The implementation of Housing First in Canada almost 20 years ago represented a paradigm shift. It pushed back against traditional thinking that placed blame on individuals experiencing homelessness for their plight, with solutions relying on such individuals to make personal changes until they were deemed fit and ready for housing.
Along with Housing First came a realisation that individual organisations providing Housing First could work more effectively if they were coordinated into a single system, with centralised intake, data management systems, and efficient flow through to help those in greatest need to exit homelessness.
The current arrangement of homelessness systems optimisation as a new orthodoxy is well-intended, but the evidence suggests it is not sufficient to end homelessness. Our argument is that we need to address the inflow into homelessness through prevention. Moreover, to create positive impact through prevention, a multiple systems approach is needed to call upon other public systems, including those that perpetuate homelessness (health care, child protection, justice) to contribute to solutions to homelessness.
Authors: Stephen Gaetz and Amanda Buchnea
Published in volume 17, Issue 2, 2023 of the European Journal of Homelessness.
Read the full paper here.