3. How can communities implement better support programs?
We can approach homelessness as a social issue that impacts people who have basic human rights and help them get supports or we criminalize people who do not have housing and throw them in jail. If you are reading this chapter in order, you know by now the criminalization approach does not work. Not only does it not work, but it makes no logical sense. We would like to believe that our society is made up of caring, compassionate, and reasonable people. If criminalization is not the way to help people experiencing homelessness (and we cannot stress enough that it is not!), what then would be a better approach? Before you continue through the material in this section we encourage you to pause here and consider how communities can implement better â human centered â support programs to address homelessness at the local level?
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True engagement with human rights practices requires communities commit to really listening to people with lived experience of homelessness and acting on their recommendations. In the previous section, we tried to make clear that criminalizing homelessness is not a rights-based approach. Communities can â and must â do better than to punish, relocate, and/or put people in jail for not having housing and resources. We begin this section again arguing the critical need for human rights approaches that prioritize respect, dignity, and inclusion of diverse peoples and viewpoints. Dr. Kaitlin Schwan, who is the Lead Researcher for the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Housing, explains this further in the video that follows.
Dr. Kaitlin Schwan: How can communities implement better support programs?
In this video, Dr. Kaitlin Schwan identifies three things that communities can do to improve their support for people experiencing homelessness. First, they can look towards the evidence base of what programs, policies, and supports have been successful in other countries and in communities across Canada. Second, they must deeply engage people with lived experience in designing and planning supports, in a way that provides them with resources and decision-making power. Finally, communities must expand their affordable housing by building new housing and thinking creatively about how to repurpose existing spaces. Dr. Schwan concludes that municipalities must undertake this work from a rights-based place in accordance with federal legislation. This video is 3:17 in length and has closed captions available in English.
Key Takeaways â Dr. Kaitlin Schwan: How can communities implement better support programs?
- Communities should look at the evidence base around programs, policies, and supports that have been shown to be effective at addressing homelessness in other countries, such as Finland, and in communities across Canada.
- Communities need to deeply engage people with lived experience in designing and planning supports, in a way that provides them with resources and decision-making power.
- Communities must expand their affordable housing and should consider not just building new housing but also using creative methods such as renovating and converting existing buildings and spaces.
- It is important for municipalities to undertake this work from a human rights-based perspective, and to understand their obligations under federal legislation.
The idea of including people who have lived experience in conversations about homelessness makes a great deal of sense but is not always the case when communities are undertaking planning initiatives. There is often an underlying ideology of neoliberalism in service provision (Johnstone, Lee, & Connelly, 2017) which can prioritize budgets and minimal government oversight instead of providing services that are specially designed to meet clientsâ needs. We will see the recommendation that people with lived experience be authentically engaged throughout this chapter and, even more broadly, throughout this book. This message is recurring because authentic inclusion and civic engagement are key to a human rightsâbased approach. In the last section, we encouraged you to read Dr. Bernie Paulyâs work connecting tent encampments to public health and human rights. Here we continue the conversation, as Dr. Pauly speaks about community building as the alternative approach.
Dr. Bernie Pauly: How can communities implement better support programs?
In this video Dr. Bernadette [Bernie] Pauly argues that we need to look at how available and affordable housing is within communities, which begins with all levels of government recognizing that housing is a human right. She notes that community organizations can offer support to individuals by meeting them where they are, to help them achieve the goals they establish for themselves. Dr. Pauly explains the importance of community-building as a key social determinant of mental and physical health, that also increases safety. She notes that belonging and inclusion are particularly important for the health and well-being of people who might be experiencing high rates of stigma and discrimination. Dr. Pauly concludes by noting that despite our tendency to medicalize substance use, we need to understand that public health measures like harm reduction are critical for increasing peopleâs access to social determinants such as housing, food, income, and community supports. This video is 5:17 in length and has closed captions available in English.
Key Takeaways â Dr. Bernie Pauly: How can communities implement better support programs?
- We need to look at how available and affordable housing is within communities. This begins with governments at all levels embracing the right to housing.
