The importance of good quality housing in people’s lives cannot be overstated. A resident of supported housing articulates its impact:
It has allowed me to stop worrying about those things that were holding me back. [Previously], I was so suppressed with all this negative energy and, and these negative things going on around me. I just felt hopeless and trapped. But due to my housing situation being changed – I have a beautiful home and I’m happy there – now I’m learning to be happy with me… I’m a good person and I have a good life, things are going good, I’m going to go out today and I’m going to be a nice person, and I’m going to have a good day. And I’m going to do, I’m going to help somebody if I can, and I’m going to make somebody smile…I can focus on more positive things, now.
Canadian governments have come to recognize that a significant proportion of the homeless population has mental health problems. As these governments attempt to alleviate homelessness in our communities, the role of supported housing for those with mental health issues is paramount. Furthermore, it is critical that supported housing programs are designed to ensure the highest degree of housing success and stability for residents. It is therefore necessary to determine what factors contribute to the success of supported housing.
Critical Characteristics of Supported Housing: Findings from the Literature, Residents, and Service Providers lays the foundation for the development of principles that can be used to guide Supported Housing programming and that can continue to be examined in future research. It also provides a set of key characteristics critical to supported housing that can be used by supported housing programs to modify and evaluate their current programs and in the development of new housing programs. Download the report here .