Housing First

While some progress has been made in addressing chronic homelessness through
supportive models, a comprehensive solution for housing loss must include prevention.
The purpose of this article is twofold: to conduct a review of the literature on
the domains of the Framework for Homelessness Prevention; and to use literature
on the concept of quaternary prevention, preventing the harms of service provision,
to theorise an additional domain. The Framework for Homelessness Prevention
draws upon theory from public health exploring primary, secondary and tertiary
prevention, and also integrates primordial prevention. This leads to a typology of
homelessness prevention that incorporates the following five domains: (a) Structural
prevention; (b) Systems prevention; (c) Early intervention; (d) Eviction prevention;
and (e) Housing stability. By systematically reviewing the literature we build out the
evidence-base supporting these domains. The team used research databases, internet
searches and retrospective reference list reviews to identify high-quality journal
articles on prevention, which were then sorted by level of prevention. Through this
process, we evolved our thinking on the Framework in considering that quaternary
prevention was not initially included. Therefore, we explored the literature related
to quaternary prevention in the context of homelessness and offer a sixth domain
for the Framework: Empowerment. Ultimately, a comprehensive Framework for
Homelessness Prevention will support communities and governments to more effectively prevent homelessness through upstream approaches.

Across North America and elsewhere in the world, Housing First is recognized as an effective and humane approach to addressing homelessness. The need for a consideration of how Housing First works for young people (aged 13-25) is based on concerns raised by policy-makers, practitioners and indeed, young persons themselves, about the applicability of models and approaches developed for adults who are homeless, when applied to a youthful population.
        The framework presented here is intended to provide communities and funders with a clear understanding of what Housing First is, and how it can work to support young people who experience, or are at risk of, homelessness. It is the outcome of a collaborative process involving the Street Youth Planning Collaborative (Hamilton) and the National Learning Community on Youth Homelessness. The framework reflects a belief that for young people the experience of homelessness – both in terms of its causes and conditions - is distinct from that which impacts adults, and therefore the solutions must reflect these important differences. We cannot take an established approach that works for adults and simply create Housing First “Junior” by changing the age mandate. If Housing First is to work for youth, it must be built upon our understanding of the developmental, social and legal needs of young persons.

- See more at: http://homelesshub.ca/resource/safe-and-decent-place-live-towards-housing-first-framework-youth#sthash.J6qtE61U.dpuf

Housing First (HF) has emerged as the dominant paradigm in homelessness policy and has been praised for bringing an "end" to the homelessness crisis. Others claim, however, that HF facilitates further sociospatial exclusion of people experiencing homelessness (PEH). To advance this debate and understand HF within its larger sociological context, this article examines how HF policies translate to the lived experiences of those who remain in shelters and on the streets. Through interviews with 22 PEH, we demonstrate how HF confronts PEH with a set of strategic dilemmas that we frame using the concept of "boundary-work". First, PEH must negotiate the symbolic boundaries that HF establishes between "worthy" and "unworthy" for the purposes of distributing housing. Second, once housed, PEH face challenges in navigating the social boundaries that separate the private space of the dwelling, the transitional spaces of homelessness (e.g. streets, shelters), and the increasingly gentrified public spaces of the city. We end by discussing the implications of these findings for evaluating HF programs and demonstrating the value of a boundary-work perspective on homelessness.

Housing First has emerged as an effective and humane approach
to addressing homelessness. In spite of the strength of the evidence, questions remain regarding the applicability of Housing First to sub-populations, including youth. The proposed framework for Housing First for Youth outlined here is intended to provide a starting point for communities, policy-makers and practitioners interested in applying the model to adolescents and young adults, recognizing that different national and local contexts present both unique challenges but also opportunities. Housing First does not promise or pretend to be the only approach to addressing youth homelessness. However, it can and should become an important intervention that supports, and in turn is supported by, other preventive and early intervention strategies, short term emergency supports, and so on.

