Homeless Outreach Practises in BC Communities · outreach programs effective in communities of varying sizes and types. The aim was to identify effective practices in homeless outreach

1

HomelessOutreachPractisesinBCCommunitiesVolume1:SummaryReport

PreparedbyEberlePlanningandResearchJimWoodwardandAssociatesMattThomsonNovember2011

AcknowledgmentsWewouldliketothankanumberoforganizationsandagenciesthathavemadethisstudypossible.Aboveall,wewouldliketothankthestaffandclientsofthesixorganizationsthatagreedtoparticipateinthisresearch:

AllouetteHomeStartSocietyCommunityOutreachProgramCMHANorthandWestVancouverHomelessOutreachProgramKi‐Low‐NaFriendshipSocietyHomelessOutreachProgramPortAlberniCMHAHomelessOutreachProgramPrinceGeorgeNativeFriendshipCentreHomelessOutreachProgramRainCityHousingSocietyHomelessOutreachProgram

WewouldalsoliketothanktheAdvisoryCommitteemembersconsistingofrepresentativesofHumanResourcesandSkillsDevelopmentCanada,BCHousingandtheBCMinistryofEnergyandMines,HousingPolicyBranchfortheirassistanceandinsightfulcomments.Dr.PenelopeGurstein,UBCSchoolofCommunityandRegionalPlanningandMichaelGoldberg,FormerResearchDirector,SocialPlanningandResearchCouncilofBCalsoprovidedadviceatkeypointsinthestudyprocess.Finally,thisworkcouldnothavebeencompletedwithoutfundingfromHumanResourcesandSkillsDevelopmentCanada,HomelessnessPartneringStrategy,HomelessnessKnowledgeDevelopmentProgram(HKDP).TheopinionsandinterpretationsinthispublicationarethoseoftheauthorsanddonotnecessarilyreflectthoseoftheGovernmentofCanada.

TABLEOFCONTENTS

EXECUTIVESUMMARY…………………………………………………………………………….i

1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................. 1

a. Background ..........................................................................................................................1b. HomelessOutreachEffectiveness........................................................................................1c. PurposeandObjectives........................................................................................................2d. Method ................................................................................................................................2e. ReportOrganization.............................................................................................................4

2. OUTREACHPROGRAMS ...................................................................... 5

a. Agencies ...............................................................................................................................5b. ClientDemographics ............................................................................................................6c. OutreachStaff ......................................................................................................................7

3. GOALS,ACTIVITIESANDDEFINITIONSOFSUCCESS.............................. 9

a. Impetus ................................................................................................................................9b. GoalsandObjectives............................................................................................................9c. OutreachDescriptionandActivities.....................................................................................9d. DefinitionsofSuccess ........................................................................................................14e. Outcomes...........................................................................................................................15

4. UNDERSTANDINGCOMMUNITYCONTEXT ........................................ 16

a. LocalCharacteristicsandConditions..................................................................................16b. CommunityLinkages..........................................................................................................17c. LocalAwarenessandImpacts ............................................................................................17

5. INFLUENCEOFCOMMUNITYTYPEONOUTREACHPROGRAMS ......... 19

a. OutreachPrograms ............................................................................................................19b. ChallengestoEffectiveOutreach.......................................................................................21

6. EFFECTIVEOUTREACHCHARACTERISTICSANDPRACTICES ................ 23

a. Overall ................................................................................................................................23b. ByCommunityType ...........................................................................................................26

7. CONCLUSIONSANDRECOMMENDATIONS ........................................ 28

a. Conclusions ........................................................................................................................28b. Recommendations .............................................................................................................30

APPENDIXA‐AgencyInterviewGuide

EXECUTIVESUMMARY

IntroductionandBackgroundOutreachmodelsthatofferdirectaccesstoincomeassistanceandpermanentaccommodationhavebeenoperatinginBCsince2005whenthefirstpilotoutreachprojectwasinitiatedinthecityofVancouver.Reviewsofthestateofknowledgearoundhomelessoutreachserviceshaveconcludedthathomelessoutreachservicesimprovehousingandhealthoutcomesforhomelesspersonsandthatmoreresearchisneededtoanswerthequestionwhatfactorspromotesuccess.Thepresentresearchaimstofillthisknowledgegapwithaparticularfocusonvariationsinoutreachpracticesamongdifferenttypesofcommunities.HumanResourcesandSkillsDevelopmentCanada(HRSDC)incollaborationwithBCHousingandtheBCMinistryofEnergyandMines,HousingPolicyBranchcommissionedthisresearchbyEberlePlanningandResearch,JimWoodwardandAssociatesandMattThomsontoexaminefederallyandprovinciallyfundedoutreachmodelstoincreaseunderstandingofwhatmakesoutreachprogramseffectiveincommunitiesofvaryingsizesandtypes.Theaimwastoidentifyeffectivepracticesinhomelessoutreachservicesandhowtheymaydifferinrural/smalltown,urban,andsuburbancommunities.Volume1isthesummaryreportandVolume2containsthesixoutreachprogramsprofiled.MethodThisresearchadoptedanexploratory,multiplecasestudyapproachwithtwocaseseachofoutreachprojectsoperatinginlargeurban,smallurbanorruralareas,andsuburbancommunitiesforatotalofsixcases.Communitytype

Location OutreachProgram Funder

Largeurbanarea

VancouverKelowna

RainCityHousingSocietyHomelessOutreachProgramKi‐Low‐NaFriendshipSocietyHomelessOutreachProgram

BCHousingHomelessOutreachProgram(HOP)andHRSDCHomelessnessPartneringStrategy(HPS)

Smallurbanarea

PortAlberniPrinceGeorge

PortAlberniCMHAHomelessOutreachProgramPrinceGeorgeNativeFriendshipCentreHomelessOutreachProgram

BCHousingHOPBCHousingHOPandAboriginalHomelessOutreachProgram(AHOP)

Suburb MapleRidgeNorthandWestVancouver

AlouetteHomeStartSocietyCommunityOutreachProgramCMHANorthandWestVancouverHomelessOutreachProgram

BCHousingHOPandHRSDCHPSBCHousingHOP

HomelessOutreachPractisesinBCCommunities‐Volume1

EberlePlanningandResearch,JimWoodwardandAssoc.andMattThomsonNov2011 ii

EffectiveOutreachPracticesThetopthreeoutreachpracticesidentifiedinthisstudyare:

• treatinghomelesspersonsrespectfullysotheyfeelvalued,• maintaininglinkswithhousingproviders,and• maintaininglinkswithcommunityserviceagencies.

Thesethreepracticesarereflectiveoftheoutreachmodelitself.Theyencapsulatetheessentialelementsofoutreachwhichisapersonalengagementwithhomelessclients,thenlinkingthemwithcommunityresourcestoaccesshousingandneededservices.Thefollowingdiscussionhighlightssomeaspectsofthesepractices:Hiringtherightstaff:Empatheticstaffabletodevelopongoingrelationshipsoftrustwiththeirclientsiscentraltotheoutreachmodel.Infact,successfuloutreachspeaksmoretothequalitiesoftheoutreachworker,theirtrainingandsupport,thanspecificoutreachpracticesperse.Itrequiresstaffwhounderstandtheexperiencesofhomelessindividuals,andareabletorelatetoclientsbybeingnon‐judgmental,beingabletoexpresshumour,abletolisten,arerespectful,andpromiseonlywhattheycandeliver.Beingclientcentredandflexible:Meetingthehomelesswheretheyareandfocusingontheneedsofeachuniqueclientarekeyoutreachcharacteristicsorprinciples.Outreachworkersmustbeflexibleandprovidetheassistanceneededwhateverthatmaybe.Thisusuallymeansgettingtoknoweachclientanddevelopingacaseplanthatmeetstheirindividualneeds.Asuitablemixofhousing,incomeassistanceandsupportwouldbetailoredtoeachclienttoaddresstheirissues(short‐termorlong‐term)andhelpthemtakestepstowardstability.Evolvingclientintakestrategies:Anotablefeatureoftheoutreachprograminseveralofthesitesstudiedhasbeentheevolutionofengagementfrombeingprimarilyfocusedonstreetoutreachtoacombinationofstreetoutreachandofficeappointmentandreferrals.Itappearstohavebeenadaptednaturallyovertimeastheprogramhasbecomeknownwithinthecommunity,andmayenhancestaffcapacityaslesstimeisspentfindingclients.Maintainingongoingrelationships:Allprogramsestablishedlong‐termrelationshipswithclientswheneverpossible.Therewasgenerallynosuchlabelas“former”clients:programsacceptclientsmultipletimesifhousingstabilityislost.Someprogramsreportedprovidingservicestoclientsforseveralyears.Thismightraiseissuesofcapacityovertime,ifoldclientsremainwithinthecaseloadasnewonesareadded.Empoweringtheclient:Empoweringtheclienttomoveforward,attheirownpaceintheirownwaywasseenascriticalpractice.Effectiveoutreachaimstofindthatmiddlegroundbetweenfacilitatingorenablingindependenceversuscreatingdependency.Onaday‐to‐daylevelthismightmeanprovidingaclientwithalistofrentalswithphonenumbersandaskingthattheclientmakecontactwithlandlordsinsteadofmakingcallsontheclient’sbehalf.


EberlePlanningandResearch,JimWoodwardandAssoc.andMattThomsonNov2011 iii

Accessingservicenetworks:Accesstotheservicesandexpertiseofotheragencies(whetherthroughformalizedservicenetworksthatuseanintegratedcasemanagementapproach,orthroughinformalrelationshipsbetweenoutreachstaffandotherserviceproviders)wascriticalfortheseoutreachprograms.Positiverelationships/linkswithhousingprovidersinthecommunityandwithothercommunityserviceagencieswasalsoseenascritical.Itdidn’tseemtomatterifthesenetworkswereformalorinformal.Liaisingwithlandlords:Staffinmostprogramsactivelyliaisedwithlandlords,enablingthemtobuildrelationshipsthatwouldfacilitatetheirclients’accesstohousing.Itwouldalsoprovideabasisforaphonecallfromthelandlordintheeventofanissuewithatenant,lettingthemknowofthesituation,andtherebyofferanopportunityfortheworkertoattempttomitigatethesituation.Oneagencyismanagingtohouseitsclientswithoutlandlordengagement.Providingrentsupplements:Rentsupplementsappeartoprovideopportunitiesforclientstogainaccesstosomebetterqualityhousing,althoughmanyagenciesstillstruggletofindadequateaffordablehousing.Communityengagementandsupport:Havingstaffactivelyinvolvedwithbroaderthecommunityhelpsraiseawarenessofhomelessness,promotesupportforinitiativesanddeveloplong‐termstrategiesforaddressinghomelessnessinthecommunity.EffectiveOutreachPracticesbyCommunityTypeIntervieweeswereaskedtoratetheimportanceofoutreachpracticesidentifiedintheliterature.Thefollowingtableprovidestheratingsofoutreachpracticesbycommunitytype.Itshowstherewaslittlevariationininterviewees’perspectivesonessentialoutreachpracticesincommunitiesofvarioussizes.Outreachprogramsoperatinginallcommunitytypesidentifiedthesamethreepracticesasmostimportant:

• treatinghomelesspersonsrespectfullysotheyfeelvalued,• maintaininglinkswithhousingproviders,and• andmaintaininglinkswithcommunityserviceagencies.

Threeoutreachpracticeswerefoundtobeofslightlylessvalueinsmalltownoutreachsitesthaninsuburbanandurbansites.Theywere:

• hiringstaffwithspecialknowledgeofhomelesspeopleandtheproblemstheyface• takingateamapproachtostaffingi.e.outreachworkersshareacaseload• debriefingand/orcounsellingforstaff

Somecharacteristicsofcommunitiesaffecthowoutreachoperatesorpresentcertainchallenges.Thesearediscussedbycommunitytype.


