Responses to Homelessness – A Mini-Series About the Evolution of Alberta’s Response – Part Three
This article is the third in The NEWS’ first ever mini-series. This article will focus on Alberta’s adoption of the Housing First philosophy. The further along in the series we go, the less academic these articles will become. However, it is my firm belief that, in order to have a more fulsome picture of responses to homelessness, some historical research is of benefit. Finally, of note, should a reader happen to miss one article, while each article will be connected, they are meant to also work as standalones.
Alberta’s Shift to Housing First
Alberta was the first province in Canada to adopt a strategic approach to ending homelessness. Released in October 2008, A Plan for Alberta – Ending Homelessness in 10 Years, marked a significant change in the province’s response to the homelessness crisis, shifting from managing homelessness to reducing and ending homelessness. The Plan “recognizes and supports community-led action on homelessness” (pg. 2) and formally adopted the Housing First philosophy, ultimately resulting in investments falling into one of three key areas: rapid re-housing, client-centered supports, and prevention programs. The Plan also placed an emphasis on self-reliance (Alberta Secretariat, 2008). Formally adopted in 2009, seven municipalities (Calgary, Edmonton, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Red Deer, Fort McMurray, and Grande Prairie) joined the province in the creation of this multi-year strategy.
The Government’s ending homelessness strategy required a three-pronged approach to implementation: targeted investments in emergency shelters, Housing First programs, and housing development projects. In this model, what was then Ministry of Human Services provided high-level leadership and insight into policies, programs, and services, while the Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) were responsible for allocating and administering funding from the federal, provincial, and municipal governments. The CBOs would then take the leadership and guidance from the Ministry and use it to better coordinate programs, monitor progress, conduct research, and engage their local communities.
Defining “Homeless”
When considering the 10-year strategy, it is important to understand how the government defines homelessness. The Alberta Government identified its broad definition of homeless as “those who do not have safe, affordable, appropriate, permanent housing to which they can return whenever they choose” (Government of Alberta, 2012). The Plan then breaks this down into four major categories (pg. 7-8 of The Plan):
Chronic homeless: an individual/family who has been unhoused for a year or more or have had at least four episodes of homelessness in the past three years. To fall under this definition, they must have been sleeping in a place not meant for human habitation and/or in an emergency shelter.
Transient homeless: an individual who is homeless for less than a year and has fewer than four episodes of homelessness in the past three years.
Employable homeless: those who do not suffer from any major barriers to employment (e.g., mental health barriers, criminal histories, substance use, etc.) but who require assistance to find permanent housing and move to self-reliance.
Homeless families: those who are homeless and are parents with minor children, adults with legal custody, a couple in which one person is pregnant, and/or multi-generational families.
The definitions adopted by the Alberta Government are not as broad as the Canadian definition of homelessness, which adds “It is often the result of what are known as systemic or societal barriers, including a lack of affordable and appropriate housing, the individual/household’s financial, mental, cognitive, behavioural, or physical challenges, and/or racism and discrimination” (Reaching Home, pg. 1). Collectively, however, these definitions detail the complexities of the homelessness crisis. As is made apparent through these definitions, homelessness includes an economic, sociological, and an emotion component, both on those who are experiencing homelessness and for society itself.
Next Time
Alberta’s strategy to end homelessness identified the complexity of this issue. While widely adopted now, Housing First has come to take on multiple different meanings. The next article in this series will look deeper into what Housing First is, where it originated, and the three schools of thought Housing First encompasses. In the meantime, should you have any comments or questions, please share them through email at a.burke@albertacounsel.com.
