A primer on affordable housing and homelessness

Sexual Violence

• 1 in 5 homeless women report being sexually assaulted or raped in previous year.

• Nick Falvo: United Church Women (Feb. 17, 2014)

• “Housing First”

• Nick Falvo: United Church Women (Feb. 17, 2014)

Throne Speech, 2013

• “Our Government will…[b]uild on the successful Housing First approach and its renewed Homelessness Partnering Strategy to help house vulnerable Canadians…”
• — Throne Speech (Canada), Oct. 2013

• Nick Falvo: United Church Women (Feb. 17, 2014)

Housing First

• My Definition (for the purpose of today’s class)
• Providing a homeless person with immediate access to permanent housing.
• The alternative to Housing First: the “treatment first” approach (also known as the “continuum of care” approach)—i.e. fix person’s behaviour (i.e. addictions, mental health, etc.) before giving them permanent housing.

• Nick Falvo: United Church Women (Feb. 17, 2014)

• Housing First

• Homeless

• Shelter placement

• Transitional housing

• Permanent housing

• Based on slide from S.Tsemberis

• Treatment First

• Client must demonstrate readiness for each step

• No requirement for readiness to move directly to permanent housing

• Difference between HF and Treatment First

• Nick Falvo: United Church Women (Feb. 17, 2014)

At Home/Chez Soi Study

• 5-city, random control study
• $110 million
• Results expected imminently

• Nick Falvo: United Church Women (Feb. 17, 2014)