EberlePlanningandResearch,JimWoodwardandAssoc.andMattThomsonNov2011 iv

SmallurbansitesThesmallurbanoutreachsitesstudiedhavestronginformalservicenetworksinplace.However,becauseoftheirsmallersizetheytendtohavefewerservicesavailable,whichsignificantlyaffectstheirabilitytoconnectclientswithappropriatesupports.Additionally,transportationandaccessissuesposeasignificantchallengeforthesecommunities.Thismanifestsintwoways.Firstly,publictransitwithinthecommunitymaybelimited,creatingbarriersforclientsinaccessingservices.Secondly,residentsofoutlyingcommunitiestendtorelyonthesesmallcentresforservices,meaningthatclientsmayhavetotravelsignificantdistancestoaccessappropriateservicesandtoreturnhome.Whileintowntheymayhavenowheretostay,leadingtoepisodichomelessness.RatingsofEffectiveOutreachPracticesbyCommunityType

AverageRating 1=notimportant,3=veryimportant

OutreachPractise

SmallUrbanAverage

SuburbanAverage

UrbanAverage

AllAverage

Treatinghomelessclientsrespectfullysothattheyfeelvalued 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0Positiverelationships/linkswithhousingprovidersinthecommunity 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0Positiverelationships/linkswithothercommunityserviceagencies 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0Beingflexibleinthenumberandtypesofservicesoffered 2.7 2.9 3.0 2.9Advocatingforclient 3.0 2.8 3.0 2.9Stafftraining 3.0 2.9 2.9 2.9Ongoingrelationshipwithclient 3.0 2.8 2.8 2.8Hiringstaffwithspecialknowledgeofhomelesspeopleandtheproblemstheyface 2.3 2.9 3.0 2.7Debriefingand/orcounsellingforstaff 2.4 2.8 3.0 2.7Supervisorworkswithpoliticians/agenciestomakecommunitylinkagesonbehalfofteam

2.6 2.8 2.6 2.7Makingnumerouscontactsoveranextendedperiodoftime

2.6 2.8 2.5 2.6Providingmediationwithemployersand/orlandlords 2.8 2.4 2.5 2.6Takingateamapproachtostaffingi.e.outreachworkersshareacaseload 2.2 2.7 2.8 2.6Accompanyingclienttoneededservices/appointments

2.4 2.4 2.5 2.4Assistingclientwithtransportation 2.5 2.3 2.6 2.4Hiringformerlyhomelessclientsasoutreachworkers 1.7 1.6 1.9 1.7

SuburbansitesThesuburbanoutreachsitesstudiedtendtohavemoreservicesinplacethanthesmallcentres,aswellasmorediversityinaffordablehousing/housingoptions.ThetwosuburbancommunitiesstudieddifferedsomewhatintheirgeographicalrelationshiptothemetropolitancentreofVancouver.North/WestVancouver’scloseproximitytoVancouvermeansthatitlackssome


EberlePlanningandResearch,JimWoodwardandAssoc.andMattThomsonNov2011 v

servicesthatarefoundinVancouver.ThispresentsachallengetotheCMHANorthandWestVancouverinprovidingappropriatelevelsofservice,astheymaybeseenascloseenoughtobenefitfromVancouver’sservices,wheninrealityclientsareoftenreluctanttotraveloutsidethecommunity.Asanoutersuburb,MapleRidge’sserviceorganizations,however,tendtooperateindependentlyofwhatisavailableinVancouver,andindeedthemunicipalityappearstooperatemorelikeasmalltownthansuburbintermsofserviceprovision,andhaslinkswithothersuburbanservices.BothcommunitiesareinfluencedbyMetroVancouver’shousingmarket,wherethehighcostofhousingsignificantlyimpactsthecostofmarketandrentalhousing.However,suburbancommunitiesmayhavelittlepurposebuiltrentalhousingtomitigatetheexpensiveregionalhousingmarket.Additionally,althoughnotnecessarilyafeatureofallsuburbs,thegeographyofthesuburbancommunitiesstudiedmeanttheyhavelargewoodedareaswherehomelesspeoplecamp,sothatfindingthehomelessmakesoutreacheffortsmorechallenging.UrbansitesThetwourbanoutreachprogramsstudiedarequitedifferent,however,thetwocommunitiesKelownaandVancouverhaveawiderangeofsocialservicesavailable,manycentredinthedowntowncore.Thesecitiesarethereforeabletodeveloplarge,resilientandeffectiveservicenetworkscapableofadoptinganintegratedcasemanagementapproachandensuringthatservicesaren’tduplicated(e.g.Kelowna’sPartnersinCommunityCollaboration(PICC)).Travelremainsanissueforclientsoutsidedowntowncoreswhereservicesarefocused.Thereasonsforthisbarriertoaccessibilitydifferbetweenthetwourbancasestudies.WhileinKelownasprawlcontributestotransportationchallenges,inVancouveritwasnotthatserviceswereaproblemtoaccess(indeedtheywerereadilyavailableinafewblockareaoftheDowntownEastside(DTES))itwasthatbyplacingclientsinhousingoutsidetheDTES,hometotheoutreachoffice,travelbecamecostlyforboththeoutreachworkerorfortheclienttocometotheoffice.ConclusionsandRecommendationsDespitesignificantdifferencesinthetypesofcommunitiesstudiedtheoutreachprogramsstudiedoperateinasimilarfashionusingsimilarpractices.Theoutreachmodelitselfofengagement,directaccesstoincomeassistanceandhousing,andreferraltootherservices,suggestsacommonapproach.Thestudyconcludesthattherearemoresimilaritiesthandifferencesinoutreachpractisesandperceptionsofeffectivenessofthesepracticesacrosscommunitiesofvarioustypes.Outreachissuccessfulatmeetingtheneedsofhomelessindividuals,butprovidersexperienceanumberofchallengesasidentifiedinthesecases.Addressingthesechallengeswouldhelpfacilitatemoreeffectiveoutreachpractices.Thefollowingrecommendationsareprovided.


EberlePlanningandResearch,JimWoodwardandAssoc.andMattThomsonNov2011 vi

1. Measuresthatwouldaddresshumanresourceconcernssuchassuchascaseloadsize,recruitmentandretention,staffcoverageandjobsecuritywouldstrengthenstaffcapacity.

2. Considerationmightbegiventofocusingoutreachinagenciesthataremembersofexistingservicenetworksorcanengagewithone.Alternately,thiscouldbeexpandedtoagenciesindicatingawillingnesstoandthecapacitytodevelopnewservicenetworkswithotheragenciesintheircommunity.

3. Multi‐serviceagenciesprovidingservicestothehomelessmaybebetterplacedtofacilitatefollow‐upandprovidesupport.

4. Addressingthelimitedmentalhealthandaddictionservicecapacityidentifiedinsomecommunitieswouldimproveoutreacheffectiveness.Areferralmodelthatdependsonthepresenceofasufficientanddiverseservicenetworkmeansthisiscritical,aslackofserviceswillaffectoutreachdeliveryandsuccess.

5. Whilenotachallengebutapositiveaspectofsomeoutreachprograms,availabilityofrentsupplementsthroughoutreachprogramsfacilitatesaccesstoprivatesectorhousing,andpermitsuseofhigherqualityhousingwhichislikelyafactorinpromotinghousingstability.


EberlePlanningandResearch,JimWoodwardandAssoc.andMattThomsonNov2011 1

HOMELESSOUTREACHPRACTISESINBCCOMMUNITIES

1. Introduction

a. Background OutreachmodelsthatofferdirectaccesstoincomeassistanceandpermanentaccommodationhavebeenoperatinginBCsince2005whenthefirstpilotoutreachprojectwasinitiatedintheCityofVancouver.In2006theCanadianMentalHealthAssociation(CMHA)inpartnershipwiththeprovincialMinistryofEmploymentandIncomeAssistanceexpandeduponthisoutreachmodeltoprovidetheserviceineightcorelocationsaroundtheprovince.Todayabout70outreachprogramsareofferedinatleast50locationsthroughoutBCfundedbyBCHousingthroughtheHomelessOutreachProgram(HOP)andAboriginalHomelessOutreachProgram(AHOP)orbyHumanResourcesandDevelopmentCanada(HRSDC)throughtheHomelessnessPartneringStrategy(HPS).Inaddition,outreachisprovidedbyanumberofagenciesandorganizationsthatmaybeunconnectedtoeitherofthesefunders.ThisstudyisfocusedonhomelessoutreachservicesprovidedthroughfundingbyBC’sHOPandAHOPaswellashomelessoutreachservicesfundedthroughHRSDC’sHomelessnessPartneringStrategy.

HOPandAHOPaimtoprovidepeoplewhoarehomelessoratriskofhomelessnessdirectaccesstohousing.Outreachservicesprovidedbynon‐profitorganizationsincommunitiesacrosstheprovince,directlyengagepeoplewhoarehomelessoratriskofhomelessnessbyassessingclientneed,assistingwithpersonalgoals,andconnectingindividualsandfamilieswithstableaccommodationandappropriateservices.FederallyfundedoutreachprogramsreceivefundingthroughtheHomelessnessPartneringStrategy(HPS),whichsupportsawidearrayofactivitiesthataddresshomelessness,includingoutreach,throughacommunity‐basedapproach.Servicesmayincludeassistanceinfindingandmaintaininghousing,accesstosupportservicessuchashealthandmentalhealthandworkingwithlandlordstoimprovestability.Atthetimethisprojectwasinitiatedtherewereover20federallyfundedoutreachinitiatives.Notethatsomeoutreachservicesreceivefundingfrombothsources.

b. Homeless Outreach Effectiveness Reviewsofthestateofknowledgearoundhomelessoutreachserviceshaveconcludedthathomelessoutreachservices“improvehousingandhealthoutcomesforhomelesspersons”(Olivetetal2010)andthatmoreresearchisneededtoanswerthequestion“whatfactorspromotesuccess”(EricksonandPage1998).Thepresentresearchaimstofillthisknowledgegapwithaparticularfocusonvariationsinoutreachpracticesamongdifferenttypesofcommunities.

Locally,evaluationsoftheVancouverandCMHAoutreachprogramsconcludedthatoutreachinitiativesdeliveredthroughthetwoinitialprojectswereabletomeetoverallprogram



objectives,andofferedsomeobservationsonthedifferencesbetweenoutreachoperatinginurbanandruralcontexts.1However,theRFPnotedthat:

Anecdotalevidencesuggeststhatoutreachservicesforhomelesspeoplevaryfromcommunitytocommunityandaccordingtolocalcontextandneeds.Thisflexibilityacrosscommunitiescomplicateseffortstoevaluateservicedeliveryanddrawconclusionsaboutpromisingpracticesinprovidingoutreachservices.2

c. Purpose and Objectives HRSDCincollaborationwithBCHousingandtheprovincialHousingPolicyBranchhascommissionedthisresearchbyEberlePlanningandResearch,JimWoodwardandAssociates,andMattThomsontoexaminefederallyandprovinciallyfundedoutreachmodelstoincreaseunderstandingofeffectiveoutreachpracticesincommunitiesofvaryingsizesandtypes.

Thepurposeofthisstudyistoincreasethelevelofunderstandingofwhatpracticesmakeshomelessoutreachprogramseffectiveindifferenttypesofcommunities.

Theobjectivesareto:

1. IdentifyeffectivepracticesinhomelessoutreachservicesinBCandhowtheymaydifferinrural/smalltown,urban,andsuburbancommunities.

2. Profilethe“learnings”forthebenefitofthoseinvolvedinhomelessoutreachservices.

3. Recommendeffectiveoutreachpracticesandidentifythetypesofcommunitiestowhichthesepracticesarebestsuited.

d. Method Thisresearchadoptedanexploratory,multiplecasestudyapproachwithtwocaseseachofoutreachprojectsoperatinginlargeurban,smallurbanorrural,andsuburbancommunitiesforatotalofsixcases.Acasestudyisan“empiricalenquirythat:investigatesacontemporaryphenomenonwithinitsreallifecontext,whentheboundariesbetweenthephenomenonandcontextarenotclearlyevident;andinwhichmultiplesourcesofevidenceareused.”3Thisresearchstudyconsistedoftwocomponents:a)developmentofindividualcasesandb)crosscaseanalysis.Ineachcase,weexploredeffectiveoutreachpracticesandthefactorsthatcontributedtoitincludinglocalcontextualfactors.Thecrosscaseanalysisexaminedalloutreachcasestudiestoestablisheffectiveoutreachpractices,thenbycommunitytypetodetermineiftherearecommonpracticesthatpromotesuccessfuloutreachindifferenttypesofcommunitiesandhowcontextualfactorsinteractwiththesepractices.

1CitySpaces.2007.ProvincialHomelessOutreachProgramEvaluationReport.PreparedfortheCanadianMentalHealthAssociation.2HPS.2010.HomelessOutreachServicesinBC:ProfilingPromisingPractices.ApplicationPackage.P.4.3RobertKYin.1989.CaseStudyResearch.DesignandMethods.AppliedSocialResearchMethodsSeries.Vol5.



