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Lawson Health Research Institute, Western University, City of London, and Mission Services of London, Ontario, partnered on the Prevention of Homelessness Among Families (PHAF) project to assess the effectiveness of a shelter diversion pilot-program at Rotholme Women’s and Family Shelter (Mission Services).

The results of the study illustrate that a low percentage of families ended up in shelter when accessing the program, and as many as 90 per cent of the families were known to still be housed 18-months later.

The project was supported by $134,000 in funding delivered through the Government of Ontario’s Local Poverty Reduction Fund (LPRF). The grant, funded by the Government of Ontario and administered by its agency, the Ontario Trillium Foundation, is helping groups disproportionately affected by poverty get into housing, develop skills and find employment in London, Ontario.

This project focuses on local community partnerships and includes a third-party evaluation component, which is important because better data will help communities develop better solutions to increasing food security, reducing child poverty and homelessness, and helping people find jobs and earn a stable income.

Rotholme’s shelter diversion program aims to divert family homelessness by working with families to maintain stable housing prior to eviction. Families at risk of homelessness who contact the shelter before leaving their home are immediately connected with a housing crisis worker. Together, parents and the crisis worker explore alternate housing arrangements, services, and supports.

“To keep families in their home we have a ‘whatever it takes approach.’ Once families have left their homes and belongings it is very difficult to escape homelessness,” says Gordon Russell, director of shelters, Mission Services, of London. A variety of tactics are used to divert families from shelter, such as negotiating with landlords to keep the family in their home or move them into an available unit.

To evaluate the success of the program, researchers assessed administrative shelter data, interviewed parents who participated in the program, and conducted focus groups with staff and families who did not access the program.

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Researchers interviewed 20 families at four time points, approximately six months apart. Thirteen families were able to complete all four interviews. In total the information of 75 individuals, including 29 parents and 46 dependents, was collected, and included demographics, specific needs, utilization of health services, and quality of life metrics. A majority of the parents interviewed had never experienced homelessness before accessing Mission Services.

“We found that Rotholme’s pilot program was effective for preventing family homelessness,” explains Dr. Cheryl Forchuk, assistant scientific director at Lawson, and professor of Nursing at Western University. “Family homelessness is a serious problem, one that can be prevented with early intervention according to our results.”

Other themes that emerge from the study suggest:

• families at risk of homelessness may have life challenges such as mental health and addiction issues, language issues, or low level education levels;
• families at risk of homelessness may have a lack of understanding the system including shelter rules, social assistance and school supports and their own rights;
• and, families at risk of homelessness may experience difficulty with conflict, both within the family dynamic and in resolving conflicts with landlords.

“When we know the challenges that families face, we are better equipped to meet their needs and continue to help them live in stable housing,” continues Dr. Forchuk. “Understanding issues of service preference and outcomes from the context of the whole family are critical to planning appropriate services.”

This investment by the Government of Ontario is just one way the province is bolstering innovative local programs that support groups disproportionately affected by poverty. Through the Local Poverty Reduction Fund, Ontario is helping to break the cycle of poverty for children and youth, increase employment and income security, and end homelessness in Ontario.

LONDON, ON – In newly-published findings from Lawson Health Research Institute, more than half of Canadian Veterans report a decline in their mental health over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.

When it comes to mental health conditions, Veterans are an at-risk population, often having higher rates of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, scientists at Lawson wanted to understand its effects on this already at-risk population

“We anticipated the ongoing pandemic would have impacts to multiple domains of life such as loneliness, isolation, depression and PTSD,” says Associate Scientist at Lawson and the MacDonald Franklin Operational Stress Injury (OSI) Research Centre, Dr. Anthony Nazarov.

To examine the potential impacts the research team launched a longitudinal study in early 2021, recruiting Canadian Veterans and spouses of Canadian Veterans. A total of 1,136 Veterans have participated in the study which spans over 18 months. Participants complete online questionnaires every three months, with questions focused on mental health and virtual health care services.

“We looked at use of care services, including virtual care services, which we know have been on the rise during the pandemic,” says Lawson Associate Scientist and Scientific Director of the Macdonald Franklin OSI Research Centre, Dr. Don Richardson.

The team recently published preliminary findings based on the Veterans portion of the study, which confirm a decline in mental health amongst the Veterans that took part.

“One of the important preliminary findings demonstrated a little more than 55 per cent of Veterans (55.9 per cent) have indicated that their mental health has worsened over the pandemic.” explains Dr. Richardson.

The findings also revealed that nearly one in five Veterans used virtual health care and telepsychiatry services and found them to be helpful.

“Veterans have been having positive experiences with virtual care for mental health support,” adds Dr. Nazarov. “Most found it helpful, and more importantly, many would like to continue to use this form of health care services even post pandemic.”

The preliminary study findings have been published in the European Journal of Psychotraumatology. The longitudinal study will wrap up this summer, and then the team hopes to use the information to improve and innovate different forms of mental health supports for Veterans and their spouses in the future.