丁香园AV

AT A GLANCE

• The number of older Canadians experiencing homelessness is increasing, and they are not well-served by traditional shelter/housing models.
• Aging in the Right Place is a research program that brings together the expertise of researchers, community organizations and people with lived experience to examine the issue.
• The researchers are evaluating 鈥減romising practices鈥� to improve shelter and housing options for older people experiencing homelessness in Vancouver, Calgary and Montreal.
• They are hoping to inspire a 鈥渘ew generation of scholars鈥� to continue the work.

鈥淐anada鈥檚 older population is under-researched,鈥� says Sarah Canham, project director of Aging in the Right Place and adjunct professor of gerontology at 丁香园AV. 鈥淚t鈥檚 one of the reasons I entered this field and the inspiration behind this particular program.鈥�

. Yet, traditional shelter or housing options for vulnerable populations are not well suited to older age groups. Especially those who may be managing chronic physical or mental health conditions.

Aging in The Right Place is a 6-year program. The goal is to evaluate practices that can be used to help older people live as long as possible in their homes and communities.

Not all older adults are the same. Some are entering later life with some very significant economic and housing financial challenges

鈥� Sarah Canham, project lead, Aging in the Right Place

The first year was spent in the field in Vancouver, Calgary and Montreal to identify 鈥減romising practices.鈥� These are solutions that have not been rigorously evaluated but show potential for supporting older people experiencing homelessness. The researchers have now turned to evaluating those practices. Once this is done, they will determine the best way to share their findings and put them into action.

Direct contact breaks down stereotypes

The fieldwork brings researchers face-to-face with older people who have lived experience with homelessness. That direct contact, says Sarah, is a key piece of the process.

鈥淗aving access and the opportunity to be part of the data collection helps to break down and dismantle some of those societally ingrained ideas that we have about the older generation.鈥�

The biggest misconception they need to tackle is that everyone is living out their 鈥済olden years鈥� in a similar way. The idea that we all experience some version of a quiet retirement in the same home we have lived in for years, surrounded by a wide social network, is a falsity.

It can鈥檛 be true because older adults face different hurdles.

What is 鈥渢he right place?鈥�

鈥淣ot all older adults are the same,鈥� says Sarah. 鈥淪ome are entering later life with some very significant economic and housing financial challenges.鈥�

鈥淎ging well and aging in place will look drastically different than the stereotypical ideas of retiring after many years of stable work and stable housing.鈥�

鈥淭he right place鈥� is defined as somewhere that meets the person鈥檚 individual needs.

Lin Chen is the lead project coordinator. Lin has a master鈥檚 degree in social work and has focused her academic career on the social determinants of health of older people.

For her, this project is personal. And she鈥檚 always had one person in mind.

鈥淚t came from having been raised by my grandma.鈥�

Being exposed to the daily life of an older person provided Lin with a deep connection to the concerns and needs of people in later life. And it showed the importance being part of a social network.

Choosing the most promising practices

Once the researchers have analyzed the gathered data 鈥� the 鈥減romising practices鈥� 鈥� the result will be a list of 鈥渂est鈥� practices. This will enable the team to recommend which practices should be scaled up (that is, used more often) and scaled out (used in other communities).

Tamara Sussman, a professor of social work at McGill University and the city lead for Montr茅al, offers an example.

鈥淲e have to think about what's happening in communities where English is not the first language,鈥� she says.

鈥淚 think that we're very far ahead on that in Montr茅al and probably have something to offer around the table in terms of how to improve access, how to think about different groups and how to reach out to them.鈥�

She says that her team has been using a combination of a digital translation tools and the old-fashioned 鈥榖uddy system鈥� to ensure everyone can follow what鈥檚 being said in English and French.

These approaches could easily be adapted for other languages in a particular setting.

The ability to put a human face to these experiences and to hear directly what their journey has been, is a really powerful thing

鈥� Lin Chen, lead project coordinator, Aging in the Right Place

Christine Walsh, a professor of social work at the University of Calgary and city lead for the Calgary team, says that not only does every city differ, but every site differs as well.

Her team is looking at 2 locations:

• , an apartment complex for people facing homelessness

She said both of these promising practices offer programming that is rare across Canada.

鈥淓very shelter is doing something kind of unique or offering services to a specific population in specific ways,鈥� she says.

鈥淗aving 3 cities gives us the opportunity to just evaluate more, different and unique models.鈥� 

Improving the housing situation for future generations

The program鈥檚 network also includes a group of 鈥渓ived expertise advisors鈥� 鈥� older people who have experienced homelessness. Their role, says Sarah, is to guide the researchers along the way and to 鈥渒eep us in check.鈥�

Calgary-based Hilary Chapple is one of these advisors. Hilary was homeless for more than a year. She 鈥渃ouch-surfed鈥� and bounced between temporary places, before eventually arriving at a shelter with 2 outfits and few other belongings.

As a queer woman, she knows first-hand that many housing options don鈥檛 accept LGBTQ2S+ older adults. Nor do they provide dignity and respect.

She says she chose to work with the program, 鈥渟o that my own experience can make things better for others who come after me.鈥�

Inspiring a new generation of researchers

One of the program鈥檚 stated objectives is to 鈥渢rain a new generation of scholars鈥� to continue this work. Lin and Sarah hope that their work will personalize the topic for more young academics.

鈥淭he ability to put a human face to these experiences and to hear directly what their journey has been, is a really powerful thing,鈥� says Lin.

鈥淚t helps new researchers grasp the importance of the work and see who it will benefit.鈥�

KEY FACTS

• Aging in the Right Place is a research program within the , a joint initiative by CMHC and the .
• The Collaborative Housing Research Network brings together academic and non-academic sectors in support of enhanced research under Canada鈥檚 National Housing Strategy.
• Approximately $7.9M has been committed by CMHC to the Network for its initial 5 years. 
• Programs within the Network received Partnership Development Grants for the first stage of their research, and subsequently received Partnership Grants to carry it to completion.