CommunitytypeclassificationwasbasedonStatisticsCanadacommunitysize/typeclassifications:Largeurbanareas CensusMetropolitanArea(CMA)‐corepopulationof100,000Smallurbanarea CensusAgglomeration(CA)‐corepopulationof10,000Suburb MunicipalitythatispartofaCMA

Sixhomelessoutreachprogramswereselectedascaseswiththeassistanceoftheadvisorycommittee,asfollows:Communitytype

Location OutreachProgram Funder

Largeurbanarea

VancouverKelowna

RainCityHousingSocietyHomelessOutreachProgramKi‐Low‐NaFriendshipSocietyHomelessOutreachProgram

BCHousingHOPandHRSDC

Smallurbanarea

PortAlberniPrinceGeorge

PortAlberniCMHAHomelessOutreachProgramPrinceGeorgeNativeFriendshipCentreHomelessOutreachProgram

BCHousingHOPBCHousingHOPandAHOP

Suburb MapleRidgeNorthandWestVancouver

AlouetteHomeStartSocietyCommunityOutreachProgramCMHANorthandWestVancouverHomelessOutreachProgram

BCHousingHOPandHRSDCBCHousingHOP

Thecasestudysiteswereselectedtorepresenttwoofeachdifferenttypeofcommunity,e.g.smallurbanorrural,largeurbanareaandsuburbanaswellasarepresentationofBCregions,avarietyoftargetpopulationsincludingwomen,youthandAboriginalpeopleandbothfederallyandprovincially‐fundedprograms.Theyincludedplaceswithpopulationsrangingfrom25,000personsto580,000peoplein2006.Inaddition,onlyoutreachprojectsthathaveachievedacertainlevelofsuccessintermsofstabilizingtheirclientsinhousingwereincludedascases.4Thecasestudyresearchemployedmultiplesourcesofevidence,specificallydocumentaryevidenceforeachhomelessoutreachprogramobtainedfromtheparticipatingoutreachagencyincludingannualreports,outcomefigureswhereavailable,servicereviews,reportsandstudiesandinpersoninterviewswithcasestudyorganizations,communitystakeholdersandformerclients.Inordertoassesstheimportanceoflocalcontext,aprofileforeachcommunitywasdevelopedusingpublishedsourcesdescribingpopulationsizeandlocation,economicresource4Withtheexceptionofoneprogram,80%oftheprograms’clientswhowerehoused,andwhohadtheirhousingstatusverified,maintainedtheirtenancyatsixmonths.Source:BCHousing,HomelessnessServices,HomelessOutreachProgramMay25,2011.



base,vacancyratesandavailabilityofaffordablerentalhousing,communitydemographicsandhomelessfigures.Interviewguidesweredevelopedtoinvestigatetheimportanceofthedifferentoutreachpracticesthatcontributetosuccessfuloutreachaswellaslocalcontextualfactorsthatmayinfluenceit.Incorporatedintheguideswaseffectiveoutreachpracticesidentifiedintheliterature.Intervieweeswereaskedtoindicatetheirratingoftheimportanceofeachoftheseoutreachpracticesintheoutreachprogramunderconsideration.Separateinterviewguidesweredevelopedforeachintervieweetype.TheagencyinterviewguideisincludedasAppendixA.

Theresearchersconductedsixface‐to‐faceinterviewswithkeyinformantsforeachcase:

1. Keyinformantsmostknowledgeableabouttheiroutreachprogramsincludingasenioroutreachagencystaffpersonandfront‐lineoutreachworker.

2. Communitystakeholdersfamiliarwiththeoutreachprogramwhocandiscusstheoutreachprojectsinthecontextoftheircommunity(e.g.amunicipalplannerandsocialserviceagency).

3. Formeroutreachclients(twopercommunity)toobtaintheirinputonpromisingpractices.Outreachagenciesrecruitedsuitableindividualsandtheresearcherscarriedouttheinterviews.Participants’nameswerenotrecordedtoprotecttheirprivacyandeachparticipantreceiveda$20honorariumtoshowrespectforhisorhertimeandinformation.

Individualoutreachprogramcaseprofilesweredevelopedbasedonthedataobtainedthroughpersonalinterviewsanddocuments.Draftinterviewnoteswereprovidedtointervieweestoconfirmtheiraccuracy.Thecrosscaseanalysisexploreddifferencesandsimilaritiesamongallcasestudyoutreachprogramsintermsofagencytype,programdelivery,communityfactorsandeffectiveoutreachpractices.Itthenexaminedwhetherthereareuniqueprogramorcontextualfactorsaffectingsmalltown,largeurbanandsuburbanoutreachprogramsandifthesecasesshowthattherearedifferencesineffectiveoutreachpracticesbycommunitytype.

AnAdvisoryCommitteeconsistingofrepresentativesofHRSDC,BCHousingandtheBCMinistryofEnergyandMines,HousingPolicyBranch,providedassistanceandadviceatkeypointsinthestudyprocess.Dr.PenelopeGurstein,UBCSchoolofCommunityandRegionalPlanningandMichaelGoldberg,FormerResearchDirector,SocialPlanningandResearchCouncilofBCprovidedmethodologicaladviceatkeypointsinthestudyprocess.

e. Report Organization Sections2through4summarizefeaturesofthecasestudyoutreachprogramsandtheircommunitycontext.Section5providesadiscussionoftheprogramsbycommunitytype,andSection6describeseffectiveoutreachpracticesincludingapproachescommontoalltheoutreachsitesstudiedandbycommunitytype.Section7presentsconclusionsandrecommendations.ThecaseprofilesarepresentedinVolume2.



2. OutreachPrograms

a. Agencies Sixagenciesdeliveringhomelessoutreachprograms(OP)inBCwereselectedforthisstudy.Thetablebelowprovidesabriefoverviewofeachagencyincludingtheagency’stargetpopulation,type(s)ofhousingfacilitiesadministeredbytheagency,andwhattypesofserviceseachagencyoffers.Whilemostweremulti‐serviceagenciesprovidingarangeofhousingandsupportservices,themission,typeofserviceandtargetpopulationdifferedandsomeprovideamuchbroaderrangeofservicesthanothers.Greaterdetailoneachoftheseagenciesisprovidedintheindividualcasestudies.Table1:KeycharacteristicsofagenciesdeliveringoutreachprogramsAgency Agency’starget

populationAgency’shousingfacilities Services

CanadianMentalHealthAssociationPortAlberni(CMHAPA)

PeoplewithmentalillnessSomeprogramsforthecommunity

Crisisandtransitionalbeds,supportedhousingforpeoplewithmentalillnessandSROopentoeveryone,withsomesupportservicesprovided

Crisissupport(housing,addictions,mentalhealth)aswellas‘mainstreamservices’(employment,lunchprogram,advocacyfordisabilityapplications)

PrinceGeorgeNativeFriendshipCentre(PGNFC)

UrbanaboriginalpeoplearemainclientpopulationPGNFCservesallindividualsregardlessofculture,gender,race,age,etc.

Lowbarrieremergencyshelter,alcoholanddrugsupportiverecoverybeds,supportedlivingbeds

Social,health,education,employment,economicdevelopmentandculturalprograms

CanadianMentalHealthAssociationNorthandWestVancouver(CMHANWV)

Peoplewithsevereandpersistentmentalillness

4housingsites:Atransitionalhouseformeninrecovery,and3facilitiesforpeoplewithsevere/persistentmentalillness

Servicesandeducationforpeoplewithmentalillness,individualandgroupsupport,griefcounselling;telephonecoachingservice,2employmentprograms,alsohostseducationandadvocacy,community‐basedresearchandadvocacy,untilrecentlyhadalifeskillsprogramcallCommunityNavigator



AlouetteHousingStartSociety,MapleRidge(AHSS)

Thoseexperiencinghomelessnessorhousingvulnerability

Youthsafehouse;buildingasupportivehousingproject

Morelimitedmulti‐servicefocus;however,foundingpartnersincludeemploymentservices,addictionstreatment,SalvationArmy,KatzieFN,transitionhouseandyouthsociety

Ki‐low‐naFriendshipSociety(KFS)

UrbanaboriginalpeoplearemainclientpopulationKFSservesbroadercommunityindowntownKelowna

Twotransitionalhousingfacilitiestargetedatyouthandfamiliesrespectively

Arangeofservices(familyandchildren,youthprograms,healthandwellness,povertylaw,employmentservices,ELSAandculturalprogramming)

RainCityHousing,Vancouver(RCH)

Peoplewithmentalillness,addictionsorotherbarriers(hardesttohouse)

Emergencyshelter,transitionalandsupportivehousing

Mealprogram,lifeskills,harmreductionandtwootheroutreachteams

b. Client Demographics Thevariousprogramshavesimilarclientcompositions.Inallcases,thepredominantclienttypewasmale,ages30to50,andmanyclientshadmentalhealthand/oraddictionsissues.IntheCMHAPA,PGNFCandKFSprogramstheproportionofAboriginalclientswashigherthanthegeneralpopulation,withAboriginalindividualsaccountingfor30%oftheclientsinCMHAPAprogram,about50%ofclientsintheKFSprogramandrepresentingabouthalfofclientsforPGNFC.However,severaloutreachworkersnotedthatdemographicshadshiftedoverthelasttwoyears,withthefollowingtrendsbeingseen:

• CMHAPA:morewomenleavingabusiverelationships• AHSS:anincreaseinseniors• CMHANWV:increaseinolderindividuals(50+)withalcoholaddiction;increaseinsingle

mothersandtheirchildren• RCH:becauseofthespecializationofservicesinVancouver’sDTES,thisagencyfocused

onhigherfunctioningindividualsAdditionally,twooftheoutreachprogramsnotedthatclientgroupsgothroughcycles.AtRCHOPthereweretimesatwhichthereweremoresinglewomenwithchildren,andatothertimesagreaternumberofsextradeworkers.Recently,RCHOPhasseenmoremalelabourersasclients.AtKFS,clientloadincreasedwiththearrivaloftransientseasonallabourers.WhiletheRCHOPseesagreatnumberofwomen,giventhepredominanceofmaleclientsnotedabove,itappearsthatwomenmaycompriseasmallershareoftheseprograms’clientele.



CharacteristicsofagoodoutreachworkerasidentifiedbyrespondentsArangeofabilitiesandskillswithwhichtoapproachclientincluding:• non‐judgmental• approachable• respectforwheretheclientiscoming

from• senseofhumour/funny• empatheticandabletorelatetowhat

it’slikebeingonthestreet• straightforwardandhonest• flexibility• abletolisten• trustworthy

c. Outreach Staff Alloutreachteamsarequitesmall,withbetween2and4full‐timeequivalentsexceptfortheCMHANorth/WestVancouverwhichhasonlyoneworker;however,theoutreachworkeratCMHANWVworkscloselywiththeLookoutShelter,whichoperatesoutreachinthearea.StaffCharacteristicsThebackgroundandeducationofoutreachworkersinthesecasestudiesisvaried.Thereisgenerallysomeemphasisonabackgroundinmentalhealthworkoroutreachexperience.Additionally,acommonstaffcharacteristicisempathyandgeneralunderstandingofexperiencesofhomelessindividuals.Insomecasesthisemergesfromlivedexperienceofhomelessness,althoughformanyoftheworkersitarisesfromeithereducationalorprofessionalexperience,andinsomecasesacombinationofboth.HoursThecorehoursformostprogramswereweekdaysduringthedaytimehours.Mostprogramsprovidedsomeflexibilitywithopportunitiesforappointmentsorassistanceoutsidethesehours.HoweveronlytheRCHandPGNFCprogramshadformalservicedeliveryoutsidethisrange.RCH’sprogramranaslateas7:30pm(dependingondaylight)twiceaweekwhenconductingstreetoutreach.AtPGNFC,theoutreachteamworkedsevendaysaweek,withaSundaytoThursday,10amto3pmshiftandaTuesdaytoSaturday3pmto8pmshift.CaseloadEachoutreachprogramhasdevelopeditsowncaseloadapproach,dependingontheneedsofstaffandclients.AtRCHtheoutreachteamsharescasestoavoidclientdependenceonaparticularoutreachworker.However,manyoftheotherprogramsusedasemi‐sharedcaseloadapproach,whereeachoutreachworkerhastheirowncaseloadclients,butcouldaskanotheroutreachworkertoworkwithaclientintheeventofaschedulingconflictorifaworkerisilloronvacation.Thispracticeseemstobornoutofnecessityduetothesmallstaffcontingent,ratherthanadesiredapproach.Clientstendtopreferasingleworker.TheCMHANWVoutreachprogramdoesnottakethissemi‐sharedapproach,asthereisonlyonestaffmember.SafetyAllagencieshadmeasuresinplacetoensurethesafetyofstaff.Theseincludeworkinginteams,5invitingbylawofficerstoaccompanyindividualstaffwhenengaginginstreetworkorinthebush,meetingclientsinsafepublicplaces,on‐the‐jobtrainingforhealthandsafety,mentalhealthdebriefingsandmentalhealthtimeoff.

5Insomecases,suchasPGNFCandRCHthisispolicy,whileatCMHAPAstaffwillworkindependentlyunlesssafetyisidentifiedasaconcern.





