Permanent Supportive Housing for Families with Complex Needs: An

Analysis of the Homeless Management Information System in Calgary

Whitney D. Balog, MSW(c) , Christine. A Walsh, PhD & Meaghan Bell, MA
1

1 Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary

Overview of Complex Families and

Homelessness in Calgary

In 2011 anecdotal evidence raised the

concern about a cohort of families in
Calgary for whom permanently ending
their homelessness was challenged due
to a lack of appropriate services.
These families exhibited multiple, and
complex challenges and spent a greater
duration of time in the shelter system.
Responding to these concerns, this
exploratory research sought to devise
recommendations for the development of
a model of Permanent Supportive
Housing (PSH) to support high acuity
families with multiple shelter stays.
PSH is long-term housing and support
[for] individuals who are homeless and
experiencing major disabling conditions.
There is no limit to length of stay
(Calgary Homeless Foundation [CHF],
2011, p. 14).
Interventions for families are crucial as
homelessness has several negative
impacts: increased child welfare
involvement, family breakdown; strained
relationships and health problems
(physical, spiritual, mental); poor child
development and greater school
performance.
Research Focus

The purpose of this project is to better

understand service needs of families
who experience multiple episodes of
homelessness to identify barriers and
facilitators to residential stability.
TEMPLATE DESIGN 2008

www.PosterPresentations.com

Research Question

Is Calgarys system of care responsive

to the needs of homeless families?
Methods

Analyzed data from Calgarys

Homeless Management Information
System (HIMS) on two emergency
shelters (ES) and a sample of six
Housing First (HF) programs in
2012-2013 to better understand the
ecology of homeless families as well
as the trajectories into and out of
homelessness.

2 Calgary Homeless Foundation

Findings: Demographic Profile of HF Clients

Family composition
165 families, 208 adults, 355 children
74% single parent family
Ethnicity
48% Aboriginal; 31% Caucasian; 21%
other
Citizenship Status
84% Canadian; 8% Refugee; 7%
Permanent Resident; 1% No Status
Findings: Characteristics of HF Clients

Findings: Demographic Profile of

Emergency Shelter Clients

Family composition
93 families; 142 adults, 169 children
Discussion

Homelessness characteristics
56% families experienced one episode
of homelessness in past year
20% families experienced three or
more episodes in past year.

PSH for homeless families in Calgary

Considerations for a PSH Model:
Staffing model (24/7, day care, program
participation, Aboriginal staff, case
management ratio)
Neighbourhood based (close to schools,
transit, close to natural supports)
Harm reduction model
System partnerships (health, child welfare,
education)
Contact and Acknowledgement
Christine Walsh, cwalsh@ucalgary.ca
Meaghan Bell, meaghan@calgaryhomeless.com
Funded by Economic and Social Development Canada

Recommendations

Findings from this study are intended to

inform the development of a PSH model
with wrap-around supports for homeless
families, creating a tailor-made
intervention for the specific needs of
this population.
Discussion

Through the analysis of the demographic

and homeless characteristics of clients
within the HMIS system, service providers
are better able to understand the journey
of families through the homelessness
system and identify families who have
accessed multiple emergency shelters
and/or housing programs. They also have
access to information on the duration of
stay within the homeless system.
A unified, open data system means that
families are not required to re-tell their
story to every agency from who they
access service-- an experience that can be
traumatizing.
A shared data system creates
opportunities for electronic referrals with
client information meaning a familys
eligibility can be determined at various
programs without requiring the family to
physically go to an agency.
A coordinated entry point into the system
also promotes matching of services
through the use of a standardized
assessment tool.
Reference
Walsh, C. A., Bell, M., Jackson, J., Graham,
J., Sajid, S., Milaney, K. (2014). Permanent
Supportive Housing for Families with
Multiple Needs. A Report to Employment
and Social Development Canada.