Eliminating homelessness in Canada through housing first:From demonstration project to policy and program change

Abstract

Homelessness is a complex social problem that encompasses personal, interpersonal, and community dimensions that occur in a socio-political context. Complex problems, like homelessness, are uncertain and constantly in flux [1]. and require complex community interventions to address them [2]. It has been estimated that in Canada, there are 35,000 people who are homeless on a given night, and at least 235,000 people who experience homelessness every year [3]. In this paper, I tell the story of how Canada is using the Housing First (HF) approach to eliminate homelessness.