3. Goals,ActivitiesandDefinitionsofSuccess

a. Impetus Visiblehomelessnesswasapriorityissueineachofthecasestudycommunitiesinthemid2000s.Severalagencies(RCH,CMHAPAandCMHANWV)hadpilotprojects,whileKFSandPGNFChadsomeoutreachactivitiespriortoreceivingfunding.Eachoftheorganizationssawanimportantneedinaddressingtheneedsofhomelessindividualsbydevelopingorexpandingservicesavailable.Allorganizationsrespondedtoacallforprogramproposalsandweresuccessful.PGNFChadinitiatedayouthoutreachprogramandwasabletoadaptwhattheyhadlearnedfromthatprogramintotheiradultoutreachservices.

b. Goals and Objectives Whileeachoftheprogramshadslightlydifferentinterpretationsofthegoalsoftheiroutreachwork,fourcommoncharacteristicsemergedacrossallcasestudies..

a. Engagewithhomelesspersons.b. Connectclientswithincomeassistanceandrefertootherappropriateservicesc. Helpindividualssecureandmaintainhousingd. Connectwithindividualsinanongoingwaytoprovidethemwithsupport,referralsand

communityresourcesAdditionally,severalorganizationsnotedthattheyusedtheHousingFirstmodelintheiroutreachwork.

c. Outreach Description and Activities Thecasestudyprogramsaresimilarintheirapproachtoengagingwithclientsandconnectingclientstoappropriateservices.Commonly,afterengagement,supportstartswithdevelopingastablesourceofincomebyfast‐trackingclientsforincomeassistance.Anaccessible,securesourceofincomerepresentsaneffectivetoolforstabilizingindividualsandhelpingclientsfindandmaintainhousingovertime.Otherservicesaresoughtaccordingtoaclient’sneeds.Whereverpossible,short‐termaccommodation(shelterorotheremergencyhousing)isfound,andstaffwillworkwithclientstodeveloplong‐termaccommodationandsupportsystems(e.g.mentalhealthcounselling,drugandalcoholtreatment,employmentservices).Theworkerwillthensupporttheclientasnecessarytomaintainhousing.Thisisoftenclient‐driven;someclientsrequireongoing,long‐termsupport,whileothersrequirelittletonosupportoncehousingandemploymentarefound.Eachprogramhasseveralavenuestoexploretoprovidehousingsupporttoclients.Theseusuallyincludeacombinationofworkingwithpartnersintheirnetworktoprovidehousing,referralstoin‐househousing,rentalsupplementsformarkethousing,buildingrelationshipswithprivatelandlordsandaccesstoothersocialhousing(e.g.BCHousing).RCHisuniqueinitsfocus,withclientsaccessingmarkethousingandmakinguseofrentalsupplementsinordertodoso.Whilemanyoftheotherprogramsuserentsupplementstoassistclientsaccessingmarket



Clients’viewsoftheoutreachprogramsClientsconsistentlyfoundanon‐judgmentalapproachakeycharacteristicofasuccessfulinteraction,andonethathelpedensuresuccessinaddressingtherangeofproblemsthataclientmayface.However,severalnotedthatoutreachworkerstendtobeverybusy,whichcansometimesresultinshortermeetings.Manyclientssawhousingasthemostimportantserviceofferedbytheprogram.Onenotedthatanoutreachworkerplaysavitalroleinthehomelesscommunity,providingthepresenceofasober,helpfulface.

housing,itisusuallyoneofseveraloptionsavailabletoaclient,dependingontheirneeds.Additionally,manyoftheoutreachworkersnotedtheirwillingnesstore‐houseindividualswhohadmadeprevioususeoftheprogram.Theynotedthatforsomeclientseachsubsequenthousingexperiencewasasteptowardstabilization.Inadditiontooptionsforhousingandincome,eachprogramhadaccesstoadditionalservicestosupportandstabilizeclients.InmanycasesthesecamefromformalandinformalpartnerorganizationswhowereabletoprovideservicesbeyondthescopeofwhatthecasestudyOPagenciescouldprovide.Whereverpossible,however,outreachagenciesmadeeffortstoreferclientstoin‐houseservices.Thisprovidedcontinuityforclientswhilealsoallowinganinformalsystemformaintainingrelationshipswithclientsandoutreachworkersandfollowingup.Insomecommunities,certainserviceswerenotedasinadequate(e.g.lackofawalk‐inclinicinPortAlberni).Intheviewsofsomerespondents,inadequateservicesrepresentasignificantbarriertoservicedeliveryasitmeansprogrameffortstostabilizeclientsmaybelesssuccessful.Thefollowingdescribesthespecificpracticesofthecasestudyprograms.ClientEngagementandIntake:Outreachteamsgenerallyprovideamixofin‐officeandstreetoutreach.Originallymostprogramsfocusedonstreetoutreach,whichmeantfindingclientswheretheycampedandcongregated,includinginthewoodsorbush.However,forfourprograms(RCH,CMHAPA,CMHANWVandKFS)thisshiftedovertimeastheawarenessspreadandprogramsestablishedtheircredibility.Whilestreetoutreachremainsanengagementtoolforeachoftheseprograms,mostclientsarereferralsandwalk‐ins.Thisshifthasreducedthetimeprogramstaffspenddoingtraditionalengagementwork;however,itallowsworkerstospendmoretimewithclientsandmoreclientstoreceiveservicesthanwhentheseprogramsfocusedmoreonstreetoutreach.AHSSandPGNFC’sstaffmembersstillspendconsiderabletimeengaginginstreetoutreach,whichoftenresultsinclientintake.Programsthatconductlessstreetoutreachencourageappointmentstomeetwithoutreachstaff.However,teamshavedevelopedflexibilityintheirapproachtoprovidearangeofoptionsforclientswhoneedtoaccessanoutreachworker.Theseincludeclientintakeoverthephone(e.g.CMHAPAandtheCMHANWV),aonce‐a‐weekdrop‐inday(e.g.CMHANWV)andaccesstoa‘storefront’whereclientsmayaccessresourcesevenwhenoutreachworkersareunavailable(e.g.KFS,CMHAPA,RCH).Caseplanningbeginsatintake.Thisusuallyinvolvestakingaclienthistory,assessingaclient’sneedsanddesigningasetofkeyservicesthatwillstabilizetheclient,includingdevelopmentofaplantoputthoseservicesinplace.Notallclientsparticipateinthispractice.IncomeAssistance(IA)



Connectingoutreachclientsimmediatelyanddirectlytoincomeassistanceisoneofthekeycomponentsofthedirectaccessoutreachprogrammodelbeingimplementedbytheseagencies.AFastTrackprotocolhasbeenputinplacebytheBCHousingHOP/AHOPprogramstoensureoutreachclientshaveimmediateaccesstoincomeassistance.ThisworksbyensuringthatclientsaccompaniedbyanoutreachworkerarefasttrackedontoIA.Inatleastonecommunity,IAreservesweekly“appointments”foroutreachprogramclients.

• FasttrackIAapplications:6 All• WorktosecureIAthroughapplications:All• BuildongoingrelationshipswithIAstaff:AHHS• Specificallymentionadvocacy: CMHAPA,CMHANWV,KFS

Thefollowingservicesareprovidedthroughreferraltoappropriatecommunityagenciesortoin‐houseservicesinlargemulti‐serviceagencies.Allsixagenciesreferredclientstosomeformofaddictions,mentalhealthandphysicalhealthservices.Referraltootherservicessuchaslifeskills,employmentandtraining,andlegalservicesdependsuponthelocalavailabilityofservices.HousingOutreachprogramsadoptanumberofapproachestoobtainhousingfortheirclientsasdisplayedinTable2.Alloutreachprogramsmakeuseofrentalsupplementstoassistclientsinprivatemarkethousingunits.Eachproviderisallottedalumpsumtodistributeamongtheirclientsasneeded.Severalprovideassistancewithapplicationsfornon‐profithousingorBCHousingdirectlymanagedstock,althoughthisisusuallyviewedaslong‐termhousing,requiringinterimhousingintheprivatemarket.Additionally,fouroftheagenciesbuildrelationshipswithlandlordsandfouroperatetheirownhousingunits.Table2highlightsthehousingpracticesofeachagency.

6Thisisaprogramrequirement.



Table2:Housingpractices

Smallurban Suburban LargeurbanPortAlberni

PrinceGeorge

MapleRidge

NorthShore Kelowna Vancouver

Housingpractices CMHA

NativeFriendshipCentre

AlouetteHomeStartSociety CMHA

Ki‐low‐naFriendshipSociety

RainCItyHousing

Userentalsubsidiestosupportclientsinhousing

Y Y Y Y Y YAssistancewithhousingapplicationstonon‐profithousingorBCHousing Y Y Y Y Y YAgencyoperateshousingunits Y Y Y Y Y YPreparehousinglists/inventories N N Y Y N NBuildrelationshipswithlandlords Y Y Y Y Y NMediatewithlandlordsifproblem N N Y* Y Y* YDrive/accompanyclienttoviewapartments

Y Y Y* Y Y* NRe‐houseclientseveraltimes Y Y Y Y Y Y

*Willdoifnecessary.

ServicesThereareanumberofapproachesthatoutreachprogramsusetoensureclientsreceiveappropriate,necessaryservices.Thefollowingdescribeshowaclientisconnectedtoeachtypeofservice,andtheorganizationsthatusethisapproach.ItshouldbenotedthatRCHisuniqueinitsfocusonworkingwithclientstofindmarkethousingthroughitslong‐termrentalsubsidy.7AnumberofRCHclients,forexample,arereferredfromemergencysheltersforonlyhousingservices.Othersupportservicesareprovidedbyshelterstafforthroughreferralsfromshelterstaff.Thisfocusdifferentiatesthemfromtheotherfiveorganizationsstudiedthattendtoprovideorreferclientstoarangeofsupports,dependingonclientneeds.Addictions

• Referraltodetox,treatment,ormedicalspecialist:All• In‐houseservices:KFS

MentalHealth

• Referraltotreatment,usuallythroughHealthAuthority:All• In‐houseservices:CMHAPA,CMHANWV,KFS,RCH

7TheRCHHousingoutreachprogramhasaccesstofundingforarentsupplementof$300for30people.AddedtothesheltercomponentofIncomeAssistance,thisallowsindividualsandfamiliestobehousedinmarketunits.Bytheendofoneyearwhenthesupplementendsforeachperson,theindividualorfamilyisexpectedtobeabletokeepstablehousingontheirowneitherthroughemployment,adisabilitypension,orbymovingtoarentgearedtoincomebuilding.



PhysicalHealth• Hospitalemergency(wherenowalk‐inclinic),ortoGPswillingtotakeclients;CMHAPA,

AHSS• Referral,usuallytoapublicahealthunit,operatedthroughthelocalHealthAuthority:

PGNFC,AHSS,KFS,CMHAPA,RCH• Nursepractitioneronsite:CMHCNWV

LifeSkills

• Referral:CMHAPA(limited)PGNFC,AHSS(limited),KFS,RCH• In‐houseservices:CMHANWV8,KFS

Employmentandtraining

• Referral:CMHAPA,PGNFC,KFS,RCH• In‐houseservices:CMHANWV,KFS

LegalServices

• Referral:CMHAPA,CMHANWV,KFS• In‐houseservices:KFS(povertylaw),CMHAPA

Otherservices

• Youthreferral:CMHANWV• Foodbank:CMHANWV• Braininjuryreferral:KFStoBrainTrust

Follow‐Up:AllHOP/AHOPfundedprogramsarerequiredtofollow‐upwithclientsatsixmonthsafteraclientishoused.Afterthisperiod,follow‐upisgenerallyleftuptotheclientandaclientcanmaintaincontactwiththeoutreachprogramaslongasnecessaryeitherbyphoneorinperson.Insomecommunities,formerclientsandoutreachworkers“bumpinto”eachotherandcontactismaintainedthatway.RCHceasesfollow‐upeffortsafteraclientstopsreceivingarentalsupplement.Insomecasesfollow‐upwillbeforanextendedperiodoftime(sometimesyears).However,aclientmaychoosenottomaintaincontactwithanoutreachprogrambecausetheyhavestabilizedandmovedon,ormovedonwithoutstabilizingbecausetheyarestillstrugglingwithaddictionsand/ormentalhealthissuesorhavedied.Outreachworkerswilltrytofollow‐upwithclientswhohavestoppedcontactingthem,butwillnotpressureaclienttomaintaincontact.Inorganizationsthathavemultipleservices,workersmaymaintaininformalrelationshipswithclientswhocomeinformealprograms,employmentservices,etc.