- Community organizations can offer support through individual care plans that meet people where they are and help them achieve the goals they set out, such as recovery from homelessness, going back to school or work, volunteering or doing other activities they find meaningful.
- Community-building is particularly important because having a connection to others offers greater safety and is a key social determinant to good physical and mental health.
- In the substance use field, drug user associations can help people form a sense of community. We need parallel community supports for individuals who have past or present experiences of homelessness.
- Belonging and inclusion are important for health and well-being, especially when a person is experiencing a lot of stigma and discrimination.
- Harm reduction interventions are very important. Most of the Canadian population uses some type of substance, so it is unreasonable to expect people will stop completely.
- There is a tendency to medicalize substance use but we need to also consider public health interventions and the social determinants, such as access to housing, food, income, and community, as means to support people.
We can look to people who have experienced (or are experiencing) homelessness as the experts. This just makes good sense. If a community wants to understand how well their homelessness services work, who better to ask than people who have accessed them (or equally important, not accessed them despite needing assistance)? People who have lived experience of homelessness are able to offer perspectives on the services and help with evaluations of how effective different programs are. In the next video, Dr. John Ecker discusses the need for ongoing program evaluation and why it is imperative that people who have lived experience be part of the evaluation team.
Dr. John Ecker: How can communities implement better support programs?
In this video, Dr. John Ecker argues that communities are doing a good job of offering diverse services for people experiencing homelessness. He notes that while many communities have adopted Housing First, such as in their ten-year plans, it is important that they routinely conduct fidelity assessments to ensure the standards are being met. Dr. Ecker states that communities need to focus on evaluation, with attention to holistic outcome measures that include housing, income, well-being, community integration, and social inclusion. He notes that it is important for community programs to assess staffing ratios, so that they can ensure meaningful programming while avoiding staff burnout. Dr. Ecker concludes that it is important to have service users and people with lived experience of homelessness contribute to program evaluation and design, such as through paid positions in which they have a real opportunity to share their knowledge. This video is 2:56 in length and has closed captions available in English.
Key Takeaways â Dr. John Ecker: How can communities implement better support programs?
- Communities are doing a good job of offering diverse services for people experiencing homelessness.
- Many communities have adopted Housing First programs, such as through their ten-year housing and homelessness plans.
- Communities should conduct fidelity assessments to ensure the services being offered are in line with the Housing First model and standards.
- To improve support programs, communities need to focus on evaluation, such as monitoring outcomes and how the program is being implemented.
- Holistic outcomes communities should look at include housing, income, well-being, community integration, and social inclusion.
- It is important for programs to assess staffing ratios, such as how many clients case workers support, to ensure programs are having a meaningful impact and that staff are not experiencing burnout.
- Communities need to seek input from people who have lived experience of homelessness and who may have used programs and supports.
- These should be paid positions in which people with lived experience have a real opportunity to contribute and inform evaluation work.
Seeking guidance from people with lived experience is a step communities can take to improve their support systems. Part of this work requires that communities take stock of, and evaluate, the programs and services they currently provide, such as through mapping housing-related supports (Canham, Fang, Battersby, & Wada, 2019). It is important not only to identify what services exist, but also to consider how they coordinate with one another. Service hubs are one increasingly used community approach, in which different agencies and supports are located together in the same physical space. This can be thought of as an assemblage of the voluntary sector, private organizations, and government sectors (Evans, Collins, & Chai, 2019) with the intention of making services more accessible by removing barriers. In the video that follows Dr. Tyler Frederick discusses steps communities can take to identify their services, consider the range of supports offered, and tailor them to meet their community membersâ diverse needs.
Dr. Tyler Frederick: How can communities implement better support programs?
In this video, Dr. Tyler Frederick argues that while there is no magic bullet, there are steps communities can take to help address homelessness at the local level. He notes that we need more affordable housing and housing stability measures, as well as the coordination of services in a way that facilitates easy access for clients in a timely manner. Dr. Frederick encourages communities to conduct a scan of the supports they have in place, particularly in rural areas where services may be more limited. He explains that in these scans, it is important for communities to consider the diversity of clients and what can be done to enhance supports, such as for LGBTQ2S+ youth, racialized communities, and individuals with disabilities. Dr. Frederick notes that communities can also help by focusing on prevention initiatives, greater emphasis on trauma-informed care practices, and programs that help support people feel integrated into the community as they transition out of homelessness. This video is 7:49 in length and has closed captions available in English.
