Housing as a Basic Human Right
28/02/22 06:20
Sleeping rough in doorways or parks is not a lifestyle.
Most people assume they can safely expect to never find themselves in that situation, but a few unfortunate events – perhaps the loss of a partner, family violence, debts, or being evicted – can turn a life around completely.
It's often thought of as being connected to substance abuse, and while that may be one of the root causes, no one is immune to becoming homeless.
Mental illness is a significant factor, or fleeing an abusive home, as well as trauma, disability, and illness – all can lead to someone becoming unsheltered.
It is now being exacerbated by a severe shortage of affordable housing.
The philosophy of Housing First is that all people deserve housing.
Housing helps recovery from substance abuse because people are better able to move forward with their lives when they have a roof over their heads.
Once housed, people with mental health challenges and addictions can be connected with resources to help with physical and mental health, deal with substance abuse, and then be supported in finding employment.
Studies of Housing First show that chronically homeless people are more likely to stay in their accommodation longer, have improved health outcomes, have a greater chance of getting employment or training, and become more engaged in the community.
An evaluation of Housing First involving more than 2,000 participants in five Canadian cities, including Vancouver, Winnipeg, and Toronto, found cost savings and cost offsets, especially for high-needs participants.
Having a place to live and the right supports creates positive outcomes beyond those provided by existing services.
In the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island, the need to help unsheltered people weather the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the creation of sheltering camps in the spring of 2020.
The COVID-19 Cowichan Task Force for Vulnerable Populations, a coalition of local groups, created a temporary shelter plan that had five tenting sites in the communities of Duncan, Chemainus and Ladysmith.
The sites were all enclosed with tall chain-link fences and privacy screens, had overnight security and daytime security patrols and services provided for tenants. At first, tents were used for accommodation, but in the summer of 2021, Cowichan Housing Association had found the funding and hired a company to build 40 hard walled-sleeping pods.
In the autumn of 2021, as the camps faced closure, the Cowichan Housing Association secured $2.5-Million in government funding to create the next phase, the Village on a piece of property in a quiet residential neighborhood not far from the area most homeless frequented.
The Village would have 34 newly built and improved sleeping pods in three separate enclosures, washrooms, eating areas, and a staff building.
It would be a place for unsheltered people to take that first step in getting away from life on the streets, with individualized support for their underlying health and social needs.
CHA Executive Director Shelly Cook says a large portion of the people in the Village struggle with complex overlapping health and social problems.
However, she says the site will be home to a mix of individuals with different levels of need.
“Having all acute high-level of need doesn't set the program up, necessarily, for success so you want a balance in order to be able to really make sure that it is functioning, but of course, that is always our priority to make sure the people who are most vulnerable, most challenged, are those that definitely have access to supports.”
The first group of camps in the region was a learning experience for all involved, but Cook says they provided some positive lessons.
“These can be an absolute success,” Cook says, “and an important form of housing for people who are entrenched on the streets.”
She says the second thing they learned was the importance of the need to “tighten up” how they work with important community partners, such as the police, bylaw enforcement, and municipal staff.
Cook says they've now done “a lot of joint planning with all of those people” on issues such as lighting, fencing, security, and patrols to ensure all needs will be taken care of.
Another important part of being a good neighbor is a community advisory committee to ensure they're able to respond to community concerns in a timely fashion.
The committee is made up of four people with either homes or businesses in the immediate vicinity.
Cook says their experience to date has demonstrated that having a high level of service on-site with individualized support available could make a significant difference in the lives of camp residents.
Cook's background in social services working with people facing multiple complex needs and coming out of many systems, such as the correctional system, has shown her that as a country we need to make a commitment to ensuring there is enough affordable housing.
“As a country, we got out that business in the '90s and so these things have just sort of piled up over time in terms of the need and we see, of course, things around housing as a commodity and as a way to make money, which runs directly into conflict with housing as a human right and housing as a basic human necessity.”
She says we need to be thinking about how we support people with multiple complex needs and how we as a society support those individuals and make sure the resources are in place.
Cook notes that during the 1980s and 1990s, there was a trend to deinstitutionalization and many facilities closed and, in the end, many people ended up on the streets without the resources they needed.
It's been her experience that “nothing improves over the course of homelessness,” and the people who are unwell only get worse, which has repercussions for everyone, and “most particularity for themselves.”