8CMHANWV’sin‐houselifeskills(CommunityNavigator)programwasdiscontinuedinearly2011.Theyarecurrentlyworkingtoreinstatetheprogramiffundingcanbesecured.



d. Definitions of Success Thecasestudiessuggestthatdefinitionsofsuccessvaryforclients,theoutreachprogramandatthecommunitylevel.Fortheclient:Effectiveharmreductionmeansthateveryinteractionisanopportunitytoprovidemorestabilityandfunctionalitytoclients’lives.Overthelong‐term,successmeansaclientisstablyhousedandwithastableincome.However,overtheshort‐term,successcanmeanfacilitatingasmallimprovementinsomeone’slife,includinglendingasympatheticear,accesstophysicalhealthcareorevenawarmmealinthehopesthatthiswillleadtomoresignificantinteractionbutalsoasasignificantimmediateimprovementinqualityoflife.Fortheprogram:Aprimarymarkerofsuccessfortheseoutreachprogramsisasolid,trustedreputationintheircommunities.Whenotheragenciesorclientsrefernewclientsthisisasignificantindicationofsuccess,asitmeanstheprogramhasestablishedareputationasanorganizationthatcanhelpindividualsinneed.Anotherkeymarkerofsuccessislinkingclientswithhousingandsupportingclientstoaccessincomeassistanceandotherservices.Byprovidingthesesupportsoutreachworkersareabletohelpclientsontheroadtostabilization.Asnotedabove,housingandsupportingclientsmayneedtooccurmultipletimes.However,severalprogramstaffnotedthatthisispartofthelong‐termprocessofstabilizingclients.Afinalmarkerofsuccessforoutreachprogramsismovingfromhelpingaclientfindhousingtoworkingwiththemtomaintainthehousingtheyarein.Forthecommunity:Forcommunities,successisoftenviewedthroughabroaderlens.Communitypartnersinterviewedsuggestedacommondefinitionofsuccesswasthedevelopmentofacommunitynetworkofsupportinwhichmultipleagenciesworktogethertoprovideservicesthatanindividualneeds.Manycommunitypartnersalsonotedsomeimportantimpactsthatasuccessfuloutreachprogramwouldhave.Theseincludelessvisiblehomelessnessinthecommunity,andeffortstoaddresstherootcausesofhomelessness(particularlythelackofaffordablehousing).AfinalmarkerofprogramsuccessforthosewhoworkwithAboriginalclienteleisincreasedsensitivitytowardandrespectforculturaldifferencesandanimprovementinservicedeliverytoAboriginalpeople.Anothermeasureofsuccessnotedbysomecommunitystakeholderswasthattheintroductionofhomelessoutreachinacommunitymayhavereducedtheworkloadforotherservices,andenabledstaffintheseservicestofocusontheirprimarymandate.



e. Outcomes OutreachprogramsfundedthroughHOP/AHOParerequiredtosubmitfiguresshowingthenumberofclientsstillhousedatsixmonths.Ofthecasestudyoutreachprogramsthatprovidedfiguresonhousingoutcomes,Table3showsthatmostreportahighrateofhousingstabilityatsixmonths,asshownbelow.Theremainingagenciesdidnotprovidefigures.Table3:Housingstabilityat6monthsAgency Percentofclients

housedafter6monthsCMHAPortAlberni 80%AlouetteHomeStartSociety 89%RainCityHousing 80‐90%CMHANorthandWestVancouver 83%

Source:Agencyinterviews.

Someagenciesprovidedotheroutcomemeasures:

• PGNFC:40‐50%ofclientsarereadytoaccessindependenthousing;95%haveIAand10%haveDisabilityAllowanceafter6monthswithOPteam;30%stabilizeandaccessnecessarysupporttobeemployable

• RCH:Atsixmonths75‐80%ofclientsarestillreceivingIA;allthoseeligiblearereceivingthedisabilityallowance;25‐30%havesomelevelofemployment.

Severaloutreachworkerssaidthatreportingtoadatabasefordatacollectionpurposeswasanonerousrequirementthattooktheirlimitedtimeawayfromservingclients...



4. UnderstandingCommunityContext

a. Local Characteristics and Conditions Table4belowshowssomekeydemographicandeconomiccharacteristicsofthecasestudycommunity.Itsuggeststhatthechoiceofmunicipalities/outreachprograms,whileintendedtoreflectthreebroadcommunitysize/types,actuallyreflectsignificantvariationsevenwithincommunitytypee.g.PortAlberniandPrinceGeorge.Ingeneral,thesmallurbancentresshareaslowerpopulationgrowthrate,highervacancyratesandloweraveragerentsthanthesuburbanandurbansites.PortAlberni,thesmallestofallsitesbypopulationsize,lost9%ofitsrenteddwellingsbetween2001and2006.Thesuburbansitesdifferquitedramaticallyintermofpopulationgrowth,withtheNorthShore(aninnersuburb)growingveryslowlyincomparisonwithMapleRidge(anoutersuburb).Theyhavebothlostasignificantamountofrentalstock,andhavelowervacancyrates,whicharecomparabletotheurbansites.TheurbancentresofKelownaandVancouverexperiencedhighpopulationgrowthrates,havehigherrentsandlowvacancyrates.Despitethesimilaritiestherearealsosignificantdifferenceswithinthecategoriesintermsofpopulationsize,growthratesandinsomecases,vacancyrates.Thefiguresshowthatmunicipalitiesthatfallwithinacertainpopulationsizecategorycanvaryquitesignificantly.Table4:SelectedCharacteristicsbyCommunityType

Smallurbancentres Suburbancentres UrbancentresCharacteristic PortAlberni

PrinceGeorge

NorthShore9

MapleRidge

KelownaCMA

Vancouver(City)

Population2006 18,000 83,000 169,858 69,000 162,275 578,041

Populationgrowthrate2001‐06 ‐1.1% 2.1% 1.1% 9.2% 10.8% 5.9%

Unemploymentrate2009 7.2% 10‐12%* 7.1(CMA)% 7.1(CMA)% 8.7‐12%* 7.1%(CMA)

Declineinrenteddwellingunits(2006) 220or9% 160or2% 1470or7% 270or5% N/A 1220

Averagerent,Oct2010 $568 $666 $973‐1,462 $750 $822 $1059

VacancyrateOct2010 5.4% 7.5% 0.6‐1.6% 3.2% 3.4% 1.3%*Twodevelopmentregions.

9CityofNorthVancouver,DistrictofNorthVancouverandWestVancouver.



b. Community Linkages Eachoutreachprogramhasdevelopeditsowncommunitynetworkorreliesonanexistingnetworktoensurethatthehousing,incomeandsupportneedsofclientsaremet.Thetypeofnetworksinplace(formalorinformal)differfromcommunitytocommunity.However,therearesomecommonpointsofcontactthatmanyoftheoutreachteamsmakeuseof,including:

• Keyprovincialministries,particularlyMinistryofSocialDevelopment(forIncomeAssistance)andMinistryofChildrenandFamilyDevelopment

• Localhealthauthorities,particularlyMentalHealthandAddictionsTeamsandwhereavailable,physicalhealthcare

• Otherserviceorganizationsincludingwomen’sservices,familyservices,communityadvocatesandfoodbanks,aswellascommunityservicesinareaslistedabove

• Localhomelesspolicyandadvocacynetworks• RCMPorotherpoliceforces.

FormalrelationshipsandprotocolswereinplaceinthesecommunitiestofacilitateincomeassistanceapplicationsasspecifiedfortheHOP/AHOPprogram.Whilemostoutreachprogramsrelyonaninformalsystemofrelationshipsforotherservices,mechanismshavebeendevelopedtoensurethatservicesarenotduplicated.AtKFSandAHSSformalmechanismsforinter‐agencycooperationhavedevelopedthroughthePartnersinCommunityCollaborationandCommunityNetwork,respectively.Bothnetworksmakeuseofanintegratedcasemanagementapproach10toaddresshomeless,andaredesignedtoconnectclientswithappropriateservicesavailableinthecommunityandtomonitorclients’progress.Inadditiontoformalnetworks,outreachworkersconnectedwithanumberofothertypesoforganizationsincludinglocalpoliticians(local,provincialelectedrepresentatives),schoolboards,bylawofficers,landlords,localbusinesses,andthefaithcommunity.

c. Local Awareness and Impacts Thesecasestudiesshowthatoutreachprogramsarewellknownamongstlocalstakeholdergroups(servicesector,andothersinvolvedinaddressinghomelessness).However,inonecommunityinterviewparticipantsfeltthatmoreworkisneededtoraiseawarenessandgaincommunitysupportoftheprogram.Inseveralothercommunities,participantsnotedthatwhileawarenessofhomelessnessamongthewidercommunityhadgrown,therewasstillmoreworktobedone.Despitegrowingawarenessofhomelessnessincasestudycommunities,outreachprogramsthemselvesarenotwidelyknownbybroadercommunityresidents.However,itshouldbenotedthatistheresultnotofasingleprogramoreffort,butofthecollaborativecommunitynetworksandresponsesinwhichoutreachprogramsareactivepartnersandleaders.

10Tateetal.defineintegratedcasemanagementas“ateamapproachtakentoco‐ordinatevariousservices...throughacohesiveandsensibleplan.Allmembersoftheteamworktogethertoprovideassessment,planning,monitoringandevaluation.Theteamshouldincludeallserviceproviderswhohavearoleinimplementingtheplan”aswellasclients.(Tateetal.1999,availableat:http://www.mcf.gov.bc.ca/icm/pdfs/participants.pdf)



Table5summarizesthenoticeableimpactsoftheirprogramsasreportedbyrespondents.Somereportedreducedvisiblehomelessness,increasedcommunityawarenessofhomelessnessandimportantly,reducedworkloadforotherserviceproviders.Table5‐Localimpacts(asexpressedbyintervieweesinopenendedinterviews)

Smallurban Suburban LargeurbanPortAlberni

PrinceGeorge MapleRidge

NorthShore Kelowna Vancouver

Localimpacts CMHA

NativeFriendshipCentre

AlouetteHomeStartSociety CMHA

Ki‐low‐naFriendshipSociety

RainCItyHousing

Visiblehomelessnessisdecreased DK DK N Y Y YGreaterinter‐organizationcooperationandnetworks DK Y Y Y Y NIncreasedawarenessofhomelessandhousingissueincommunity Y

Minimalincrease Y

Y,butstillchallenge Y DK

Reducedworkloadforotherserviceworkers Y DK Y Y DKIncreasedavailabilityofshelters/housing

Y N N DK Y DKPolicyandlocalgovernmentresponse Y Y Y Y Y DK

N.B.Notallrespondentscommentedoneachimpact.



5. InfluenceofCommunityTypeonOutreachPrograms

a. Outreach Programs Anearlyevaluationin2007oftheProvincialHomelessOutreachProgram11notedsomeimportantdifferencesbetweenprogramsaccordingtothesizeofacommunityinwhichtheyoperate.Theywere:

1. Ininnercitiesandurbanareastheoutreachmodelistypicallymoreurgentandintensivecomparedtoruralsites.Thisisduetogreaternumberofclientsandincreasedcomplexityofclientissuesinlargercommunities.

2. Outreachclientsinruralandsmallcommunitiesaremorelikelytoberelativelyhomeless,livingininadequatehousingratherthanlivingrough.

3. OutreachWorkersinruralandsmallcommunitiestendtohavesmallercaseloadsandhighernumbersofinterventionswithmorefocusonhousingsupport.

Theseearlyfindings,particularlypoints2and3above,donotnecessarilyholdtrueforthecasestudyoutreachprogramsexaminedinthisresearch.Thismaybeduetotheparticularcasesstudied.Forinstance,onelargeurbansitefocusedonhigherfunctioningindividuals,aresultofthespecializationpossibleinalargeurbanarea,whereotheroutreachteamsoperate.Consequentlytheirserviceswerenotmoreurgentandintensive.Outreachagenciesinsmallcommunitiesstudiedheredidnotreportserving“relativelyhomeless”clientsorthoseatriskofhomelessness,althoughoncehoused,itwastypicallyinpoorqualitymarkethousingandmayinvolveseveralattemptsatre‐housing.ThenatureoftheoutreachworkinboththePortAlberniandPrinceGeorgesitesmeansthattheteamsengagemorewithabsolute12homelesseitheronthestreet,inashelterorinacamp.Occasionallytheywouldre‐houseclients,butmainlytheysawtheabsolutehomeless.Smalltownoutreachworkerstendedtofocusonnewclientsonceexistingclientswerehoused,althoughsupportwasprovidedifneededtoallclientsoncehoused.Whilethisresearchdidn’taskaboutcaseloadsize,therewasnoindicationthatsmallurbanoutreachservicesfocusedmoreonhousingsupport.SmalltownsitesPortAlberniandPrinceGeorgehavestronginformalservicenetworksinplace.However,becauseoftheirsmallersizetheytendtohavefewerservicesavailable,whichsignificantlyaffectstheirabilitytoconnectclientswithappropriatesupports.Additionally,transportationandaccessissuesposeasignificantchallengeforthesecommunities.Thismanifestsintwoways.Firstly,publictransitwithinthecommunitymaybelimited,creatingbarriersinaccessingservices.Secondly,outlyingcommunitiestendtorelyonPortAlberniandPrinceGeorgefor

11CitySpacesConsulting.2007.ProvincialHomelessOutreachProgramEvaluationReport.Preparedfor

theCMHA.12AbsoluteHomeless–Thosewhohavenohomeoftheirown.Theseincludetheshelteredhomelessstayinginemergencyshelters,transitionhousesoryouthsafehouses,andthosewhosleep“rough”inplacessuchasinparkades,onthebeach,insquatsandindoorways.