This rapid evidence review shows that Housing First is highly effective in ending homelessness among people with high and complex needs, but it does not constitute an entire solution to single homelessness, or rough sleeping, in itself. The international evidence, including Finnish experience, shows that Housing First services need to be a part of an integrated homelessness strategy to be truly effective. Fully recognising the effectiveness and strengths of existing homelessness services, building strong preventative services, employing Housing First and exploring the possibilities around other innovations such as Critical Time Intervention, within an integrated homelessness strategy that rigorously monitors outcomes, is the best way to tackle homelessness.

Housing First es una metodología utilizada en la acción con personas sin hogar, centrada en la recuperación personal y basada en el reconocimiento del derecho a la vivienda, así como en la plena autonomía del individuo en su toma de decisiones. También, implica retos y un nuevo enfoque en la forma en que concebimos la acción profesional. El texto presenta el origen de esta metodología, su evolución actual en el contexto europeo y su reciente implantación en España. Su carácter innovador y carente de referencias inmediatas, implica la necesidad de encontrar formas de acotar qué es y qué no es Housing First. Por último, el artículo sugiere algunos límites y retos de este eficiente modelo: orientado a los derechos, pero aún poco implementado y con pocas directrices aplicables en nuestro contexto.

The goal of this report is to present an argument for approaching how we respond to youth homelessness in a new way. The report achieves this by pulling together key information about youth homelessness, to better inform how we respond to the problem. As a peer-reviewed research document, Dr. Gaetz draws on an existing base of research in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States, in order to identify effective approaches to youth homelessness policy and practice. The report also draws heavily on several previous works by Dr. Gaetz, including Live, Learn, Grow: Supporting Transitions to Adulthood for Homeless Youth - A Framework for the Foyer in Canada, and several chapters from the book Youth Homelessness in Canada: Implications for Policy and Practice and in particular, the concluding chapter Ending Youth Homelessness in Canada is Possible: The Role of Prevention.

While this is a research report that will appeal to academics, the intended audience is much broader. It has been written in a way to appeal to students, service providers, policy makers and the general public. The key arguments are intended to help inform decision-making in government, communities, and social service agencies. As a research document, it provides an evidentiary base for creating more effective responses to youth homelessness. As a public document, it is intended to inspire change and innovation, with the ultimate goal of contributing to real and effective solutions to youth homelessness in Canada.

- See more at: http://homelesshub.ca/comingofage#sthash.NfSB5E1B.dpuf

Le programme « Un chez-soi d’abord » est présenté comme une innovation sociale pour l’accès au logement des personnes sans-abri avec des troubles psychiatriques sévères. D’abord expérimental pendant cinq ans dans quatre villes française (Paris, Lille, Marseille, Toulouse), ce programme a fait ses preuves et est maintenant dans une phase de déploiement dans de nouvelles villes. Inscrite dans la logique d’une politique fondée sur les preuves, la réussite de cette expérimentation est généralement présentée à travers deux résultats principaux : les économies qu’il permet de réaliser (« cela coûte moins cher de loger les gens »1) et le maintien des personnes dans leur logement (« plus de 80 % des personnes sont encore dans leur logement après un an*»).
Dans cet article nous proposons, en tirant partie de la Théorie de l’Acteur-Réseau, de nous intéresser au logement en le considérant en tant qu’actant, c’est-à-dire un acteur au même titre que les autres acteurs et actrices du programme, en interaction notamment avec les professionnel.le.s et les personnes logées. Nous nous appuierons sur une enquête ethnographique menée sur une période d’un an et demi au sein de l’équipe d’accompagnement de Marseille, un des sites princeps du programme « Un chez-soi d’abord ».
À partir de l’observation des pratiques et des discours, nous esquisserons d’abord une définition pratique de cet actant : de quoi parle-t-on lorsque l’on parle de logement dans le programme « Un chez-soi d’abord » ? Nous montrerons ensuite que le logement est un « acteur politique » dès le départ dans l’expérimentation « Un chez-soi d’abord », à travers le plaidoyer pour les droits des personnes. Enfin, nous décrirons des situations où le logement est en interaction avec les professionnel.le.s et les personnes logé.e.s à travers sa présence ou son absence dans la relation d’accompagnement, par exemple ; ainsi que lors de l’irruption d’autres acteurs (réparateur, voisins, etc).