Key Takeaways â Dr. Tyler Frederick: How can communities implement better support programs?
- There is no magic bullet solution, but communities can implement different measures to help support people experiencing homelessness.
- Communities need to provide more affordable housing, and develop mechanisms such as rent caps, rules limiting the use of properties for short-term rentals, and programs to improve tenant-landlord relations and prevent evictions.
- Services should be coordinated in a way that avoids working in silos and makes access easier and timelier for clients.
- Communities will be inequitably resourced, so it is important that they conduct a scan of what supports are in place and what gaps might exist.
- Rural communities may be particularly under-resourced, creating a migration of people from their home communities into more urban centres.
- There is a risk, for youth especially, that moving into a larger city to seek services can disrupt any support networks they already have, however tenuous they may be, which then makes it more difficult to return home again.
- Communities also need to consider the diversity of their services, and how they could better respond to the needs of groups such as LGBTQ2S+ youth, racialized persons, or individuals with disabilities.
- Communities can help prevent homelessness, particularly for youth, by implementing programs such as school-based interventions to identify students at risk and help keep them connected to supportive institutions and people in their lives.
- We are moving in a positive direction towards trauma-informed care practices. It is important that service providers understand the impact of trauma and how it can influence someoneâs choices and actions in potentially unexpected ways.
- Communities can help people transition away from homelessness by implementing supports, such as providing a living wage, offering education and employment programs, and helping people feel connected to the community.
Mapping the services that are available and assessing whether they meet peopleâs diverse needs is important for ensuring that community members feel supported and included. Additionally, if communities do not offer tailored supports â or do not promote them â individuals may not be well served. The key to this is addressing the needs of special populations who are at increased risk of homelessness. We have discussed these populations at different points throughout this book, such as in the chapters on Social Work, Indigenous Studies, Child & Youth Studies, and Gender & Queer Studies.
When we asked what communities could do to implement better support programs, many of the researchersâ responses related to tailored population interventions. We encourage you to think about how different people might need different programs and types of support from their communities as you watch the next set of videos. First, Dr. Jacqueline Kennelly and Dr. Jeff Karabanow share insight into how communities can improve youth services. You can learn more in the chapter on Child & Youth Studies.
Dr. Jacqueline Kennelly: Youth seeking services
In this video, Dr. Jacqueline Kennelly explains that within many communities there are great services that exist for youth. However, if they are not aware of them, they may turn to adult services which are not always safe alternatives. This video is 0:36 in length and has closed captions available in English.
Key Takeaways â Dr. Jacqueline Kennelly: Youth seeking services
- There are some great services for youth that exist within communities, but if they do not know about them they tend to use adult services These are not the safest places for youth to be.
Dr. Jeff Karabanow: How can communities implement better support programs?
In this video, Dr. Jeff Karabanow argues that communities need to have youth at the table for any policy and programming decisions that impact them, because youth know best what works for them. He explains that communities need to adopt Housing First and harm reduction as trauma-informed care philosophies and interventions that prioritize choice and work well for young people. Dr. Karabanow notes that the responses that have been the most helpful have historically come from the non-profit and community-based sector, and that these organizations have expertise that we should be working with. This video is 3:00 in length and has closed captions available in English.
Key Takeaways â Dr. Jeff Karabanow: How can communities implement better support programs?
- Having young people at the table is key to any type of policy and programming decisions that impact them.
- Youth know best what works for them and can provide deep insight. They have voiced the need for more compassionate and empathetic views of youth homelessness, where they feel safe and not denigrated for their coping mechanisms.
- Communities need to adopt Housing First and harm reduction as trauma-informed care philosophies and interventions that work well for young people.
- These approaches espouse the voice of young people, particular around offering choice and putting young people at the centre of identifying what works best for them.
- The responses that have been the most helpful have historically come from the non-profit and community-based sector.
