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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
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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1. Measuresthatwouldaddresshumanresourceconcernssuchassuchascaseloadsize,recruitmentandretention,staffcoverageandjobsecuritywouldstrengthenstaffcapacity.
2. Considerationmightbegiventofocusingoutreachinagenciesthataremembersofexistingservicenetworksorcanengagewithone.Alternately,thiscouldbeexpandedtoagenciesindicatingawillingnesstoandthecapacitytodevelopnewservicenetworkswithotheragenciesintheircommunity.
3. Multi‐serviceagenciesprovidingservicestothehomelessmaybebetterplacedtofacilitatefollow‐upandprovidesupport.
4. Addressingthelimitedmentalhealthandaddictionservicecapacityidentifiedinsomecommunitieswouldimproveoutreacheffectiveness.Areferralmodelthatdependsonthepresenceofasufficientanddiverseservicenetworkmeansthisiscritical,aslackofserviceswillaffectoutreachdeliveryandsuccess.
5. Whilenotachallengebutapositiveaspectofsomeoutreachprograms,availabilityofrentsupplementsthroughoutreachprogramsfacilitatesaccesstoprivatesectorhousing,andpermitsuseofhigherqualityhousingwhichislikelyafactorinpromotinghousingstability.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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
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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)
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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...
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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.
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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)
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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.
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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.
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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
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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
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communitieshaddifficultyrecruitingandtrainingoutreachstafftopositionsthatmustbeparttime,duetoavailablefundingandtheneedtoworkinteamsoftwo.ReportingRequirementsManyprogramstaffviewedreportingrequirementsasonerous,andconsidereditastakingawaytimetheoutreachworkercouldspendprovidingservicetoclients.Thisisanotuncommonreactionbysocialserviceproviderstodatacollectionrequirements.Noinformationwasgatheredonthespecificnatureofthedataentryrequirementsorpracticessonorecommendationisprovided.
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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.
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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8. CaseStudies
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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.
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Appendices
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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
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• 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?
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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?
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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?
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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
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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.