COVID-19 and Systematic Responses to Homelessness
Posted on Tuesday, March 30th, 2021
| Client | The Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa |
| Professor(s) | Dr. Benjamin Roebuck, Diana McGlinchey |
| Program | Victimology |
| Students | Project Partners: Jackie Kennelly (Carleton University), Katie Burkholder-Harris (AETH Ottawa), Cora MacDonald (AETH Ottawa), Torri Weapenicappo (Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health), Sue-Ann MacDonald (University of Montreal), Erin Dej (Wilfred Laurier University), & Carmen Hust (Algonquin College)
Research Assistants: Jordan Wark (Algonquin College), Krista Luzzi (Algonquin College), Dennim Groke (Algonquin College), & Sydney Chapados (Carleton University) |
Project Description:
In January 2020, the City of Ottawa declared a housing and homelessness emergency. Immediately following the announcement COVID-19 reached the pandemic level, leaving the already vulnerable homeless and precariously housed populations to experiencing greater challenges.
Through our partnership with the Alliance to End Homelessness, the Victimology Research Centre’s new project is studying the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on homeless populations in Ottawa through a service provider lens. The COVID-19 and Systematic Responses to Homelessness project is examining how the global pandemic has affected system responses to homelessness, the potential gaps and barriers that are being experienced by homeless people, and what innovations in service provision are being developed to adapt to the pandemic.
The project is comprised of two phases. In phase 1, qualitative interviews are completed for data collection purposes. The focus of phase 1 is system mapping and preliminary data collection which will be done through online and telephone interviews with service providers.
In phase 2, the project will move forward with ethics approval for additional data collection through surveys, focus groups, and interviews with service providers and people with lived experience.
From this project, two products will be made. The first is a COVID-19 Housing & Homelessness Sector Map which will outline the challenges and opportunities experienced by homeless people in Ottawa during the pandemic. The second is a report to the City of Ottawa, measuring the response of COVID-19 in the homeless sector.
Short Description:
This project is examining the impacts of COVID-19 on Ottawa’s homeless population and the benefits of a coordinated access system, with a focus on added vulnerabilities, service provider innovations, and systematic gaps in need of future action.
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