The At Home / Chez Soi Project

This report looks at the sustainability of the At Home/Chez Soi’s (AHCS) housing and support teams in each of the project’s five sites: Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal and Moncton. The analysis is based on a cross-case analysis of themes emerging from case studies of each site. The themes relate to sustainability outcomes and processes, including factors and strategies that contributed to sustainability outcomes. This cross-site report complements a companion report that examined national-­level sustainability strategies that also contributed to sustainability of the teams, as well as influencing federal homelessness policy (Macnaughton, Nelson, Goering, & Piat, 2016). This report examines the sustainability of the teams in relation to continued funding and fidelity of the teams’ practice to the Housing First (HF) model. It also examines factors and strategies that contributed to sustainability at the site level, in terms of what worked well and what worked less well. There were some clear findings and lessons learned about the sustainability of AHCS HF programs. Findings and lessons learned are presented below in terms of what worked well and what worked less well.

What worked well?
• Nine of 12 AHCS programs continued.
• Overall, fidelity to the HF model among those programs was good.
• Research findings from AHCS were important for sustaining programs.
• Ongoing integrated knowledge translation and sustainability conversations with local,
provincial and national stakeholders contributed to sustainability of the AHCS programs.
• Sustainability was most evident when it was aligned with local and provincial policy.
• Leadership and local partnerships for HF were important.
• There is a need for ongoing training and technical assistance to maintain fidelity to the
HF model.
• Facts, values, strategy and persistence were important for achieving the sustainability of
AHCS programs.

What worked less well?
• Loss of staff as the research demonstration phase of AHCS came to an end jeopardized
sustainability.
• Sustaining rent supplements was challenging for some sites.
• Some provinces struggled with funding and inter-­ministerial cooperation and had other
policy priorities.
• There was opposi3on to program expansion from congregate, supportive housing
providers.

 

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