BuildingaServiceNetwork:PartnersinCommunityCollaboration(Kelowna)PartnersinCommunityCollaboration(PICC)iscomposedof25organizationsorgovernmentagenciesthatworkwithhomelessandat‐riskpopulationswhomeetonceweeklyforanhour.PICCfollowsaformalclientengagementprocessinwhich:(a)workersengageclients,(b)workersandclientsdiscusstheclient’sneedsandpotentialresourcesinthecommunity,(c)theworkerbringsforwardtheclient’sneedstothePICCmeetingwithacasemanagementplanand(d)casemanagementof“PICC’d”clientsoccursthroughouttheweek.Thisprocesswasdevelopedto“removebarriersimpactinghealth,increasecontinuumofcareforclientsanddecreasethenumberofdisenfranchisedandhomelessindividualsinKelowna.”Thepartnershipisinstrumentalinconnectingclientstoappropriateservices,developingrelationshipsbetweenagenciesandbuildingcapacityandaccountabilitywithinthecommunity.

services,meaningthatclientsmayhavetotravelsignificantdistancestoaccessappropriateservicesandtoreturnhome.Thesetwocommunitiesactasservicecentreswithintheirlargerregions.SomeoutreachclientstraveltothesecentrestoaccessservicesandthenmayexperiencehomelessnesswhileinPrinceGeorgeorPortAlberni.SuburbansitesMapleRidge(AHSS)andNorth/WestVancouver(CMHCNWV)tendtohavemoreservicesinplacethanthesmallcentres,aswellasmorediversityinaffordablehousing/housingoptions.ThetwosuburbancommunitiesstudieddifferedsomewhatintheirgeographicalrelationshipstothemetropolitancentreofVancouver.North/WestVancouver’scloseproximitytoVancouvermeansthatitlackssomeservicesthatarefoundinVancouver.ThispresentsachallengetotheCMHCNWVinprovidingappropriatelevelsofservice,astheymaybeseenascloseenoughtobenefitfromVancouver’sservices,wheninrealityclientsareoftenreluctanttotraveloutsidethecommunity.Asanoutersuburb,MapleRidge’sserviceorganizations,however,tendtooperateindependentlyofwhatisavailableinVancouver,andindeedthemunicipalityappearstooperatemorelikeasmalltownthansuburbintermsofserviceprovision.Inaddition,theAlouetteHomeStartSocietyOutreachprogramdidhaveconnectionswithothersuburbanmunicipalitiesintheFraserValley.Bothcommunities,however,areinfluencedbyMetroVancouver’shousingmarket.ThehighcostofhousinginMetroVancouversignificantlyimpactsthecostofmarketandrentalhousing.Furthermore,whereVancouver’shousingstockisrelativelydiverse,suburbancommunitiesmayhavelittlepurposebuiltrentalhousingtoeffectivelymitigatetheexpensiveregionalhousingmarket.Additionally,bothsuburbancommunitieshavelargewoodedareaswherehomelesspeoplecamp,meaningthatfindingthehomelessmakesoutreacheffortsmorechallenging.Finally,forbothsuburbancommunities,awarenessofhomelessnessalsorepresentsanongoingchallenge,but,accordingtokeyinformants,itisimprovinginbothMapleRidgeandNorth/WestVancouver.UrbansitesBecauseoftheRCHfocusonaparticulartargetpopulationandtherangeofotherhomelessservicesinVancouver’sDowntownEastside,thenatureoftheirservicedeliveryisquitedifferentthantheurbanoutreachprograminKelowna.BothKelownaandVancouverhaveawiderangeofsocialservicesavailable,manycentredinthe



downtowncore.Accordingtointerviewees,thesecitiesarethereforeabletodeveloplarge,resilientandeffectiveservicenetworkscapableofadoptinganintegratedcasemanagementapproachandensuringthatservicesaren’tduplicated(e.g.Kelowna’sPICC,seesidebar).However,travelremainsanissueforclientsoutsidedowntowncoreswhereservicesarefocused.Thereasonsforthisbarriertoaccessibilitydifferbetweenthetwourbancasestudies.WhileinKelownasprawlcontributestotransportationchallenges,inVancouveritwasnotthatserviceswereaproblemtoaccess(indeedtheywerereadilyavailableinafewblockareaoftheDTES)itwasthatbyplacingclientsinhousingoutsidetheDTES,hometotheoutreachoffice,travelbecamecostlyforboththeoutreachworker(iftheOWhadtomeetwiththeclientnearorintheirhome)orfortheclienttocometotheoffice.Additionally,bothurbancentresfacesignificanthousingaffordabilitybarriers.InKelowna’stourist‐orientedmarket,diverseandaffordablehousingislacking.InVancouver,despiteeffortstoensureaffordablehousingisinplace,thehighcostofadequatehousingnonethelessrepresentsasignificantbarriertoaccessingandmaintaininghousingformanyclients.

b. Challenges to Effective Outreach Analysisofthecasestudiesalsorevealedanumberofchallenges,someofwhichmayberelatedtospecificcommunitycharacteristicssuchassize,andotherchallengesthatareunrelatedtocommunitytype.Thesechallengesincludealackofsupportservices,workloadandstaffingissues,andprogramreportingrequirements.LackofServicesBecausetheoutreachmodeldependsonreferraltootheragenciesforallserviceprovision,therangeandavailabilityofservicesiscentraltosuccessfuloutreach.Alloutreachprogramscitedalackofadequateservicecapacityasamajorchallengeinsuccessfulprogramdelivery.Theseincludedalackoftreatmentforaddictionsandmentalhealthissues,aswellaslimitedseasonally‐fundedshelters.Thiscanbedependentoncommunitysize.Inruralareasthisoftenmeantthatcertaintypesofserviceswerenotavailablelocally,orsignificantlyunder‐resourced.InNorth/WestVancouverthelackofservicesincludedalackofphysicalandmentalhealthservices,aswellasservicesforindividualswithconcurrentdisorders.KeyinformantsfeltthiswasduetotheconcentrationofservicesinVancouver.InKelowna,interviewparticipantsnotedseniorgovernmentcutbacksonservicesimpactingtheirwork(e.g.legalservicecutbacks),whileinVancouveritwasnotedthattheneedforimprovingservicesinotherareasofthecitymightalleviatesomeofthepressureonservicesintheDowntownEastside.Whilethereasonforlackofresourcesdifferssomewhatacrosscommunities,theneedforadditionalcapacityinmentalhealthandaddictionsservicesiscommontoallsixsites.WorkloadandStaffingAcrossoutreachprograms,workloadandstaffingissueswereviewedaschallengestoprogramsuccess.Manyoutreachprogramintervieweesnotedthatthesignificantworkloadsandthenumberofclientsintheoutreachprogramscanbeaburdenonthewellbeingofstaff,andthatingeneralthereisaneedformorestaffcoverageinalloftheprograms.Additionally,some



communitieshaddifficultyrecruitingandtrainingoutreachstafftopositionsthatmustbeparttime,duetoavailablefundingandtheneedtoworkinteamsoftwo.ReportingRequirementsManyprogramstaffviewedreportingrequirementsasonerous,andconsidereditastakingawaytimetheoutreachworkercouldspendprovidingservicetoclients.Thisisanotuncommonreactionbysocialserviceproviderstodatacollectionrequirements.Noinformationwasgatheredonthespecificnatureofthedataentryrequirementsorpracticessonorecommendationisprovided.



6. EffectiveOutreachCharacteristicsandPractices

a. Overall Effectivehomelessoutreachcharacteristicsandpracticeshavebeenidentifiedacrosscasestudysitesbasedontheinsightsgatheredthroughthesecasestudies.Theinformationwasgatheredintwoways:throughopen‐endedquestionsaskingstaff,communitystakeholderandclientstheirviewsoneffectivepractices,andaratingofeffectivepracticesidentifiedintheliteraturebythosesamerespondents.Afocusedreviewoftheliteratureattheoutsetofthisprojectidentifiedthe16outreachpracticesinthetablebelowaseffectivepractices.13IntervieweeswereaskedtheirviewsontheimportanceofthesepracticesandthesearepresentedinTable6.Thefiguresreflectanaverageofallintervieweeresponsesandtherelativeimportanceofeachforallprograms.Thefindingsconfirmtheimportanceofvirtuallyallofthesepractises.Thetopthreecharacteristicsandpracticesconcernoutreachworkerdemeanour/personalityandlinkswithhousingprovidersandcommunityserviceagencies.Thesethreefactorsarereflectiveoftheoutreachmodelitself.Theyencapsulatetheessentialpracticeofoutreachwhichisapersonalengagementwithhomelessclients,thenlinkingthemwithcommunityresourcestofindhousingandneededservices.Mostpracticeslistedwereviewedasimportantorveryimportant(anaverageratingbetween2.5and3),withtheexceptionof“hiringformerlyhomelessclientsasoutreachworkers”.Incontrast,“hiringstaffwithspecialknowledgeofhomelesspeopleandtheproblemstheyface”wasviewedasabetterapproach.Practicesthatprovidedmoreovertordirectassistancetoclients,suchas“accompanyingclienttoneededservices/appointments”and“assistingclientwithtransportation”alsowerealsoperceivedaslessimportant.Thereasonsforthismayincludewantingtofosterclientindependenceandalackofoutreachworkertime/resources.“Takingateamapproachtostaffing”wasratedlesspositively,likelybecausethisisviewedasmoreofanexpedientgiventherealitiesofcaseloadsandresources,asopposedtoadesirablepractice.

13SeeWorksReferenced.



Table6:EffectiveOutreachPracticeRatings

OutreachPractise

AverageRating1=notimportant,3=veryimportant

Treatinghomelessclientsrespectfullysothattheyfeelvalued 3

Positiverelationships/linkswithhousingprovidersinthecommunity 3

Positiverelationships/linkswithothercommunityserviceagencies 3

Beingflexibleinthenumberandtypesofservicesoffered 2.9

Advocatingforclient 2.9

Stafftraining 2.9

Ongoingrelationshipwithclient 2.8

Hiringstaffwithspecialknowledgeofhomelesspeopleandtheproblemstheyface 2.7

Debriefingand/orcounsellingforstaff 2.7

Supervisorworkswithpoliticians/agenciestomakecommunitylinkagesonbehalfofteam 2.7

Makingnumerouscontactsoveranextendedperiodoftime 2.6

Providingmediationwithemployersand/orlandlords 2.6

Takingateamapproachtostaffingi.e.outreachworkersshareacaseload 2.6

Accompanyingclienttoneededservices/appointments 2.4

Assistingclientwithtransportation 2.4

Hiringformerlyhomelessclientsasoutreachworkers 1.7

Adisaggregationofthefindingsbyintervieweetyperevealedthatformeroutreachclientsthemselveshaddifferentviewsaboutsomepractices.Forexample,formerclientswerelesspositiveabout“takingateamapproachtostaffing”(1.9comparedto2.8and2.6foragencyandcommunitystakeholders).Itmaybethatclientsprefertodealwithoneworkeronanongoingbasiswhoknowsthemandtheyfeelcomfortablewithratherthenhavingtoworkwithmultiplestaff.Thefollowingdiscussionhighlightssomeaspectsofthesepractices:HiringtherightstaffEmpatheticstaffabletodevelopongoingrelationshipsoftrustwiththeirclientswasseenascriticaltotheoutreachmodel.Infact,successfuloutreachspeaksmoretothequalitiesoftheoutreachworkerhired,theirtrainingandsupport,thanspecificoutreachpracticesperseaccordingtotherespondents.Staffwhounderstandtheexperiencesofhomelessindividuals,andareabletorelatetoclientsbynotbeingjudgmental,beingabletoexpresshumour,abletolisten,showrespect,andpromiseonlywhattheycandeliverwasseenaskey.WhiledifferentOPprogramshaddifferenteducationalorworkexperiencerequirementsforstaff,intervieweesviewedrespectfulandnon‐judgmentalrelationshipswithclientsascriticaltosuccessfuloutreach.BeingclientcentredandflexibleMeetingthehomelesswheretheyareandfocusingontheneedsofeachuniqueclientarekeyoutreachcharacteristicsorprinciples.Outreachworkersmustbeflexibleandprovidetheassistanceneededwhateverthatmaybe.Thisusuallymeansgettingtoknoweachclientand



