Welcome to the third volume of the Housing First Research Digest!
This volume is organised by Nadyah Abdel Salam (Est Metropole Habitat), member of the Housing First Europe Hub research cluster, and focuses on the Housing First dissemination and appropriation processes as a model for intervention and as a philosophy for ending homelessness.
Housing First is the fruit of exploration and innovation work that has involved many players for more than twenty years. Based on a combination of emerging practices (psychiatric rehabilitation, recovery, empowerment, community-based mobile support services, risk reduction, …) associated with permanent housing, the model circulates in Western countries, spreads new Housing First programmes and influences public policies. Far from being fixed, it gives rise to a plurality of appropriations, adjustments, homemade solutions and unexpected developments. The practices it inspires go beyond the model, at the risk of diluting or misleading the principles that underlie it. This selection of articles and studies tackles, from different perspectives, the innovation processes associated with Housing First and its ability to influence and transform systems action and public policies of homelessness, housing, health and solidarity.
Laval Christian & al. Housing First, au-delà du sans-abrisme et de la psychiatrie. Vie sociale, n°3-4/2018. Paris: Erès éditions, 2019.
With the participation of Roberto BERNAD, Thomas BOSETTI, Coralie BUXANT, Teresa DUARTE, Pascale ESTECAHANDY, Marianne FARKAS, Baptiste GODRIE, Kristen GURDAK, Rock HURTUBISE, Juha KAAKINEN, Christian LAVAL, Jean MANTOVANI, Jean MANTOVANI, Christopher MCALL, José PLUS, Aurélie TNLAND, Sam TSEMBERIS.
This collective work documents the genesis of the Housing First model in the United States and the experimentation, research and policy implementation work that allows the diffusion of the approach in North America and Europe. The authors were all involved in the implementation or evaluation of pioneering programmes directly inspired by the Housing First Pathways model. This book was coordinated by Christian Laval, head of qualitative research on the French programme “Un Chez Soi d’Abord“. He introduces the book with a reflection on the globalization of concepts and practices. The articles show the diversity of contexts, implementation processes and appropriations. They also show reciprocal learning and alliances to influence public policy, both at transnational level and in each country.
Hansen Löfstrand Cecilia & Juhila Kirsi. Housing First as a Moral Tale and a Travelling Idea. In Björn Andesson, Frida Pettersson & Aanette Skåner (eds.) Den motsspänstiga akademikern, festskrift till Ingrid Sahlin. Malmö: Égalité, 2017, p.15-37.
The authors analyse the story of the Pathways Housing First model as a success story and a moral tale. In their view, the expansion of Housing First is at least as much about the “convincing work” in the moral narrative as the concrete results of the programmes and the evidence of their effectiveness. While highlighting the strength of this story, they identify cleavage and simplification effects that can generate scepticism. It can be counterproductive in deployment dynamics on a larger scale, which does not a priori exclude other alternative models.
Knutagård Marcus & Arne Kristiansen. « Scaling Up Housing First Pilots – Drivers and Barriers ». Nordic Journal of Social Research 10, no 1, mai 2019, p.123.
This article discusses Housing First’s ability, as a social innovation, to transform existing institutions, create systemic change, and end homelessness (Padgett et al., 2016). It is based on a research project on Housing First Services in Sweden. It analyses the institutional changes implied by a Housing First pilot project in the municipality’s social housing system of Helsingborg, the facilitators and the barriers to the scaling up of Housing First in this context.
Lo Sardo Sebastien. Sorties de rue. Une ethnographie des pratiques d’intervention Housing First. Forum Bruxelles contre les inégalités, 2017.
Although fieldwork is often overlooked in the literature on social innovation, this study focuses precisely on field practice. Using an ethnographic approach, it is based on a year of daily observation of Housing First teams in Brussels and on a collaborative process of knowledge co-creation. The research highlights the distinctive nature of support practices that redefine the relationship between institutions and service users, exploring the boundaries of institutional frameworks and the evolving role of beneficiaries within the helping relationship. In contrast to approaches based on activation and conditional aid, the study demonstrates that the Housing First model succeeds because of its flexible institutional framework and the ability of field workers to adapt to each individual’s pace and circumstances. The practices developed by these teams offer valuable insights into rethinking social work methods beyond the specific context of homelessness.
Thank you for reading!