- These organizations have frontline understanding of what is going on in the community and can respond adaptively and flexibly. They have expertise that we should be working with.
- Deeper collaboration is needed with the private sector to get supports in place more quickly than having to consistently wait for government funding.
Young people have particular needs within their community. In the video that follows Dr. Alex Abramovich discusses what communities can do to support youth who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, and/or two-spirit [LGBTQ2S+]. You can learn more in the chapter on Gender & Queer Studies.
Dr. Alex Abramovich: How can communities implement better support programs?
In this video, Dr. Alex Abramovich identifies the need for communities to build more awareness and understanding of diverse identities. He notes that there is a lack of support for LGBTQ2S+ youth experiencing homelessness across the country. Dr. Abramovich explains that communities can help by standardizing the model of care they offer to create service environments that are more accepting and affirming. This step is important for communities to implement for all LGBTQ2S+ persons, as entering a service without knowing what questions will be asked, what types of bathrooms are available, and whether the staff will be respectful can cause high levels of stress. This video is 3:10 in length and has closed captions available in English.
Key Takeaways â Dr. Alex Abramovich: How can communities implement better support programs?
- Communities need to build more awareness and understanding of diverse identities.
- There is lack of support for LGBTQ2S+ youth across the country, and little acknowledgement of how over-represented queer and trans youth are amongst people experiencing homelessness.
- There are steps communities can take to standardize the supports available for LGBTQ2S+ youth experiencing homelessness.
- Implementing a standardized model of care can create more accepting and affirming environments, where young people can know what to expect when they seek support.
- When LGBTQ2S+ individuals do not know what to expect, such as the types of bathrooms available, which staff will be working, or whether their preferred pronouns will be respected, they can experience stress.
Communities can best support people by listening to them and providing supports tailored to their specific needs. We have heard that youth and LGBTQ2S+ individuals benefit from approaches that are inclusive and designed with their guidance. In the chapters on Indigenous Studies, Social Work, and Gender & Queer Studies, we variously consider the unique needs of Indigenous persons, racialized individuals, families, and women. Here Dr. Katrina Milaney considers how communities can use targeted approaches to assist each of these populations.
Dr. Katrina Milaney: How can communities implement better support programs?
In this video, Dr. Katrina Milaney discusses the need to fund housing programs onsite in shelters for women and families. She notes that within these shelters there are high rates of Indigenous, racialized, and equity-seeking groups and that the system is designed as a crisis response, rather than being equipped to offer culturally appropriate supports. Dr. Milaney concludes that cultivating community partnerships is an important step to help create this supportive capacity within organizations. This video is 1:58 in length and has closed captions available in English.
Key Takeaways â Dr. Katrina Milaney: How can communities implement better support programs?
- Funding shelters to have housing programs onsite is beneficial and helps provide more seamless transitions, particularly for women and/or families.
- Within family shelters and womenâs shelters, there are high rates of Indigenous, racialized, and equity-seeking groups. The system is designed to provide crisis supports and organizations may not have the in-house skills to respond in culturally appropriate ways.
- Cultivating community partnerships is important to help enhance this supportive capacity.
Although people who experience homelessness in general benefit from access to services, there are additional measures communities can take to support specific populations. We have seen that young people, those who identify as LGBTQ2S+, Indigenous persons, racialized persons, families, and women are all special populations that benefit from tailored supports. There is an additional special population that we have not yet discussed but needs to be represented here. That is, communities need to support people experiencing homelessness who have pets. The idea that people can be unhoused and have pets, particularly if street-involved and sleeping rough, is unsettling to some people. They wonder: how can people care for animals if they cannot provide themselves with a home and other necessities of life? We pose the alternative question: how could a person survive the trauma of homelessness without the companionship of an animal?
We wrote this book during the COVID-19 pandemic, with virtual team meetings held weekly. It never took long before the cats crawled into laps and started batting at headphone chords. The dogs would sleep nearby or sit (not so) patiently by our feet waiting for a ball to be thrown. On one memorable occasion, a visiting âgrand dogâ grabbed a printed document out of the recycling bin and ran off with much self-satisfaction over the treat that had been won. As you read this, you may also have a furry, feathery, or scaly friend nearby. It is estimated that 5 â 25% of people experiencing homelessness have pets (Kerman, Gran-Ruaz, & Lem, 2019). While these individuals do not constitute a special population, they do require special consideration at the community level to keep their friends healthy and well.
