Youth Housing and Shelter Guidelines was released in 2017. Our Manager of Clinical Services and Program Supports, Renee Iverson, was the working group co-chair that brought these Guidelines to fruition. These guidelines provide a sustainable framework and tools for those engaged with LGBTQ2S youth who do not dismiss or camouflage the excellent work that is already being done in Alberta. Instead, they provide an opportunity to reflect on current practice and make changes where applicable and needed.
Renee shared at the launch why this work is so important:
“What is Pride? For this lesbian, it means transparency in who I am and who I love. It means I can be genuine in who I am. This does not mean I’m not sometimes fearful of those with homophobia on the tip of their tongue or at the end of their fist. However, what Pride tells me is that there is the presence of a strong vibrant community and allies that are here for support. The LGBTQ2S Youth Housing and Shelter Guidelines provide a formal extension of this support to our youth.”
Youth homelessness is a real and pressing problem in Alberta. LGBTQ2S youth face higher rates of homelessness, mental health, and suicide than those youth not considered LGBTQ2S. It is estimated LGBTQ2S youth make up around a third of homeless youth in Alberta and that they face significantly higher rates of discrimination and violence in shelters than those who do not identify as LGBTQ2S. Moreover, youth who identify as LGBTQ2S have higher rates of suicidality than the general population.
Recognizing the need to address this, the Government of Alberta and contributing community partners created the provincial publication Supporting Health and Successful Transitions to Adulthood: A Plan to Prevent and Reduce Youth Homelessness, which identified innovative approaches and specific gaps in support for youth.
One of the gaps identified was the need for a response that reflected the unique needs of youth who identify as LGBTQ2S. The experience of coming out is different for every person, but the need to be genuine in one’s own skin is universal. However, the act of being genuine for those who identify as LGBTQ2S can be difficult. It makes things considerably worse when family and friends don’t support youth at the most vulnerable time of their life. When a youth’s support system is not there, services and resources must work quickly to put supports in place.
Dr. Alex Abramovich, from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, is a recognized leader in the area of LGBTQ2S youth homelessness. His assessment of the need for unique strategies and responses outlined in the Plan to Prevent and Reduce Youth Homelessness led to the recommendations found in his report, A Focused Response to Prevent and End LGBTQ2S Homelessness.
From here, the LGBTQ2S Youth Homelessness Working Group was formed. This group included representation from the Government of Alberta, organizations working with youth, and front-line workers providing direct support to youth.
“These guidelines are the result of collaborative efforts across the province from those focused on ending youth homelessness in Alberta. By having the voices of so many partners involved in the process, we now have a sustainable framework and the tools to equip those working with LGBTQ2S youth to eliminate barriers and create paths to move youth forward” shares Renee.
You can download the Guidelines here.
Cultural support and reconciliation are pillars of our work. Some of our recent experiences have included facilitating pipe ceremonies and smudges for Housing Support partner landlords and their buildings, which received a very positive response. Eight buildings have begun participating in this cleansing process so far.
Ken Armstrong, Homeward Trust’s Oskapewis/Indigenous Cultural & Educational Helper, facilitated the ceremony with an elder after receiving a request from a tenant and coordinating with the building’s landlord. “It’s not one and done,” mentions Ken. “Following the request, we talk with the landlord about the requested ceremony, its purpose, and the importance of protocol. Each time you do it, the heaviness of the building gets lighter. So, it’s a good first step to open that door.”
Kyle Soroka, property manager at Canora Place, shared how the first ceremony benefited residents and himself. “I thought it would be a good opportunity for the Indigenous people in the building to do something that’s important for them. I didn’t really know too much about it (ceremony), and it was a good opportunity for me to learn, too.” Kyle also shared that bringing this ceremony to Canora Place has brought him and some of his tenants closer together.
“It’s a huge reconciliation piece with the landlords for us to come together and provide this for our community members,” adds Ken. “Most landlords are not Indigenous, and they serve a large Indigenous population. They want us to provide that cultural piece, not only for the health of the building but for their tenants, too.”
If you are an interested landlord, please reach out to your contact at Homeward Trust.
After engaging thousands of Edmontonians, people with lived experience, and key stakeholders, Homeward Trust and the City of Edmonton have released A Place to Call Home – Edmonton’s Updated Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness.
The updated plan sets priorities to 2026. It is founded on three key goals: eliminating chronic and episodic homelessness by 2022; preventing future homelessness; and developing an integrated systems response to homelessness. Each key goal has its own associated targets and strategies.
After engaging key stakeholders, people with lived experience, and thousands of Edmontonians, Homeward Trust and the City of Edmonton have released A Place to Call Home – Edmonton’s Updated Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness.
The updated plan sets priorities to 2026. It is founded on three key goals: eliminating chronic and episodic homelessness by 2022; preventing future homelessness; and developing an integrated systems response to homelessness. Each key goal has its own associated targets and strategies.
Ending and preventing homelessness will require renewed leadership and strategic investment across stakeholders and partners. The Plan calls on Edmonton’s homeless-serving system to maintain focus on responding to immediate needs of vulnerable Edmontonians experiencing homelessness, and enhance integration with affordable housing, prevention, and poverty reduction supports and efforts, such as EndPoverty Edmonton.
Since the Plan’s inception in 2009, the Edmonton community has made strong progress. More than 6,000 people have been housed and supported under the Plan and partners have gained a better understanding about the scope of homelessness in our city and what is required to end it.
“During the past eight years, we have deployed proven interventions across funded programs, developed evaluation frameworks and unitized data that has allowed us to course correct in real-time to maintain a high level of performance across those programs, and improved the coordination and integration of the homeless serving system as a whole,” said Susan McGee, CEO of Homeward Trust Edmonton. “Over the next three years, we will house and support 4,000 more people experiencing homelessness through the Housing Support Program throughout our city. We will also have the systems in place to ensure everyone who seeks shelter or services will be connected to housing and supports within 21 days.”
The updated Plan recognizes and responds to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action through an explicit acknowledgement that Indigenous homelessness is a colonial legacy. In addition, it is anticipated to yield cost avoidance of at least $230 million in reduced usage of health, justice, and other systems.
Read the report in its entirety at endhomelessnessyeg.ca.