The active role of homeless citizens in Germany. The case of the Initiative Bauen Wohnen Arbeiten in Cologne.

Countless organizations are working in the homeless sector; nevertheless, Germany has 1.2 million citizens living this reality every day. Solutions normally range from emergency charity services to quick-fixes, such as temporary accommodation.

This thesis work was based on 1) recognizing housing as a human right and the starting point for ending homelessness, not the ending goal; and 2) that permanent fixes can only be achieved by practicing a human-centered approach and including "experts by experience" (people with lived homelessness experience) as active actors in the development of solutions.

When facing a systemic issue as it is homelessness, there is a need for interventions at multiple levels from individually-focused solutions to large-scale social policies. Thus, the outcome of this thesis contemplated on the first hand, the construction of the IBWA model easy to replicate, based on the Initiative Bauen Wohnen Arbeiten in Cologne. And last but not least, a set of Principles developed by and with the "Self-representation of homeless people" to guide the collaboration hand by hand between service providers, policymakers and homeless citizens.

Vanessa Espinosa Ureta

Master of Arts Integrated Design
www.espinosaureta.com

Tesi di laurea triennale svolta presso il Politecnico di Milano. La tesi indaga un progetto di residenza temporanea nato da una occupazione abusiva allo scopo di rispondere in maniera efficace all'emergenza abitativa milanese. L'intervento porta con sé numerose provocazioni da cui è possibile trarre validi spunti di riflessione: quale domanda di abitare prevale oggi? E qual è il ruolo degli architetti?

With the 2013 application Tanudjaja v. Attorney General of Canada, a Charter challenge based indirectly on the right to housing, many jurists and housing rights’ champions have been revisiting the question of access to social housing as a basic human right in Canada. This thesis attempts to answer the question of what that right means in a jurisdiction where it is has only recently been enshrined in Federal statute, given that in the constitution, judicial decisions and statute, the right remains nonjusticiable. It adopts innovative theoretical concepts such as Judicial Internalisation, Incrementalism, and other developments in transnational and international human rights law in considering the legal implications of Charter doctrines for the legal recognition of the right to housing in Canada. As well as examining, the international, constitutional, legal history and current status of the right to housing, notably in interpretations of the Canadian Charter, but also in the federal and sub-national contexts with regards to modern policy and legislative initiatives that drive the discourse associated with economic, social and cultural rights. Moreover, the dissertation examines the way in which these discussions might legally reinforce a substantive right to social housing in Canada. It sets out to determine what the best legal avenues for future litigation of housing rights in Canada might be, and what obstacles the exercise of such a right must overcome in the current legal climate, given the division of powers in Canada, and the traditional reluctance of law makers and the judiciary to give it legal effect.

L’articolo offre un’introduzione critica a una politica per la casa e si sostegno diretta a persone senza dimora chiamata ‘Housing First’. Vengono illustrate le ragioni del successo di tale politica evidenziando come, nel suo viaggiare globale, non resti sempre uguale a se stessa ma cambi per adeguarsi alle dinamiche dei differenti contesti. L’adattamento dello e allo Housing First pone quindi delle complesse sfide di policy (modello di intervento) e politics (sistema di pensiero). L’obiettivo è fornire un quadro analitico di queste sfide che possa essere utile sia a comprendere meglio la portata innovativa dell’Housing First, che a stimolare una riflessione critica intorno alla nascente esperienza italiana.

In the winter of 2018, high profile debates about 'rough sleepers' intensified following reports about men who died in freezing conditions. Government since pledged to cut the number of rough sleepers by half by 2022 and eliminate it by 2027. This commentary reviews two pieces of legislation which could support this target: the Care Act 2014 and the Home-lessness Reduction Act 2018. It argues that policies offer opportunities to improve outcomes for rough sleepers, given historic failings to provide for this social group. However, financial and institutional barriers remain.