What do you think?
What do you think the benefits of having a pet while experiencing homelessness are? What do you think the challenges might be? How can communities help these individuals, and their pets, move into stable and secure housing and gain supports? Consider these questions as you watch this brief video about a veterinarian who offers outreach to people experiencing homelessness in California.
Veterinarians can serve as an entry point into reaching people experiencing homelessness who have animals. Outreach in this regard is critically important because many service agencies have âno petâ policies making them inaccessible to these individuals. Instead of sleeping in shelters, they may choose to live in a tent or public space where they can have their animal with them for comfort and companionship. The One Health model of care is a promising approach in which veterinary care is used as part of a holistic wellness program aimed at improving the health, mental health, and wellâbeing of people and their pets (Lem, 2019). Dr. Nick Kerman and his team (2019) have conducted a scoping review to see what is known about homelessness among people with pets and found that there are both benefits and challenges. We invite you now to learn more about the One Health approach for people experiencing homelessness with pets in this sectionâs featured reading. In the video that follows, Dr. Nick Kerman speaks about his research in this field.
Featured Reading:
Kerman, N., Lem, M., Witte, M., Kim, C., & Rhoades, H. (2020). A multilevel intervention framework for supporting people experiencing homelessness with pets. Animals (Basel), 10(10), 1869.
Dr. Nick Kerman: Supporting pet owners experiencing homelessness
In this video, Dr. Nick Kerman explains that pets can be a source of unconditional support, love, and connection for people experiencing homelessness. He notes that the homelessness sector needs to enact pet-friendly organizational policies and practices to support people with pets, as they often fall through the cracks if they are turned away. Dr. Kerman discusses the additional challenges people with pets have in securing housing, particularly if they are looking to rent in a building with a âno petâ policy. Although this is a grey area, not all individuals will feel comfortable advocating for their rights and may not proceed with housing that can create problems and result in a future episode of homelessness. Dr. Kerman concludes by correcting the common misconception that pets of people experiencing homelessness are not well cared for. Rather, he explains, the research shows they are just as healthy as housed pets and may be better socially adjusted around strangers. This video is 6:10 in length and has closed captions available in English.
Key Takeaways â Dr. Nick Kerman: Supporting pet owners experiencing homelessness
- Especially when a person has limited close trusting relationships, a pet can be an important source of unconditional support, love, and connection.
- People experiencing homelessness who have pets face many barriers accessing emergency supports.
- Not all agencies are pet-friendly, which means people with pets often forgo getting much-needed services and supports to stay with their pet.
- We need to shift towards accommodating people with pets in services and supports, so they do not fall through the cracks.
- Not everyone will be comfortable with pets in a shelter or drop-in, but there are organizational policies and practices that can be put in place to accommodate everyone.
- People with pets face additional challenges securing housing and may benefit from having advocates on their side.
- Rental housing can sometimes have âno petâ policies, which are a legal gray area that turns people away because they do not want to have problems that could lead them back into homelessness.
- People may not be familiar or comfortable advocating for their rights as tenants with pets.
- The homelessness sector needs to strengthen their ability to advocate for people with pets exiting homelessness.
- There are common misconceptions that pets of people experiencing homelessness are unhealthy, but the research clearly shows they are just as healthy as housed pets and may actually be better adjusted in social settings.
- People who experience homelessness with pets often put the petâs needs first, such as by giving them their own food to eat.
There are many steps communities can take to support individuals experiencing homelessness. We have seen that listening to people with lived experience, evaluating and taking stock of existing programs, creating services for specialized populations, and helping people continue to care for their pets are all aspects that communities should embrace. For all of this to happen, we must address the elephant in the virtual room. That is, taking a community-building approach requires that we recognize the prevalence of ânot in my backyardâ [NIMBY] attitudes that arise surrounding supports for people experiencing homelessness. Dr. Bill OâGrady speaks about NIMBY in the video that follows.