ServiceNetworksInformalrelationshipswithotherserviceorganizationsoftenoccurinsmalltomediumcommunities(e.g.CommunityResponseUnitinPrinceGeorge;NursepractitionerandadvocateinNorth/WestVancouver).Theserelationshipsensurethatservicesarenotduplicatedandfacilitatereferrals.Formalnetworksinsuburban/urbannetworks,withanintegratedcasemanagementapproach(e.g.PICCKelowna;CommunityNetworkinMapleRidge)allowserviceagenciestoensurethattheirclientsarereceivingtimelyaccesstoappropriateservices.SpecializedresponsewithaccesstoreferralorganizationsallowRCHtofocusitsservices,butatthesametimeensurethattheycanconnectclientswhodonotmeettheirtargetpopulationtoappropriateservicesatotheragenciesintheDTES.

developingacaseplanthatmeetstheirindividualneeds.Asuitablemixofhousing,incomeassistanceandsupportwouldbetailoredtoeachclienttoaddresstheirissues(short‐termorlong‐term)andhelpthemtakestepstowardstability.EvolvingclientintakestrategiesAnotablefeatureoftheoutreachprograminseveralofthesitesstudiedhasbeentheevolutionofengagementfrombeingprimarilyfocusedonstreetoutreachtoacombinationofstreetoutreachandofficeappointmentandreferrals.Itappearstohavebeenadaptednaturallyovertimeastheprogramhasbecomeknownwithinthecommunity,andmayenhancestaffcapacityaslesstimeisspentfindingclients.MaintainingongoingrelationshipsAllprogramsestablishedlong‐termrelationshipswithclientswheneverpossible.Therewasgenerallynosuchlabelas“former”clients:programsacceptclientsmultipletimesifhousingstabilityislost.Someprogramsreportedprovidingservicestoclientsforseveralyears.Thismightraiseissuesofcapacityovertime,ifoldclientsremainwithinthecaseloadasnewonesareadded.EmpoweringtheclientEmpoweringtheclienttomoveforward,attheirownpaceintheirownwaywasseenascritical.Effectiveoutreachaimstofindthatmiddlegroundbetweenfacilitatingorenablingindependenceversuscreatingdependency.Onaday‐to‐daylevelthismightmeanprovidingaclientwithalistofrentalswithphonenumbersandaskingthattheclientmakecontactwithlandlordsinsteadofmakingcallsontheclient’sbehalf.AccessingservicenetworksAccesstotheservicesandexpertiseofotheragencies(whetherthroughformalizedservicenetworksthatuseanintegratedcasemanagementapproach,orthroughinformalrelationshipsbetweenoutreachstaffandotherserviceproviders)wasfelttobecriticalforasuccessfuloutreachprogram.Positiverelationships/linkswithhousingprovidersinthecommunityandwithothercommunityserviceagencieswasalsoseenascritical.Itdidn’tseemtomatterifthesenetworkswereformalorinformal.Liasingwithlandlords



Staffinmostprogramsactivelyliaisedwithlandlords,enablingthemtobuildrelationshipsthatwouldfacilitatetheirclients’accesstohousing.Itwouldalsoprovideabasisforaphonecallfromthelandlordintheeventofanissuewithatenant,lettingthemknowofthesituation,andtherebyofferanopportunityfortheworkertoattempttomitigatethesituation.RCHontheotherhandismanagingtohouseitsclientswithoutlandlordengagement,perhapsevidenceoftheroleofthesupplementaryfundstheyreceive.RentsupplementsRespondentscollectivelyemphasizedtheroleofrentsupplementsinprovidingopportunitiesforclientstogainaccesstosomebetterqualityhousing,althoughmanyagenciesstillstruggletofindadequateaffordablehousing.Broadcommunityengagementandsupport:Havingstaffactivelyinvolvedwithbroadercommunityengagementwasseentohelpraiseawarenessofhomelessness,promotesupportforinitiativesanddeveloplong‐termstrategiesforaddressinghomelessnessinthecommunity.InKelowna,thistooktheformofastakeholdernetworkcalledPartnersforaHealthyDowntown.OntheNorthShoreandinPrinceGeorge,thisbroaderengagementoccurredthroughlocalgovernmentpolicy/planningsupport.

b. By Community Type Table7belowshowstheratingsofoutreachpracticesbycommunitytype,revealingfewdifferences.Respondentsinallcommunitytypesrecognizedthattreatingclientsrespectfullyandpositiverelationshipswithhousingprovidersandcommunityserviceswereessentialpractices.ThreeoutreachpracticeswerefoundtobeofslightlylessvalueinsmalltownOPsitesthaninsuburbanandurbansites.Theywere:

• Hiringstaffwithspecialknowledgeofhomelesspeopleandtheproblemstheyface• Takingateamapproachtostaffingi.e.outreachworkersshareacaseload• Debriefingand/orcounsellingforstaff

Whileintervieweeswerenotaskedtoexplaintheirrating,itmaybethatwithasmallerpopulationbasetodrawfrom,smalltownrespondentsfeltitwaslesslikelythattheywouldbeabletohireworkerswithspecialknowledge,andthatitisinfactthepersonalityandempatheticqualitiesthataremoreimportant.



Table7:RatingsofEffectiveOutreachPracticesbyCommunityType

OutreachPractiseSmallUrbanAverage

SuburbanAverage

UrbanAverage

AllCaseStudyAverage

Treatinghomelessclientsrespectfullysothattheyfeelvalued 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0Positiverelationships/linkswithhousingprovidersinthecommunity 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0Positiverelationships/linkswithothercommunityserviceagencies 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0Beingflexibleinthenumberandtypesofservicesoffered 2.7 2.9 3.0 2.9Advocatingforclient 3.0 2.8 3.0 2.9Stafftraining 3.0 2.9 2.9 2.9Ongoingrelationshipwithclient 3.0 2.8 2.8 2.8Hiringstaffwithspecialknowledgeofhomelesspeopleandtheproblemstheyface 2.3 2.9 3.0 2.7Debriefingand/orcounsellingforstaff 2.4 2.8 3.0 2.7Supervisorworkswithpoliticians/agenciestomakecommunitylinkagesonbehalfofteam 2.6 2.8 2.6 2.7Makingnumerouscontactsoveranextendedperiodoftime 2.6 2.8 2.5 2.6Providingmediationwithemployersand/orlandlords 2.8 2.4 2.5 2.6Takingateamapproachtostaffingi.e.outreachworkersshareacaseload 2.2 2.7 2.8 2.6Accompanyingclienttoneededservices/appointments 2.4 2.4 2.5 2.4Assistingclientwithtransportation 2.5 2.3 2.6 2.4Hiringformerlyhomelessclientsasoutreachworkers 1.7 1.6 1.9 1.7



7. ConclusionsandRecommendations

a. Conclusions Previousresearchhasdemonstratedtheeffectivenessofoutreachasastrategyforconnectingwithhomelesspeoplewhoarelivingrough,andassistingthemtomoveoffthestreetsandintostablehousing.OtherresearchinMetroVancouverhasdemonstratedthepathwaysoutofhomelessness.14Thisresearchhasaddressedwhetherdifferentoutreachpracticesareusedindifferenttypesofcommunities,andtheinfluenceofcommunitysize/typeandotherconditionsonthedeliveryofhomelessoutreachservices.Theroleandimportanceofoutreachisrecognizedintheliterature,anditisahighlyvaluedresourceinthecommunitiesinwhichitoperatesasconfirmedbythiscasestudy.Smallstaffteamsofoutreachworkers,alongwithacontinuumofhousingandsupport,areabletomakeasignificantdifferenceinthelivesofhomelesspeopletheyserveandintheircommunities.Thisoftenmeanssuccesswithhousingstability,butalsomanysmallerstepstowardsindividualstabilizationthatmaynotbemeasuredinoutcomestatistics.Despitesignificantdifferencesinthetypesofcommunitiesstudied,intermsofsize,geography,demographicsandotherconditions,thecasestudyoutreachprogramsoperateinasimilarfashionusingsimilarpractices.Theoutreachmodelitselfofengagement,directaccesstoincomeassistanceandhousing,andreferraltootherservicessuggestsacommonapproach.Thestudyconcludesthattherearemoresimilaritiesthandifferencesinoutreachpractisesandperceptionsofeffectivenessofthesepracticesacrosscommunitiesofvarioustypes.Thisisnotunexpectedgiventhatinmostcases,operatorsarerespondingtoacommonprogrammodelandframework.Importantfeaturesare:Staffwithsuitablequalitiesandcharacteristicsrepresentthesinglemostimportantresourceinoutreach.Havingappropriatestaffwhocantreatclientsrespectfullysothattheyfeelvaluedisoneofthebuildingblocksforasuccessfuloutreachprogram.Passionateandempatheticstaffwhocancreatenon‐judgmentalinteractionswithclients,andareabletobuildtrustingrelationshipswithhomelessindividualsarekey.Thecorrespondingeffectiveoutreachpracticeisthenhiringandretainingstaffwiththesequalities.Strongservicecollaborationisfundamentaltoasuccessfuloutreachprogram.Existenceofstrongservicenetworks(formalorinformal)bothwithhousingandserviceprovidersplayedan

14CitySpacesConsultingLtd.2011.PathwaysOutofHomelessnessRegionalStudyPreparedforMetroVancouver

andBCHousing.



importantroleinthesuccessofconnectingclientswithhousing,incomeandappropriateservicesinthesecases.RentSupplementsTheprovisionofrentsupplementstobringwhatclientscanaffordtopayinlinewiththelocalrentalratesisaneffectivepracticearoundhousingaffordability.Whilenotallclientsaccessrentsupplements,supplementscanbroadenthehousingchoicesavailabletoclients.Buildingrelationshipswithlandlordshelpstoensureaccesstothoseprivatemarketunitsthatinsomecases,landlordsmightbeunwillingtorenttoincomeassistanceclients.Theavailabilityofrentsupplementstogetherwithengagementwithlandlordsappearimportantgiventheemphasisonaccessingtheprivaterentalmarket.However,theRCHcasedemonstratesthatthelatterisnotnecessary.Rentsupplementsofferawaytoimprovethequalityofhousingavailabletoclientsthroughtheprogram.Somedifferencesinoutreachpracticeshaveevolvedtorespondtolocalcharacteristicsorconditions,forexample,thebreadthanddepthofserviceproviders,theterrain,andtransportation.However,thesearenotparticulartocommunitiesofacertainsize.ServicesavailableLargeurbanareasmayhavedifferentresponsestodealwithsizeandpresenceofmanyservices.Forexample,inKelownaitwasintegratedserviceplanning,inVancouver,servingoneparticularclientgroup.InlargercentreswithmorethanoneOPprogramitmaybepossibleforeachprogramtotakeonadifferentsetofclientpopulations,therebydeliveringfocusedandefficientservicesgearedtowardsthatclientgroup.Totheextentthatsmallercommunitieshaveamorerestrictedrangeorsupplyofservices,thisisafactorinoutreachprogramsuccess,giventhemodels’relianceonreferralstocommunityservices.Againthisfeatureisnotrestrictedtocommunitiesofaparticularsize,bothsmalltownandsuburbansitesexperiencethis.ItisevenafactorinVancouveroutsidetheDTES.Therearenosimplewaystoaddressthissituationincommunitiessmallorlarge.ForestedareasSignificantwoodedareascanposeachallengetotheoutreachteams’abilitytoengagewithhomelessindividualslivinginthebush.Again,thiswasevidentinthesmalltownandsuburbancases.InMapleRidgeforexample,workersmustbepreparedtoenterthebushwithproperfootwearandclothing,andmustarrangetotravelinpairs,orwithanothercommunitypartnertoensuresafety.Transportationandaccessibilitybothforclientsandworkersremainsakeychallengeinallofthecommunities,thoughfordifferentreasons.Itmanifestsindifferentwaysdependingonsize/typeofcommunity.Multi‐serviceagencies.Dependingonthetypeofagencydeliveringtheprogram,workersmayengageand/orfollow‐upwithclientsdifferently.Thosemulti‐serviceorganizationsthathaveanumberofin‐housecommunityorserviceprogramssuitableforhomelessclientsmayseeclientswhentheyaccessotherin‐houseprograms(e.g.employment)andfollow‐upinformally.Thoseorganizationswithfewerservicesorservicestargetedforotherpopulations,areunlikelyto“bumpinto”theirclientsthisway,andmayneedtoconductfollow‐upmoreformallythroughtelephonecontact.



