Calgary Recovery Services Task Force

Calgary Recovery Services Task Force Homelessness a health issue or a housing issue?

Presenters Abe Brown Inn From the Cold Darryn Werth - CUPS

Agenda Who We Are & Why We Came Together - Abe What Homeless Calgarians Are Experiencing - Darryn 7 Key Recommendations - Abe Moving Forward Together - Darryn Practical Examples of Collective Impact Model - Darryn How to Build Collaboration & a Common Agenda - Abe Learnings - Abe

Disclosure of Commercial Support This program has received NO COMMERCIAL financial support. This program has received NO COMMERCIAL in-kind support.

Physical Health Challenges of the Chronically Homeless

Mental Health

Addiction

Who We Are & Why We Came Together 26 Calgary agencies and government partners Collective impact approach Collaboration, common agenda, shared measurement, mutually reinforcing activities, continuous communication Recognized that current systems and services are sometimes unable to provide the right coordinated support to provide homeless individuals with complex needs appropriate care

Who We Are & Why We Came Together Process and Progress - February 2015 to date: Research Study Voices of the chronically 300 homeless Calgarians with complex health experiences Learn from client experience Understand and identify how individuals access the health system and housing and identify needs and gaps Release of final report and recommendations Formalized a governance committee and 5 working groups

What Homeless Calgarians Are Experiencing Key Findings from Research - Dr. Katrina Milaney/Cumming School of Medicine 300 Chronically Homeless Calgarians 27% female 72% male Two individuals identified as either transgender or two-spirited 73% have been homeless for 4 years or more 43% have been homeless for 10 years or more 30% identify as Indigenous (First Nations, Aboriginal, Inuit or Metis) 20% attended residential school 63% had family members who were residential schooled

What Homeless Calgarians Are Experiencing 43% of all respondents were either raised in foster care or had been removed from the home as children (74% for Indigenous) 299 participated in ACEs questionnaire Average for all respondents was 4.43 ACEs Male = 4.2/Female = 5.02 Average for Indigenous was 6.07 ACEs Male = 5.88/Female = 6.38 91% diagnosed with a physical health condition Average of 4 diagnoses per individual 62% indicate ongoing physical health issues related to their homelessness

What Homeless Calgarians Are Experiencing 44% diagnosed with a mental health condition Average of 2 diagnoses per individual 46% felt they had another undiagnosed mental health condition 30% diagnosed with a brain injury 48% have lost consciousness due to head trauma 32% drink alcohol daily or almost daily 15% have used non-beverage alcohols such as mouthwash, antifreeze, antiseptics and aftershave 34% use drugs other than alcohol daily or almost daily 12% use drugs and alcohol at the same time

What Homeless Calgarians Are Experiencing 47% have been physically attacked in the last year 51% have been attacked more than once 53% of females reported being physically attacked 59% Indigenous females reported being attacked 62% have had thoughts of suicide 25% have attempted 31% have slept in hospitals 31% have gone to detox rather than the street.

Calgary Recovery Services Task Force Seven Key Recommendations: 1. Access to health services should be available through the entire homeless system of care including shelter, supportive housing, and mobile outreach. 2. Ensure access to intensive case management and health supports as homeless Calgarians transition into supportive housing. 3. Integrate harm reduction approaches into the continuum of recovery services in recognition of homeless Calgarians choice.

Calgary Recovery Services Task Force Seven Key Recommendations: 4. Develop housing and health approaches that are responsive to homeless Indigenous populations. 5. Ensure open communication and access to information amongst organizations and agencies serving homeless Calgarians. 6. Develop specialized responses for homeless women and children. 7. Advance the development of a steering committee/governance structure to provide leadership and oversight for moving forward.

Moving Forward Together Valuing Mental Health Report AHS Community Paramedics Street CCRED (Street Community, Clinical, Capacity, Research, Education, and Development) collaborative Alberta Association of Community Health Clinics (AACHC) CUPS & Alpha House Connect 2 Care Team (C2C) Calgary Allied Mobile Palliative Program (CAMPP) Managed Alcohol Program (MAP)

Practical Examples of Collective Impact/Action Model Collective action begins with ourselves Awareness is not action Training is not action Information sharing is not action Action is action - Terri Jowers (Director of Health Columbia in Columbia, South Carolina Collective action is to effectively mobilize & deploy resources Concrete & measureable progress towards aim Achieve Aim Attract & engage new people Build Capacity Build leadership through individual growth Grow Individuals

Practical Examples of Collective Impact/Action Model Collaboration Collective Impact Convene around programs or initiatives Use of data to prove Addition to what you do Advocate for ideas Work together to move outcomes Use of data to improve Is what you do Advocate for what works - Striving for Change (strivetogether.org)

Practical Examples of Collective Impact/Action Model Three phases of collective impact initiatives 1. Initiate action 2. Organize for impact 3. Sustain action & impact Building a relational foundation for action takes time

How to Build Collaboration & a Common Agenda

Learnings 1. Collaboration is messy, but it is essential 2. No one gets exactly what they want 3. Systems work takes time, but it is likely the only way 4. The critical (and often missing) skill is emotional intelligence/political navigation 5. Consensus + timing + data-driven decisions = results

Questions