Dr. Bill OâGrady: How can communities implement better support programs?
In this video Dr. William [Bill] OâGrady discusses the need for school-based interventions for youth, such as family reconnect programs and supports for those transitioning out of care. He notes that at the community level it is also important to increase public education to combat ânot in my backyardâ [NIMBY] attitudes that might arise in resistance to shelters or supportive housing initiatives being built. This video is 1:42 in length and has closed captions available in English
Key Takeaways â Dr. Bill OâGrady: How can communities implement better support programs?
- School-based interventions are important community initiatives for youth, such as family reconnect programs and supporting youth transitioning out of care.
- Having more affordable housing is key, but we also need public education about the importance of housing initiatives.
- Not in my backyard [NIMBY] attitudes exist in all size communities, where people push back against the development of shelters or supportive housing in their neighbourhoods for fear they will have negative impacts. These attitudes need to be addressed.
Public education is critical in combatting NIMBY attitudes, which are often embedded in a criminalization of homelessness mindset. Rather than embracing human rightsâbased approaches that see housing and support as necessary for ensuring the well-being of all citizens, some members of society are more inclined to think of policing as the solution. We have seen already why this is problematic. Dr. Naomi Nichols speaks about the need to build greater public empathy, in the next video.
Dr. Naomi Nichols: How can communities implement better support programs?
In this video, Dr. Naomi Nichols explains that we need to think about the general publicâs response to homelessness and how we can build greater empathic understanding. She provides the example of someone calling police to report an encampment in a public park. Dr. Nichols notes that this action starts a criminalization process that results in evicting the person from the only safe place they could find to sleep. She concludes that we must push harder to implement solutions such as affordable housing, rent subsidies, and different supported housing models. This video is 2:19 in length and has closed captions available in English.
Key Takeaways â Dr. Naomi Nichols: How can communities implement better support programs?
- Beyond the community of service providers, we also need to think about the general public and how to build greater empathic understanding.
- For example, when people call the police about someone sleeping in an encampment, they begin a policing process of having the person evicted from the only safe place they could find to sleep.
- Our public response cannot be to criminalize people for the conditions we have created. We have to push harder to implement solutions such as affordable housing, rent subsidies, and different kinds of supported housing models.
Perhaps the most important approach communities can take to support people experiencing homelessness, is to be inclusive. Sometimes when new projects are proposed, such as a housing development for people experiencing homelessness, it is met with public resistance and conflict (Ranasinghe & Valverde, 2006). In fact, research has shown there are notable differences in the willingness of citizens in different locations to invest in homelessness programs (Doberstein & Smith, 2019a) and that there can be deep contention over the need for diverse services located within a given community (Dej, Sanders, & Braimoh, 2021). Part of what gives rise to NIMBY responses is the notion of âdeservingness,â which factors into citizensâ support for investing in homelessness initiatives (Doberstein & Smith, 2019b). Although gaining access to services often requires a person demonstrate that they are âappropriately homeless and needyâ (Cook & Hole, 2020), this creates a power dynamic that is contrary to human rights approaches. What if instead of fighting against new homelessness services, people embraced them as a necessary part of building capacity within the community? In the next video, Dr. Nick Kerman explains why advocating for these kinds of community programs is important.
Dr. Nick Kerman: How can communities implement better support programs?
In this video, Dr. Nick Kerman explains that whether located in urban or rural areas, community programs face a number of challenges. First and foremost, he notes, these organizations are underfunded to provide the supports and services clients need. Dr. Kerman argues that in addition to providing more funding we must also address societal stigma and ânot in my backyardâ [NIMBY] attitudes that sometimes arise in resistance to new community programs. Dr. Kerman concludes that it is important to advocate for community services, promote the positive outcomes they can have for all community members, and dispel any myths that might exist. This video is 3:07 in length and has closed captions available in English.
Key Takeaways â Dr. Nick Kerman: How can communities implement better support programs?
- Urban and rural community programs face a number of challenges. First and foremost, they are underfunded to provide the services and supports their clients need.
- We must address societal stigma and discrimination around homelessness to give community programs the best chance to succeed.
