This is a research study to determine the challenges and needs of women moving from shelters to transitional housing. In 1996, the City of Calgary Community and Social Development Department (renamed Community Strategies) received funding from the Innovative/Preventive Funding Program to conduct a pilot project which would determine cost-benefit savings and generate guidelines for effective residential support services to higher risk tenants of social housing. The goals were to identify and actively reach out to these tenants, develop and implement early interventions and support, stabilize women in social housing, and generate guidelines for effective and efficient housing support services. In working on this project, it was observed that some women who leave emergency women’s shelters to enter social housing are not always successful making the adjustment. Confirming past research, the researchers found that social and instrumental support, a positive change in status, good employment or training opportunities, a safe and secure environment, good maintenance in the housing units, affordable costs, a responsive or supportive housing system, emotional support, and a good standard of housing made the transition from the shelter to social housing easier for women. Not surprisingly, the things which made a smooth transition hard for these women, was a lack of many of the things that made it easy, but also included systemic discrimination and concerns for their children. All three groups of respondents; women, outreach workers, and social housing staff, highlighted many of the same concerns. At the top of the list was the need for good social support. The study was qualitative in nature and involved 22 women coming forward, some very reluctantly. A number of issues and recommendations were discussed, all of which would be of benefit to the newly created Calgary Housing Authority (two social housing agencies merged to create this Authority). The report relies on the words of the stakeholders themselves to convey the demands facing these women, and speaks to the need for social housing to be re-examined as to its responsiveness to this client group.
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)