Housing Pathways for Persons Who Have Experienced Homelessness Tim Aubry, Fran Klodawsky, & Cristina Bonetta Canadian Conference on Homelessness York University, May 19, 2005

Panel Study on Homelessness in Ottawa  To examine the pathways out of homelessness by following persons who are homeless longitudinally  Part of ongoing collaborative research efforts in Ottawa to inform policy and program development  One of first longitudinal study of its kind in Canada.

Research Partners  University of Ottawa (Centre for Research on Community Services, Institute of Population Health)  Carleton University  St. Paul University  City of Ottawa, Housing Branch  Alliance to End Homelessness

Funding Social Science Humanities Research Council –Homelessness and Diversity Issues in Canada National Homelessness Initiative –Supporting Communities Partnerships Initiative through the City of Ottawa, Housing Branch

Research Objectives 1.Testing a model of resources and risk factors related to exiting homelessness 2.Development of a typology of different courses of homelessness 3.Examination of health status change vis-à-vis housing status changes

Pathways Out of Homelessness Resources Individual Employment History Educational Attainment Housing Stability Sense of Empowerment Interpersonal Size of social network Availability of social support Satisfaction with social support Community Income support Use of health services Use of social services Subsidized housing Risk Factors Physical health problems Mental health problems Substance abuse problems Exit from Homelessness Improved Health Status - ++

Sampling Strategy 1 Adult men 1 : Stratification by length of stay Adult women 1 : Stratification by length of stay and citizenship Families 1 : Stratification by citizenship Youth males 2 : Population sampling Youth females 2 : Population sampling 1 Sampling size within a shelter is weighted according to proportion of total shelter beds for a subgroup found in the shelter 2 Sampling for youth participants is broken down with one-half targeted to originate from shelters and one-half to originate from YSB drop-in centre

Participants In-depth interviews with 412 homeless people conducted during late 2002 and early 2003 –88 single men –85 single women –78 male youth –78 female youth –83 adults in families

Study Objective The present analysis provides preliminary findings on 217 participants who have participated in a follow-up interview The objective of the presentation is to present data on the housing status and housing history of participants since the first interview

Completed Interviews Broken Down by Subgroup Subgroup N % of Sample Families Male Adults Female Adults Male Youth Female Youth 39 50

Number of Moves Over Two Year Period Since Initial Homelessness Subgroup*MeanMedianSD Male Youth (n=42) Female Youth (n=39) Male Adults (n=39) Female Adults (n=50) Families (n=47) *MY, FY, MA > Fam; MY, FY > FA

% Housed At the Follow-Up Interview Broken Down by Subgroups 1* 1 Housed for at least 90 days at the point of the follow-up interview *Fam > FA, MY, MA FY > FA, MY, MA FA, MY > MA

Number of Days in Regular Housing at Point of Follow-Up Interview Subgroup*MeanMedianSD Families (n=47) Female Youth (n=39) Female Adult (n=50) Male Youth (n=42) Male Adult (n=39) *Fam. > MY, MA; FY > MA; FA > MA

% Housed Who Are Living in Subsidized Housing Broken Down by Subgroups *Fam > FA, FY, MY, MA FA > MY, FY

Monthly Housing Costs For Participants Housed 90 Days or More Subgroup*MeanMedianSD Male Adult$497$ Female Adult$440$ Families$417$ Male Youth$416$ Female Youth$399$ *No differences between subgroups

Conclusions 1.Families are the most successful in exiting homelessness and achieving housing stability; a high % of families are able to access some form of subsidized housing 2.All of the subgroups with the exception of families had on average multiple moves (i.e., 3 or more) over a two-year period

Conclusions 3.Male adults experience the greatest difficulty in exiting homelessness; no male adults interviewed at follow-up had accessed subsidized housing 4.On average, although participants are paying less than the average for rental housing in Ottawa, it stills represent a high percentage of income for those on social benefits