Therewasnoclearevidenceofalinkbetweenoutreachpracticesandeconomicconditions,populationsize,norevenvacancyrate.Itremainsdifficulttodrawconnectionsbetweenacommunity’seconomicconditionandoperationoftheoutreachprogram.Economicdownturnwascitedasamajorfactorimpactingclientsinonlyonecommunity,PortAlberni.ThisdespiteunemploymentratesbeingabovetheBCaverageinseveralregionsaroundtwoothercommunitiesstudied,KelownaandPrinceGeorge.Similarly,whileinformationonthesizeofacommunityrepresentsimportantinformation,itisnotnecessarilythemostimportantfactorindeterminingapproachestohomelessoutreach.Therearemanyotherfactorsthatinfluencehomelessnessandresponsesbeyondacommunity’ssize.Acommunity’sgeographiclocation,itsrelationshipwithsurroundingcommunities(e.g.whetheritactsasaservicecentreforabroaderregion,isasuburbofalargercommunityorisanisolatedcentre),amountofgreenspaceandtransportationinfrastructurecanallaffectresponsestohomelessness.Eveninplaceswithhigherrelativevacancyrates,outreachworkersexperiencedifficultyfindingadequateandaffordableaccommodation,asthevacancyrateforthoseunitsmaybelow.Workersmanagetofindaccommodation,usuallyintheprivaterentalmarket,ofteninvolvingsharedsituations.

b. Recommendations Outreachissuccessfulatmeetingtheneedsofhomelessindividuals,butproviders’experienceanumberofchallengesasidentifiedinthesecases.Addressingthesechallengeswouldhelpfacilitatemoreeffectiveoutreachpractices.Itisthereforerecommendedthat:

1. Measuresthatwouldaddresshumanresourceconcernssuchassuchascaseloadsize,recruitmentandretention,staffcoverageandjobsecuritywouldstrengthenstaffcapacity.

2. Considerationmightbegiventofocusingoutreachinagenciesthataremembersofexistingservicenetworksorcanengagewithone.Alternately,thiscouldbeexpandedtoagenciesindicatingawillingnesstoandthecapacitytodevelopnewservicenetworkswithotheragenciesintheircommunity.

3. Multi‐serviceagenciesprovidingservicestothehomelessmaybebetterplacedtofacilitatefollow‐upandprovidesupport.

4. Addressingthelimitedmentalhealthandaddictionservicecapacityidentifiedinsomecommunitieswouldimproveoutreacheffectiveness.Areferralmodelthatdependsonthepresenceofasufficientanddiverseservicenetworkmeansthisiscritical,aslackofserviceswillaffectoutreachdeliveryandsuccess.

5. Whilenotachallengebutapositiveaspectofsomeoutreachprograms,availabilityofrentsupplementsthroughoutreachprogramsfacilitatesaccesstohigherqualityhousingintheprivatesectorwhichislikelyafactorinpromotinghousingstability.



8. CaseStudies



WorksconsultedOlivet,Jeff;Bassuk,EllenL.;Elstad,Emily;Kenney,Rachael;Shapiro,Lauren.2010,AssessingtheEvidence:WhatWeKnowAboutOutreachandEngagement.Edwards,MarkEvan,MelissaTorgersonandJenniferSattem,2009“ParadoxesofProvidingRuralSocialServices:TheCaseofHomelessYouth.”RuralSociology.74(3).Pp330‐355.Ng,AnthonyandHunterL.MsQuistion.2004.“OutreachtotheHomeless:Craft,scienceandfutureimplications.”JournalofPsychiatricPractice.Vol10,No.2NationalMentalHealthInformationCentre.BlueprintforChange:Endingchronichomelessnessforpersonswithseriousmentalillnessesandco‐occurringsubstanceusedisorders.Ch6Useevidence‐basedandpromisingpractices.RetrievedfromthewebCitySpacesConsultingLtd.2011.PathwaysOutofHomelessnessRegionalStudy.ForMetroVancouverandBCHousing.CitySpacesConsulting.Sept2007.HomelessOutreachProgramEvaluationReport.ForCMHA.Erickson,S.,&Page,J.1999.“Todancewithgrace:Outreachandengagementtopersonsonthestreet.”InL.B.Fosburg,&D.L.Dennis(Eds.),PracticalLessons:The1998NationalSymposiumonHomelessnessResearch.Washington,DC:U.S.DepartmentofHousingandUrbanDevelopmentandU.SDepartmentofHealthandHumanServices.



Appendices

Dec21,2010


A‐AGENCYINTERVIEWGUIDE‐HomelessOutreachPracticesinBCCommunities

1. Contactinformation

Nameofagency__________________________Contactinformationforpersoncompletingtheinterview.

Nameofperson Position Organization

Dowehaveyourpermissiontoincludeyourcontactinformationinourreport,incaseareaderwishesmoreinformation?Ifno,isthereanotherpersoninyourorganizationwhocouldbedesignatedasthecontactperson?(Oneperagency‐forreaderstocontactformoreinfo.)

Backgroundquestions

ASKEDONLYOFProgramManager/Supervisor/ExecutiveDirector

2. Backgroundonorganization‐(Reviewoninternet,thenconfirmininterview).

a. Inwhatyearwasyourorganizationestablished?b. Whatisyourorganization’smission/mandate?c. Whatservicesareprovidedbyyourorganizationd. Whatisyourtargetpopulation?

3. Backgroundontheoutreachprogram

a. Whendidyouragencystartprovidingoutreachservicesforpeoplewhoarehomelessoratriskofhomelessness?

b. Whydidyourorganizationdecidetostartahomelessoutreachprogram?c. Haveyouanyprogrammaterialorreportsabouttheprogramthatyoucan

sharewithus?4. Goalsandobjectivesoftheoutreachprogram

a. Whatarethegoalsandobjectivesofyouroutreachprogram?

(Forprovinciallyfundedprograms‐canusefollowingasprompts.)• Toengagewithhomelesspeople• Toassisthomelessindividualswhoarenotonincomeassistancetoaccess

financialassistance• Toassisthomelessindividualstosecureandmaintainhousing• Toconnecthomelessindividualswithhealthandlifeskillsservicesas

appropriate

Dec21,2010


• Toprofileclientgroupsandtodeterminetheeffectivenessofdifferentapproaches

5. OutreachClients

a. Pleasedescribeyouractualclientpopulation(age,gender,familytype,Aboriginalidentity,addictionormentalhealthconcerns,chronicmedicalconcerns).

b. Howmanyclientsdidyouservewiththisprogramin2010(or2009)?(inaoneyearperiod)

6. OutreachStaff

a. Howmanyoutreachstaffdoyouhave?ExpressedinfulltimeequivalentsFTEb. Whataretheirqualifications/training?c. Didanyofyouroutreachstaffexperiencehomelessnessthemselvesbefore

workinginoutreach?d. Howdoyouorganizeyourstaffing?Doyouroutreachworkersworkinteams?

Dotheyshareacaseload?e. Whydidyoudecidetotakethisapproachtostaffing(i.e.individualversustwo

ormorepersonteam)?

7. OutreachProgramOutcomes

a. Shareofclientsthatarestillhousedafter6monthsofplacementinhousing?b. Shareofclientsreceivingincomeassistanceafter6monthsoffirstreceiving

incomeassistance?c. Shareofclientsreceivingdisabilityassistanceafter6monthsoffirstreceiving

disabilityassistance?d. Sharereceivingrentalassistanceafter6monthsoffirstreceivingrental

assistance?(i.e.ProvincialRentalAssistanceProgram(RAP))e. Shareofclientsthatareemployedafter6monthsaftercontact?f. Otheroutcomes,suchastraining,etc?g. Doyouhaveanycommentsonoutcomes?

Dec21,2010


InterviewQuestions

STARTINTERVIEWHEREWITHOUTREACHWORKER,continuewithsupervisorOutreachprogram(Questions8,9,and10forfront‐lineworkeronly)8. PleasedescribeyourHomelessOutreachPrograminacoupleofsentences(i.e.what,when,

where,how)

9. Howdoyoufindclients?

10. Howdoyouengagewithclients?(i.e.settingappointments,clientinitiatedetc)

11. Howmuchtimeisspentwithaclienttypically?

a. Numberoftimes/week?b. Duration?Forhowlong?c. Timeofday(e.g.evenings/weekends)

12. Canyoupleasedescribehowyouhelpclientswiththefollowing?

a. Housingb. Incomeassistancec. Addictionsd. Mentalhealthcaree. Physicalhealthcaref. Lifeskillsg. Employmentandtrainingh. Legalservicesi. Otherservices

13. Dooutreachworkersprovidesupporttoclientsaftertheyarehoused?

a. Whattypeofsupport?b. Forhowlongaftertheyarehoused(e.g.howmanyweeks?months?open‐

ended?)c. Whathappensafteroutreachworkersarenolongerabletoservetheseclients

(e.g.isthereaprocesstolinkclientstootherservices?)?14. Doyoukeepintouchwithformerclientstomonitortheirsuccess?How?Forhowlong?

Communitylinkages15. Doyouhaverelationshipswithotherhomelessservingorganizationsinthecommunity.If

yes,canyoubrieflydescribe?(i.e.whatkindoforg,formal/informalrelationship,purpose)

16. Doyouhaverelationshipswithothercommunityserviceagencies?(i.e.detox,treatment,healthcare,mentalhealth,lifeskills,legal,employment)Ifyes,canyoudescribe?(Whatkindoforg,formal/informalrelationship,purpose)?

17. Doyouhaverelationshipswithlandlordstohelptofindhousing?Ifyescanyoudescribe?

Dec21,2010


18. Isinformationaboutclientssharedwithotherhomelessservingorganizations?(i.e.toavoidduplicationofservices,totransmitrelevantinformation,and/ortocollaborateonservicedelivery)

19. Doyouthinkthatotherstakeholdersinthecommunitysupportthishomelessoutreachprogram?

20. DoyouhaveanythingelseyouwouldliketoaddaboutthedeliveryofyourOutreachprogram?

PromisingpracticesApromisingpracticeisdefinedasanactivitythatappearstobeeffectiveandhasthepotentialforreplication.21. Howissuccessdefinedforthisoutreachprogram?

22. Usingthatdefinition,towhatextentorinwhatwaysdoyouthinkthisprogramhasachieveditsgoals?

23. Inyourexperienceofadaptingtheprogramtoyourcommunity,whatarethe3mostpromisingpracticesusedbyyouragencytodeliveroutreachservices?

24. Canyoutellusaboutanyoutreachpracticesyoutriedthathaven’tworkedandwhy?

25. Whatchallengesdoyouface?

26. Ifyoucouldchangeyourapproachorpractices,whatwouldyouchange?

27. Regardingfollow‐upwithclient,whydoyouthinksomeclientsrefusefollow‐uporareunabletobefound?

Dec21,2010


28. Thefollowingisalistofsomeoutreachactivitiesthattheliteraturesuggestsiseffective.Basedonyourexperiencewiththisprogram,pleaseratetheimportanceofeachofthefollowingpractices.

Onascaleof1to3(1=notimportant,2=moderateimportanceand3=veryimportant).

ActivityorPractice Importance1=notimportant3=veryimportant

Makingnumerouscontactsoveranextendedperiodoftime Treatinghomelessclientsrespectfullysothattheyfeelvalued Ongoingrelationshipwithclient Beingflexibleinthenumberandtypesofservicesoffered Advocatingforclient Accompanyingclienttoneededservices/appointments Assistingclientwithtransportation Providingmediationwithemployersand/orlandlords Takingateamapproachtostaffingi.e.outreachworkersshareacaseload

Hiringformerlyhomelessclientsasoutreachworkers Hiringstaffwithspecialknowledgeofhomelesspeopleandtheproblemstheyface

Stafftraining Debriefingand/orcounselingforstaff Supervisorworkswithpoliticians/agenciestomakecommunitylinkagesonbehalfofteam

Positiverelationships/linkswithhousingprovidersinthecommunity

Positiverelationships/linkswithothercommunityserviceagencies

Other,pleasespecify Other,pleasespecify

Dec21,2010


29. Inyourview,whatarethefactorsinthecommunitythatcontributetosuccessfuloutreach?

30. Consideringthecommunitysizeandtypethatyouworkin(urban,suburban,smalltown/rural)aretherespecialchallengestoprovidingoutreachservices?

Ifyes,haveyoutriedtoaddresstheseissues?Pleasedescribe.

Ifnot,whatdoyouthinkisneededtoaddresstheseproblems?31. Basedonyourexperiencewiththisprogram,pleaseratetheimportanceofeachofthe

followingfactorsforsuccessfuloutreach.

(1‐notimportant,2‐somewhatimportantand3‐veryimportant).Factor Importance

1=notimportant3=veryimportant

Availabilityofhousingthatisaffordableincommunity

Availabilityof/connectionswithothersupportservicesincommunity

Adequate,ongoingfundingforprogramoperation

Other,pleasespecify 32. Isthereanythingyou’dliketoadd?

Conclusion

• Thankyouforparticipatinginthisinterview.

• Wewillsendyoutheinterviewnotesforyoutoreviewtoensureaccuracy.

Documents

Homeless Outreach Practises in BC Communities · outreach programs effective in communities of varying sizes and types. The aim was to identify effective practices in homeless outreach