The At Home/Chez Soi research demonstration project is investigating mental health and homelessness in five Canadian cities: Moncton, Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver.
As of June 2010, over 750 homeless people have become project participants, and over 250 of them now have homes.
About the At Home/Chez Soi project
The At Home/Chez Soi project is based on a Housing First approach (see below). A total of 2285 homeless people living with a mental illness will participate. 1,325 people from that group will be given a place to live, and will be offered services to assist them over the course of the initiative. The remaining participants will receive the regular services that are currently available in their cities.
Participants will have to pay a portion of their rent, and be visited at least once a week by program staff. The project is all about choice, and people will be able to choose housing within a number of different sites within their cities - including apartments and group homes.
The overall goal is to provide evidence about what services and systems could best help people who are living with a mental illness and are homeless. At the same time, the project will provide meaningful and practical support for hundreds of vulnerable people.
Data from this kind of extensive research does not currently exist in Canada. The MHCC project is unique and the largest of its kind underway in the world right now.
What is happening in each city
A comparison between different Housing First approaches and “care as usual” is being studied in all cities. In addition, each of the sites has specific population targets and various sub-studies.
(Please click on a city name to learn more about each site)
- Moncton: one of Canada’s fastest growing cities, with a shortage of services for Anglophones and Francophones.
- Montreal: different mental health services provided to homeless people in Quebec.
- Toronto: ethno-cultural diversity including new immigrants who are non-English speaking.
- Vancouver: people who struggle with substance abuse and addictions.
- Winnipeg: urban Aboriginal population.
The rationale behind Housing First
The Housing First model is one approach to ending homelessness and helping people get back into community life. This approach has produced positive results in other cities where it has been implemented. The hypothesis is that once a person is given a place to live, he/she can then better concentrate on other personal issues.
The people involved
The At Home/Chez Soi project is being overseen by Dr. Jayne Barker, MHCC VP of Research Initiatives. The research lead is Dr. Paula Goering, head of the Health Systems Research and Consulting Unit at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto.
The Commission is working closely with provincial and municipal levels of government, researchers, many local service providers (people who will provide counselling, check-ups, etc.) and individuals who have experienced homelessness and mental illness.
In addition, the following groups will play or are currently playing an important role (please click on a title to learn more):
The research projects will end in 2013, and will collectively develop a body of evidence to help Canada become a world leader in providing services to homeless people living with a mental illness.
In February 2008, the Federal government allocated $110 million to the Mental Health Commission of Canada to find ways to help the growing number of homeless people who have a mental illness.