What are we investigating?
We are looking for the best combination of housing and supports to help homeless people living with mental illness in Toronto. We specifically want to know what works best to address the needs of people from various ethnic and racial communities. We are also investigating chronic illness and access to primary health care in a detailed way.
We are using a Housing First approach. This means first providing housing, then the individualized supports needed.
What we learn in Toronto will help policy makers better understand what needs to be done to solve chronic homelessness for people who experience mental illness in Toronto and in other parts of Canada. Some of the questions we are hoping to answer include:
Does Housing First work, and for whom?
Does Housing First work in this particular Toronto context?
What are the necessary ingredients for Housing First success?
What are the outcomes for people receiving Housing First supports through the project??
How much does it cost to provide Housing First and how does it compare to the cost for the kinds of community services that exist now?
Who is participating in Toronto?
People with moderate to severe mental health problems.
Participants who have been living on the streets and in shelters
Over 240 participants are currently receiving housing and supports and over 270 participants are receiving the usual supports available in their communities.
How does it work?
People are given a choice of apartments in which to live.
Participants pay 30% of their income towards their rent. The rest is subsidized by the project.
People receive regular visits from Housing First Teams at least once a week. They receive support with their mental and physical health issues. They receive help with life skills such as developing connections in their communities and maintaining their housing.
What are we finding in Toronto?
“…I was just too busy trying to stay warm you know, and trying to eat so I mean I really appreciate the [the project]. They made it so now I can concentrate on things like going to school…what’s next is learning to build relationships you know, because …you have the strangest relationships when you’re homeless… So, it’s really good to of have one foot in the mainstream of society, that’s what’s really important to me.” (Quote from participant)
AT HOME/CHEZ SOI PROJECT: TORONTO AT A GLANCE
“…it’s definitely had an impact on me. I can smile. I can laugh, you know. I didn’t laugh for a long time…I really didn’t laugh for a long time. If I ever did smile, it was very rare. But I didn’t really have anything to smile about.
…or laugh about, you know? But, you know, the last few days, I really…I’m sitting at home and I’m thinking…so happy, you know? Like, I’m saying, “Oh, my God, I can’t believe…this is my place.” I’m walking from my kitchen, you know, and I’m cleaning the stove. Little things that probably people don’t even notice. I do. It makes me happy. You know, I’m cleaning my stove. You know, I’m washing the plate. I mean, just normal things. The, the stuff that, that makes you feel like a human being. Because when you’re out there, you feel like you’re nobody. So, for me, it’s had a huge impact. Huge, huge impact. It really has made me feel a lot better. .“
(Quote from participant)
69% identified as male, 29% as female, and 2% as transgendered
1 in 10 are over 55 years of age; 12% of participants are under 25 years old
Over(53% are from various ethnic and racial communities
4% have served in the Canadian military forces or its allies
8% of participants receiving housing and supports are Aboriginal
19% have been homeless for 10 or more years over their lifetime and 41% have been homeless for 5 years or more
1 in 6 participants has a documented diagnosis of a psychotic disorder; more than half of our participants would likely be given a psychotic diagnosis by a medical professional. The remainder have other mental health problems, such as depression or post traumatic stress disorder
Almost half of our participants have had drug and/or alcohol problems
37% of our participants had involvement with the criminal justice system in the past six months. Often these are petty crimes that are related to living in public spaces
37% reported having some difficulty in performing their usual daily activities
41%said that they experience moderate pain or discomfort daily. For another 16% this pain or discomfort was described as extreme
28% of participants have children; with 10% of participants are providing support for their children
2% of participants have marked health impairment due to a major medical problem that interferes with most of participant's activities; 17% of participants have moderate health impairment; 53% of participants have slight health impairment.
Read more detailed early findings at www.mentalhealthcommission.ca, At Home/Chez Soi Project
What makes the Toronto project unique?
We are evaluating an anti-racism service model for people from various ethnic and racial communities.
We have a People with Lived Experience Caucus that helps to inform the local project.
We are conducting a detailed assessment of chronic illnesses and access to primary health care.
Quick Facts about the national At Home/Chez Soi project
Over 1030 participants are currently receiving housing and supports and 980 participants are receiving the usual supports available in their communities.
In 2008, the Government of Canada provided the MHCC with $110 million dollars for this research project.
The project was officially launched in Moncton, Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver, in November 2009.
This is a 5-year project and each participant is being followed for 2 years.
The project will end in the spring of 2013.
Work is underway to ensure that people who are receiving housing and supports in the project will have housing and supports in place once the research is over
What are we finding nationally?
70% of the study participants are men and 30% are women
Most of participants are middle aged although approximately 10% are under the age of 25 and 10% are over the age of 55
More than 90% of participants have at least one chronic physical health problem
82% of the participants were living on the street, 18% were staying in shelters when they entered the project
Over 90% were unemployed when they entered the project and the average income in the month prior was only $691 with over half earning less than $400 in that month
72% of people housed have remained in the original housing provided through the project
Participants identify the project as an opportunity to move forward in their lives
Participants also identify the project as an opportunity to get involved in their community and with some participants pursuing educational and vocational opportunities
