Vancouver At Home Project
Mental Health and Addictions
Population and Public Health
Social and Health Policy Sciences
| Principal Investigators: |
Somers, J
Krausz, M (UBC) Frankish, J (UBC) |
| Co-investigators: |
Tonia Nicholls, University of British Columbia
Eugenia Oviedo‐Joekes, Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcome Studies (CHEOS),University of British Columbia Anita Palepu, University of British Columbia Michelle Patterson,CARMHA, Simon Fraser University Christian Schutz, Institute of Mental Health, UBC Denise Zabkiewicz, Simon Fraser University |
| Funding: | Mental Health Comm Canada - $3.9 million |
| Duration: | 2009-2014 |
Project Summary: The Mental Health Commission of Canada has funded major studies on homelessness in five Canadian cities including Vancouver.
The Vancouver At Home project is developing new knowledge about housing and health services for people who experience homelessness and mental illness, with a focus on substance use and other concurrent health problems. The project includes two randomized controlled trials comparing the effectiveness of interventions for people with differing levels of need. The major interventions provided through the project are: Housing with Intensive Case Management; Housing with Assertive Community Treatment; and Congregate Housing with on site supports.
Vancouver At Home involves nearly 500 participants who are being followed for at least two years. Data sources include questionnaires, open-ended interviews, medical lab results, and records of services provided through publicly funded agencies. The results will lead to new understanding of the pathways into and out of homelessness, the relative effectiveness of different programs and services, and the costs associated with homelessness in comparison to the costs of housing.
Partnerships
Planning of the Vancouver At Home study spanned many months of consultation and dialogue. Over a dozen focus group sessions were convened involving people who had experienced homelessness. Service providers, including not for profit and government agencies were also actively engaged. These consultations served to identify major areas of need and also areas of strength in current systems.
In order to implement the research design it was necessary to develop a portfolio of available housing, and to create new teams of service providers to specified models of care to participants. Over 40 community agencies provided referrals to the study and helped ensure that the study includes participants who are representative of the larger homeless population. Research-related costs constitute less than 15% of the total budget for the Vancouver At Home project, with the majority of costs associated with housing and supportive interventions for participants.
Graduate Students:
- Brittany Bingham, Simon Fraser University (PhD)
- Lauren Currie, Simon Fraser University (MPH – completed; PhD)
- Faith Eiboff, Simon Fraser University (MSc - completed) & University of British Columbia (PhD)
- Stefanie Rezansoff, Simon Fraser University (PhD)
- Angela Russolillo, Simon Fraser University (MSc)
- Jason Tan de Bibiana, University of British Columbia (MSc)
For more information, please visit:http://www.sfu.ca/somersresearchgroup.html
