Connecting Research with Advocacy on Homelessness and Housing

1. Connecting Research with Advocacy on Homelessness and Housing Geoffrey Nelson Department of Psychology Wilfrid Laurier University Presentation to “2006 Community Forum on Homelessness: Linking Ottawa Research with Action and Policy ,” November , 2006, Ottawa

2. Overview • Public policy – Why Canada has a problem with homelessness • Research – Facts and figures; Listening to people with housing challenges – qualitative and action research • Getting organized, taking action – Using research for education and advocacy to change public policy

3. Public Policy • Caragata, L. (2006). Housing and homelessness. In A. Westhues (Ed.), Canadian social policy: Issues and perspectives (4th. Ed., pp. 267-290). Waterloo, ON: Wilfrid Laurier University Press. • Hulchanski, D., & Shapcott, M. (Ed.). (2004). Finding room: Policy options for a Canadian rental strategy. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

4. Public Policy • For the last 20+ years, federal and Ontario provincial governments have taken major strides backwards in terms of developing an adequate public policy for social housing for low-income and vulnerable Canadians • 1984-1993 – Mulroney government cut $1.8 billion from the federal housing budget and then eliminated all federal funding for housing • 1990 – Liberal Task Force chaired by Paul Martin – “Housing is a fundamental human right: all Canadians have the right to decent housing.”

5. Public Policy • 1996 – Chretien government downloaded responsibility for housing to the provinces • 1995 – Harris government in Ontario cancelled promised funding for housing projects • 1998 – Harris government downloaded responsibility for housing to municipalities • 1993-2000 – Fewer than 1000 units of social housing created: compared with 25,000 created in 1980 alone

6. Public Policy • Federal government created a National Homelessness Initiative in 1999 • Funds invested in Supporting Communities Partnership Initiative (SCPI) • Renewal of this initiative in 2003 • 2006 – Harper government freezes SCPI, effectively reneging on millions of dollars in funding to municipalities to combat homelessness

7. Public Policy Ideology of blaming the victim underlies government housing policy since the 1980s • People are homeless because they choose to be homeless or because of some personal defects, bad behaviours or poor lifestyle choices/habits • 2002 – Current federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty called for jailing homeless people

8. Public Policy Structural perspective – This alternative view holds that homelessness results from lack of affordability and diminished housing stock, including: • Declining incomes for those at lowest income levels • Rising rents • Reduced vacancy rates • Declining rental stock construction • Lack of adequate government investment in non-profit, social housing

9. Research: Homelessness and Health in Canada • What are the consequences of recent housing policies? • Frankish, C.J., Hwang, S.W., & Quantz, D. (2005). Homelessness and health in Canada. Canadian Journal of Public Health, March/April, 96, S23-S29.

10. Research: Growing Homelessness in Canada • Prevalence studies in several large Canadian cities, report cards on homelessness have shown homelessness to be a serious problem • Number of homeless people doubled in Calgary from 1994 to 2000 • 8,853 people in Ottawa stayed in a shelter in Ottawa at some point in 2005 • 2001 Census identified 14,000 homeless people; most agree that this is an underestimate

11. Research: Vulnerable Groups Are at Risk for Homelessness, Poor Health • Many factors associated with homelessness – adverse childhood experiences, poverty, Aboriginal people, disabilities, substance abuse, immigrants/refugees, etc. • A variety of health problems associated with homelessness – increased risk of mortality, TB, substance abuse, mental health problems, HIV infection, STDs, violence and assaults, difficulty accessing health care, etc.

12. Research: Housing and Support Can Overcome These Problems • Several studies have compared some type of intervention with standard care or different types of interventions for homeless people with mental illness (Nelson, Aubry & Lafrance, under review) • Both supported housing and ACT have been shown to reduce homelessness and psychiatric hospitalization and to improve the quality of life of homeless persons

13. Research: Listening to People with Housing Challenges • Qualitative research enables people to tell their stories, articulate their needs, and share their experiences • London CURA project - Psychiatric Survivors, Participatory Action Research, and Supported Housing • partnered with DHCs in southwestern Ontario • Conducted focus groups with psychiatric consumer/survivors on housing and mental health (Forchuk, Nelson & Hall, 2006)

14. Research: Listening to People with Housing Challenges

15. Research: Listening to People with Housing Challenges Stories of formerly homeless people with mental illness – Part of Phase I mental health homelessness initiative evaluation; changes from before to after supported housing in terms of personal well-being, relationships, and resources (Nelson et al., 2005) “Well, it [supported housing] has kept me out of jail for a year … And I don’t shoplift anymore and they got me on the right medication … I can’t say anything higher about the Homes Program … Oh, it is wonderful … This is the best my life has ever been.” “I work about 4 days/week and then I work every night [at the housing program] … I clean the dining room.”

16. Research: Listening to People with Housing Challenges • Poetry – Clarke, Febbraro, Hatzipantelis, and Nelson (2005) • Video productions – The Mayor of Tent City in Toronto, From Madhouse to Our House • Dramatic productions • Putting stores to music – Kirkpatrick (2005) • First person accounts – oral presentations, The Dream Team, thedreamteam.ca, Waterloo Initiative in Supportive Housing • First person accounts – writings from psychiatric survivors, e.g., Pat Capponi

17. A few words about the author and from the text…..

18. Getting Organized, Taking Action: Education and Advocacy • Using quantitative and qualitative research, various alliances and coalitions have developed education and advocacy strategies to create change – 1% solution, The Dream Team, thedreamteam.ca, the National Network for Housing and Homelessness, Toronto Disaster Relief Committee • Supportive housing coalitions created in Toronto (Trainor et al., 1987) and Waterloo Region (Nelson, 1994) in the 1980s successfully lobbied the provincial government for more housing for people with mental illness

19. Getting Organized, Taking Action: Education and Advocacy • London CURA held annual conferences for the community, developed fact sheets and summary bulletins, held all candidates meetings during provincial and municipal elections • Phase II mental health homelessness initiative – 111 new units of supported housing created in 2001 in London

20. Getting Organized, Taking Action: Education and Advocacy • Hamilton - had 674 people with serious mental illness living in second-level lodging homes and 65 in Homes for Special Care (total of 739 living in custodial housing), 49 in supportive housing • Creation of Supported Housing Network • Many of new units created through Mental Health Homelessness Initiative Phases I and II are supported housing – 158

21. Getting Organized, Taking Action: Education and Advocacy • Ottawa – Alliance to End Homelessness • Ottawa's 2006-2008 Community Action Plan on Homelessness to create “A City Without Homelessness” • Mayoral debate on solving homelessness and municipal election strategy

22. Conclusion • Governments are under increasing pressure from the corporate sector to cut taxes, thus reducing health, education, and social services • In Canada this has led to government neglect of the need for developing social housing for low-income and vulnerable populations • Research has documented increased homelessness and consequently negative health and psychosocial outcomes for homeless people

23. Conclusion • Research has also shown that people with housing challenges can articulate their needs very clearly and that supported housing can overcome many of the problems associated with homelessness • It is important to use research to inform public policy and to get organized and take action to make homelessness a local, provincial and national priority, just as we are doing here today

24. Conclusion Ralph Nader’s recipe for successful advocacy • Facts - research • Values – belief that housing is a human right • Strategy – getting organized, taking action • Persistence – we’re in this for the long run Fewer ingredients than needed for a chocolate cake

25. Thank You!