Abstract

 
 
 Unique among housing initiatives, Housing First operates on the principle that every person has the right to a safe and secure home regardless of housing readiness. The Housing First Support Program, operated by Homeward Trust Edmonton, is currently providing over 2,500 Edmontonians with secure housing and the supports needed in the transition from homelessness into housing. The program is intended to last 12 months, gradually reducing a client’s support untilthey are self-sufficient; however, this may be difficult for some clients, especially if they experience poor accessibility to the services and amenities they require to achieve housing stability. In particular, youth experiencing homelessness require supports that are tailored to their needs and that aid in the transition from adolescence to adulthood. As youth make up 17% (n=312) of Housing First clients, it is imperative that the services, centres, and supports necessary to breaking the cycle of homelessness are accessible to them at this critical stage in development. With this project, we mapped the locations of current Housing First clients aged 12-24 in relation to the services and amenities they may require to achieve housing stability. After identifying these services and amenities, we used a gravity model to create an Accessibility Index. This Accessibility Index highlights the service accessibility of current Housing First clients, and can be used in the future to identify areas of need and opportunities for increasing accessibility.
 
 
Highlights
This project arose out of concern around the issue of homelessness in Edmonton
Housing First, as a principle and a program, operates on the premise that housing stability is required before people who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness can address the personal and structural issues which exacerbate the cycle of homelessness
Adult clients are concentrated in the downtown core, meaning that many have reasonable spatial accessibility to the supports necessary to achieving housing stability; areas with the highest density of youth are on the peripheries to the northeast and southeast
Summary
This project arose out of concern around the issue of homelessness in Edmonton. As of2014, the most recent point-in-time homeless count for which full results are available, there were 2307 homeless Edmontonians (Homeward Trust Edmonton, 2014). Housing First, as a principle and a program, operates on the premise that housing stability is required before people who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness can address the personal and structural issues which exacerbate the cycle of homelessness. These issues such as mental health concerns, addictions, or finding employment, require coordinated support from community organizations and multiple levels of government. Youth are experiencing social and developmental transitions unique to their age group They are dealing with the transition from homelessness into a housed lifestyle, and experiencing important transitions in their social roles and expectations
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