Homeless Outreach Practises in BC Communities | Volume 2

Outreach models that offer direct access to income assistance and permanent accommodation have been operating in BC since 2005 when the first pilot outreach project was initiated in the city of Vancouver. Reviews of the state of knowledge around homeless outreach services have concluded that homeless outreach services improve housing and health outcomes for homeless persons and that more research is needed to answer the question what factors promote success. The present research aims to fill this knowledge gap with a particular focus on variations in outreach practices among different types of communities.

Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) in collaboration with BC Housing and the BC Ministry of Energy and Mines, Housing Policy Branch commissioned this research by Eberle Planning and Research, Jim Woodward and Associates and Matt Thomson to examine federally and provincially funded outreach models to increase understanding of what makes outreach programs effective in communities of varying sizes and types. The aim was to identify effective practices in homeless outreach services and how they may differ in rural/small town, urban, and suburban communities. Volume 1 is the summary report and Volume 2 contains the six outreach programs profiled.

Publication Date: 
2011
Location: 
British Columbia, Canada