This piece of work was commissioned by Homeless Link. This report draws on data collected across England, from Housing First service providers, people using Housing First and local authorities which were commissioning Housing First, during the Spring and Summer of 2018. The work had three elements: 1) A survey of Housing First service providers which asked for information on the costs of providing their services and collected basic information on how those services operated 2) A brief questionnaire that local authorities commissioning Housing First services were asked to complete, which detailed their spending on other forms of homelessness service alongside spending on Housing First 3) A questionnaire for people using Housing First, which compared their patterns of service use, with respect to health, mental health, addiction, social care and homelessness service and their contact with the criminal justice system, prior to and following use of Housing First. Respondents were asked to compare their typical patterns of service use over three months, as current users of Housing First, with their pattern of service use over a typical three-month period, before they were using Housing First.

Housing First is highly effective in ending homelessness among people with high and complex needs, but it does not constitute a solution to single homelessness, or rough sleeping, in itself. The international evidence shows that Housing First services need to be a part of an integrated homelessness strategy to be truly effective.

As the Housing First approach to homeless service provision has proliferated in the United States in recent years, varied understandings of the model have emerged and a wide range of outcomes have been reported. This study seeks to better understand the variation in the implementation of Housing First, to identify outcomes of interest to stakeholders to improve future evaluations of the model, and to compare Housing First in practice to Housing First in theory. In order to achieve these goals, this study utilizes an exploratory sequential mixed methods research design beginning with a qualitative case study of Housing First programs in the Greater Boston area of Massachusetts which informed the design of an original survey that was distributed to a national sample of organizations operating Housing First programs (n=283). Qualitative data suggest that the implementation of Housing First is largely determined by the history of the organization, whether the organization chose to transition to Housing First or was compelled to do so by a funder, and the level of staff enthusiasm for the model. Key outcome measures identified by stakeholders include percent of program participants exiting to homelessness, percent of program participants evicted or involuntarily terminated, life satisfaction among program participants, ability of program participants to perform activities of daily living, and program participant progress toward achieving goals beyond attaining and maintaining housing. Quantitative analysis of survey data reveals that in general, practitioners adhere closely to Housing First in theory as it is broadly defined by the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness. There is also widespread adoption of the narrowly defined Pathways Housing First model, with Housing First practitioners most commonly operating scattered-site permanent supportive housing programs that serve people experiencing chronic homelessness. Regression models show that broadly, fidelity to Housing First in theory, level of staff enthusiasm for Housing First, whether the organization chose to utilize a Housing First approach or was compelled to do so by a funder, and the length of time that an organization has been utilizing a Housing First approach are all significantly correlated with key outcomes.

El presente artículo pretende describir el proceso de transformación de la práctica de tres equipos del programa Primer la Llar. Se trata del primer programa piloto (2015-2018) con filosofía Housing First lanzado por una Administración Pública en el Estado español. El Ayuntamiento de Barcelona se convierte en la primera Administración local que asume el liderazgo organizativo y técnico de un programa con estas características. Para documentar el cambio de modelo de atención se ha utilizado una investigación longitudinal enmarcada en los métodos narrativos. A través de entrevistas grupales e individuales se ha trabajado en el relato de práctica como fuente de sabiduría. Los resultados se presentan en relación con tres momentos y exploran la dimensión individual y colectiva de la práctica. La gobernanza y la práctica están influenciadas bidireccionalmente. Este artículo visibiliza los niveles a través de los cuales las diferentes decisiones afectan al acompañamiento profesional y guía...

