EXPLORING EFFECTIVE SYSTEMS RESPONSES TO HOMELESSNESS

INTER-SECTORAL COLLABORATIONS
Non-housing Themes
A number of key priority non-housing or support issues and gaps were identified
during the 12 focus groups and contributed to some key recommendations.
Regarding preventive initiatives, participants suggested that changes were needed in
housing and support programs and strategies to prevent people from either being at
risk of homelessness or assist people to exit and stay out of homelessness. Changes
identified included in‐house and community support services and improved practices
within communities (i.e. preventing ghettoization and gentrification) and within the
private sector (i.e. improved understanding and decreased discrimination). However,
the challenge they identified was that governments needed to be convinced that preventive
measures would result in reduced expenses.
Participants also indicated a need for more communication and awareness about
homelessness and its costs to individuals and society. The whole community needed
to be part of the solution to end homelessness by addressing issues pertaining to
ghettoization, gentrification, Not-in-my-back-yard attitude (NIMBYism) and poor
collaboration among private or nonprofit sectors and the levels of government.
In addition, focus group participants felt that all levels of government needed to
focus more on relevant policies or strategies to support initiatives to prevent and
end homelessness. A national housing policy was viewed as critical to resolving
homelessness. More relevant research and advocacy would provide the evidence to
support or inform such policies and push governments to make changes in existing
policies regarding housing and support strategies. The different participants in
focus groups (people who were homeless, service providers and decision makers)
recommended capacity building initiatives (ensuring sustained funding for housing
and supports, having trained community staff in services/programs and specific
resources for Aboriginal programs), the development of a practical housing and
support continuum such as illustrated in Figure 1, and an effort to coordinate various
stakeholders and partnerships for funding.
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