Cook says they hope the Village really creates a sense of community and be home as much as possible to unsheltered people taking that first step to getting off the streets.
Most people assume they can safely expect to never find themselves in that situation, but a few unfortunate events – perhaps the loss of a partner, family violence, debts, or being evicted – can turn a life around completely.
It's often thought of as being connected to substance abuse, and while that may be one of the root causes, no one is immune to becoming homeless.
Mental illness is a significant factor, or fleeing an abusive home, as well as trauma, disability, and illness – all can lead to someone becoming unsheltered.
It is now being exacerbated by a severe shortage of affordable housing.
The philosophy of Housing First is that all people deserve housing.
Housing helps recovery from substance abuse because people are better able to move forward with their lives when they have a roof over their heads.
Once housed, people with mental health challenges and addictions can be connected with resources to help with physical and mental health, deal with substance abuse, and then be supported in finding employment.
Studies of Housing First show that chronically homeless people are more likely to stay in their accommodation longer, have improved health outcomes, have a greater chance of getting employment or training, and become more engaged in the community.
An evaluation of Housing First involving more than 2,000 participants in five Canadian cities, including Vancouver, Winnipeg, and Toronto, found cost savings and cost offsets, especially for high-needs participants.
Having a place to live and the right supports creates positive outcomes beyond those provided by existing services.
In the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island, the need to help unsheltered people weather the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the creation of sheltering camps in the spring of 2020.
The COVID-19 Cowichan Task Force for Vulnerable Populations, a coalition of local groups, created a temporary shelter plan that had five tenting sites in the communities of Duncan, Chemainus and Ladysmith.
The sites were all enclosed with tall chain-link fences and privacy screens, had overnight security and daytime security patrols and services provided for tenants. At first, tents were used for accommodation, but in the summer of 2021, Cowichan Housing Association had found the funding and hired a company to build 40 hard walled-sleeping pods.
In the autumn of 2021, as the camps faced closure, the Cowichan Housing Association secured $2.5-Million in government funding to create the next phase, the Village on a piece of property in a quiet residential neighborhood not far from the area most homeless frequented.
The Village would have 34 newly built and improved sleeping pods in three separate enclosures, washrooms, eating areas, and a staff building.
It would be a place for unsheltered people to take that first step in getting away from life on the streets, with individualized support for their underlying health and social needs.
CHA Executive Director Shelly Cook says a large portion of the people in the Village struggle with complex overlapping health and social problems.
However, she says the site will be home to a mix of individuals with different levels of need.
“Having all acute high-level of need doesn't set the program up, necessarily, for success so you want a balance in order to be able to really make sure that it is functioning, but of course, that is always our priority to make sure the people who are most vulnerable, most challenged, are those that definitely have access to supports.”
The first group of camps in the region was a learning experience for all involved, but Cook says they provided some positive lessons.
“These can be an absolute success,” Cook says, “and an important form of housing for people who are entrenched on the streets.”
She says the second thing they learned was the importance of the need to “tighten up” how they work with important community partners, such as the police, bylaw enforcement, and municipal staff.
Cook says they've now done “a lot of joint planning with all of those people” on issues such as lighting, fencing, security, and patrols to ensure all needs will be taken care of.
Another important part of being a good neighbor is a community advisory committee to ensure they're able to respond to community concerns in a timely fashion.
The committee is made up of four people with either homes or businesses in the immediate vicinity.
Cook says their experience to date has demonstrated that having a high level of service on-site with individualized support available could make a significant difference in the lives of camp residents.
Cook's background in social services working with people facing multiple complex needs and coming out of many systems, such as the correctional system, has shown her that as a country we need to make a commitment to ensuring there is enough affordable housing.
“As a country, we got out that business in the '90s and so these things have just sort of piled up over time in terms of the need and we see, of course, things around housing as a commodity and as a way to make money, which runs directly into conflict with housing as a human right and housing as a basic human necessity.”
She says we need to be thinking about how we support people with multiple complex needs and how we as a society support those individuals and make sure the resources are in place.
Cook notes that during the 1980s and 1990s, there was a trend to deinstitutionalization and many facilities closed and, in the end, many people ended up on the streets without the resources they needed.
It's been her experience that “nothing improves over the course of homelessness,” and the people who are unwell only get worse, which has repercussions for everyone, and “most particularity for themselves.”
Cook says they hope the Village really creates a sense of community and be home as much as possible to unsheltered people taking that first step to getting off the streets.