Resumo: O artigo aborda a situação de rua na perspectiva da insegurança habitacional, buscando encontrar nas experiências acumuladas nos serviços de assistência social, ele-mentos para a crítica e integração das políticas habitacionais. Assim, identifica a utilização de diferentes mecanismos em abordagem tutelar e paternalista dos direitos, reforçando a segregação espacial e constituindo-se em portas de um sistema sem saídas. Para superar esse paradigma, reconhece modalidades com potencial para qualificar a oferta e a integra-ção com as políticas habitacionais na trajetória do direito e da responsabilidade do Estado. Palavras-chave: Situação de Rua; Habitação; Assistência Social. Abstract: This article addresses the homelessness from the perspective of housing insecurity , seeking to find in the experiences accumulated in social assistance services, elements for criticizing and integrating housing policies. Thus, it identifies the use of these different mechanisms in a tutelary and paternalistic approach and reinforcement of spatial segregation. Therefore, constituting doors of a system with no way out. To overcome this paradigm, it recognizes modalities with potential to qualify the offer and integration with housing policies, designing a trajectory of the State's law and responsibility.

With the aim of ending long-term homelessness and the need to sleep rough in Ireland, a range of homeless policy changes have been made since 2008, most notably in the Dublin area. This paper sets out to analyse these changes in the context of homelessness models and attempts to place Ireland within this spectrum of services. The new policy will be critiqued in relation to research on these models and their positive and/or negative effects on shortening the homeless 'careers' of the most vulnerable homeless people. As the restructuring of services in Dublin is still underway, the full effects will not be evident for a number of years. However, it is possible to make some conclusions and recommendations in relation to the approach currently being implemented, in order to ensure that the most vulnerable benefit from the new services and can obtain and maintain independent homes.

This study was commissioned by Crisis, with funding from the (UK Government) Department for Communities and Local Government and the Housing First Europe Hub. It was conducted by a consortium led by Imogen Blood & Associates and including Housing & Support Partnership, HGO Consultancy, and the Centre for Housing Policy (University of York). The study aimed to test the feasibility of implementing Housing First at scale within the Liverpool City Region (LCR) by using a wide range of quantitative and qualitative data from LCR to develop, evaluate and propose a model for implementing Housing First at scale within the region; assessing the financial and commissioning implications of making the transition to this model; and, understanding the local and national policy changes needed to support this model;

This report is a qualitative evaluation of the Futures Forward six-month Housing First pilot-project. As such, it provides an analysis of: (1) the pathways to youth homelessness in order to provide broader context of the social conditions which programs like Futures Forward are responding to; (2) the experiences of youth leading up to their participation in the program; and (3) the effects of outcomes of the Housing First pilot project from the perspective of youth participants and program staff.

Článek si klade za cíl zodpovědět následující otázku: Reflektují současné modely řešící obtíže s bydlením v kontextu sociální práce v českém prostředí diverzitu životních situací a způsoby jejich zvládání? S využitím Paugamových fází sociální diskvalifikace je upravena Evropská typologie bezdomovectví a vyloučení z bydlení, která vymezuje základní kategorie osob vyloučených z byd-lení a osob bez domova. Následně jsou podrobně popsány v odborných textech vyhledané způsoby zvládání životních situací spojených s chudobou: od popření zhoršující se životní situace s využitím způsobu zvládání " vyhýbání " ; přes přijetí a smíření se s danou situací, pomocí " pozitivní " a " pa-sívní adaptace " , " instrumentalizace situace " , " zasloužilých chudých " či mechanismu " diskreditace druhých " ; nebo naopak nepřijetí situace, kdy dochází k aktivaci především defenzívních způsobů zvládání; až po naprostý sociální propad jedince, ve své vyhraněné podobě " záměrné exkluze ". Je vytvořena typologie způsobů zvládání obtížných životních situací, která umožňuje nahlédnout způsoby jednání osob s problémy v oblasti bydlení. Poslední část textu se věnuje dvěma stěžejním modelům podporovaného bydlení, " Bydlení až po přípravě " a " Bydlení především " , a diskutuje jejich užití při zohlednění daných způsobů zvládání obtížných situací lidmi bez domova.