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- Community programs may identify a service gap, and encounter ânot in my backyardâ [NIMBY] resistance when they try to implement a solution.
- We need to advocate and explain that community services are good for everyone in the community and dispel common myths, such as that they will be harmful to children and/or decrease property values.
When new initiatives are proposed in a community they may be met with resistance, but people can find satisfaction if they are given the opportunity to discuss them, particularly with others who have different viewpoints than their own (Doberstein, 2020). Despite their challenges, public housing projects can be good places to live (van Ingen, Sharpe, & Lashua, 2018) and communities can support their residents by promoting inclusion and ensuring all members have safe and high-quality housing (Ecker & Aubry, 2017). The quality of a personâs living space has been shown to impact their quality-of-life (Magee et al., 2019), although further research is needed to know whether there is also a relationship between the quality of the neighbourhood and a personâs long-term housing stability (Distasio et al., 2021).
Importantly, communities need to focus on inclusion, providing safe and high-quality housing, and ensuring that supports continue to be made available continuously. Research from Kingston Ontario shows that even after becoming securely housed, people may still experience food insecurity and be heavily dependent on charitable food programs (Hainstock & Masuda, 2019). In the final video of this section, Dr. Jacqueline Kennelly explains why NIMBY is problematic, the value of ongoing community supports, and why community members need to hold their public representatives accountable for upholding human rights.
Dr. Jacqueline Kennelly: How can communities implement better support programs?
In this video, Dr. Jacqueline Kennelly argues that there are many things communities can do to help support people experiencing homelessness, such as becoming more knowledgeable about the complexity of homelessness and not engaging in ânot in my backyardâ [NIMBY] politics. She notes that there are some wonderful community resources that exist, but more needs to be done to offer affordable housing, financial supports, and adequate health care. Dr. Kennelly points to a food bank in her city that offers a warm and welcoming environment, as demonstrating how organizations should operate to support rather than demoralize or stigmatize people. Dr. Kennelly argues, however, that while communities can do many things, the duty belongs to government and elected officials to ensure everyone has their human rights met. This video is 3:26 in length and has closed captions available in English.
Key Takeaways â Dr. Jacqueline Kennelly: How can communities implement better support programs?
- There are many things communities can do, but we need to remember the duty to act belongs to the government. It is elected officialsâ obligation to ensure everyone has their human rights met.
- Communities, whether a city or smaller, can become more knowledgeable about the complexity of homelessness and recognize peopleâs humanity, rather than engaging in discriminatory ânot in my backyardâ [NIMBY] politics.
- There are some wonderful community resources that exist, but there needs to be more, including affordable housing, financial supports, and adequate health care.
- Communities should ensure their organizations, such as food banks, are warm and welcoming environments to help support people without being a demoralizing or stigmatizing experience for the clients who access them.
Communities can support all of their citizens by rejecting the criminalization of homelessness and instead implementing a human rights-based approach. To accomplish this, they need to ensure they have mechanisms for listening to people who have lived experience, such as inclusion on planning committees, and that they follow through on implementing their recommendations. Listening to people who have been clients of the services can help to identify and address gaps that exist. Additionally, communities should consider the diversity of their population and review how to make their services more inclusive for everyone. This may involve establishing supports for special populations, such as women, youth, LGBTQ2S+ individuals, Indigenous persons, and families, among others. We saw in this chapter that many people who experience homelessness have pets with them, who provide a critical source of companionship. Communities can help increase wellness by providing outreach veterinary care for peopleâs pets as part of a holistic approach.
While there are many steps communities can take to increase the well-being of all their members, the largest hurdle is that of NIMBYism which reflects the ânot in my backyardâ resistance to new supports being created. When housing developments or other services are proposed, they may be met with resistance from some members of the community. Public education and advocacy are important for addressing the stigma and misconceptions that fuel these attitudes. What all people need is a safe place to live â by adopting a human rights mindset, communities can cultivate the support needed to turn this into a reality.
Podcast: How can communities implement better support programs? (46:11)
Click the link below to listen to all of the researchers answer the question âHow can communities implement better support programs?â in audio format on our podcast!
