This plan has the intention of mobilizing Calgary’s research community to support a research agenda which can be implemented and provide evidence that will support decisions by policy makers, frontline delivering services, and others to bring about an end to homelessness in the next ten years. The purpose of the research agenda and network has seven elements, some of which have already been achieved such as the creation of a homelessness research hub or network in Calgary. Priorities over three years have been set to include the homelessness research symposium as well as ecology of homelessness, tailoring interventions, and system coordination and capacity. A common agenda and network for homelessness research is felt to: Strategically coordinate research efforts towards ending homelessness and ensure research being undertaken is embedded in implementation efforts from the start; Help facilitate connections amongst researchers through enhanced coordination of existing research and work underway; Increase the engagement of academia (faculty and their students) in community efforts to address social issues; Increase opportunities for collaboration and innovation by promoting interdisciplinary and inter-sector research efforts; Address issues of research translation, particularly of moving research into practice; involving dialogue between researchers, practitioners, and other stakeholders; Enhance Calgary’s profile as a hub of excellence in research on homelessness; and Promote sharing, exchange and mobilization of research within the region and beyond.

Summary Credit:
Homelessness-Related Research Capacities in Alberta: A Comprehensive Environmental Scan, prepared by Dr. Katharina Kovacs Burns, MSc, MHSA, PhD and Dr. Solina Richter, PhD, RN for The Alberta Homelessness Research Consortium (2010)