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Abstract_While the Pathways to Housing First (HF) model was designed for ending homelessness of individuals with complex needs, the use of a housing-led approach with families has been documented since late 1980s in the US. New target groups bring new demands on the knowledge base – to date, there has not been any Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) on family HF intervention. This protocol describes the design of a Czech single-site demonstration of RCT with a treatment group of 50 families and presents results of statistical compliance testing of the treatment and control group at baseline. This project is a pragmatic, mixed methods, single-site field trial of the effectiveness of Housing First in Brno, Czech Republic randomised 150 participant homeless families, stratified by number of children, into treatment and control groups. Quantitative outcome measures are collected over a 12-month period and a qualitative process evaluation is being completed. Primary outcomes being measured include a decrease in time the family spent homeless, improvement in security of tenure, improvement of mental health of mothers, and decrease in the use of emergency health services.

This  thesis  examines  the  narratives  that  explain the existence of washrooms for customers only (W4CO) rules in the City of Toronto.  Fifteen interviews were conducted with workers and managers at both chain and independent fast food and coffee shops along five strips in  Toronto’s downtown core. In addition,  a full listing of the public washrooms already available in the city was assembled, since no  previous complete list existed. Descriptive statistics gathered show that 37.62% of the businesses in the research area have = W4CO signs.  Findings also show that although W4CO signs are much less frequent in  independent shops, independent shops also have many fewer  washroom uses per hour than chain shops. Findings from interviews  show that the high prevalence of homelessness and the intersection of  homelessness  with  mental  health  issues  and drug  addiction  were concerns for workers. However, most interviewees were interested in  policy solutions and tried to separate their often difficult experiences  with the washrooms in businesses from discourse that stigmatizes  vulnerable populations.

Na poklade skúseností s 12 rodinami s maloletými deťmi, ktorým bolo poskytované dlhodobé sociálne bývanie v Sociálnom dome sv. Norberta v Jasove Spoločnosťou Úsmev ako dar v kontexte nedostupného bývania, najmä pre rodiny ohrozené bezdomovectvom (rodiny v bytovej núdzi), dedukujú autori na potrebu vzniku unikátneho a inovatívneho komplexného prístupu Dostupného sociálneho nájomného bývania ako nástroja prevencie bezdomovectva rodín. Skúsenosti ilustrujú štyrmi vybranými kazuistikami rodín s maloletými deťmi, ktorým bolo poskytované neformálne a neinštitucionalizované sociálne bývanie.

Based on the experience with 12 families with minor children, who were provided with long-term social housing in the Social house of St. Norbert in Jasov by the Society Smile as a Gift in the context of inaccessible housing, especially for families at risk of homelessness (families in housing need), the authors deduce the need for a unique and innovative comprehensive approach to Accessible social rental housing as a tool to prevent homelessness of families. The experience is illustrated by four selected case studies of families with minor children who were provided with informal and non-institutionalized social housing.

This research note focuses on the client selection process of the "Un chez-soi d'abord" programme, an implementation of Housing First services in France first carried out in 2011. At the end of 2016, a randomized control trial demonstrated the efficiency of this programme. It has been maintained and expanded to new localities in France. This new step from public authorities involves practical changes in the recruitment and selection process. It now consists of an "inclusion committee" that assesses whether an individual is entitled to integrate in to the programme or not. Based on ethnographic study, conducted as "participant observer", this research note pays particular attention to the issues and concerns that arose from stakeholders during committee meetings.

This report is protected under a Creative Commons license that allows you to share, copy, distribute and transmit the work for non-commercial purposes, provided you attribute it to the original source. The Homeless Hub Research Report Series is a Canadian Homelessness Research Network initiative to highlight the work of top Canadian researchers on homelessness. The goal of the Research Report Series is to take homelessness research and relevant policy findings to new audiences. Research reports in this series constitute original, primary research and have undergone a rigorous peer review process. For more information visit www.homelesshub.ca. Stephen Gaetz's research has focused on the economic strategies, health, education and legal and justice issues of people who are homeless, as well as solutions to homelessness from both Canadian and international perspectives. Dr. Gaetz is the Director of the Canadian Homelessness Research Network and the Homeless Hub, projects dedicated t...