About > We formed this collaborative to build on the work of several community-based, participatory action and/or arts-informed research projects involving people with experiences of homelessness in Toronto.

Since October 2007, we have met and committed ourselves to partnership and collaboration for social action and social justice for people experiencing homelessness in Toronto. This collaborative reflects our collective ability to highlight the diversity of people that experience homelessness in Toronto and the validity of community-based participatory research (CBR/CBPR) and arts-informed research. We are using our research projects to mobilize and disseminate knowledge from eight community-based participatory research studies in Toronto, of which six are arts-informed.

Our collaboration is innovative and unique in that the projects involved recognize people with experiences of homelessness as the 'experts' of their own experiences, whose insights can inform real-world solutions to the lived experiences of homelessness. The participation of community members and peer researchers was critical to the success of all projects and some of these peer researchers have continued to actively participate in the Collaborative, undertaking various roles related to the decision-making and implementation of multiple aspects of the collaboration.

We launched our Collaborative Arts Exhibit and a Policy Recommendations Report on October 1, 2008 at Metro Hall in Toronto, Ontario.

 

Collaborative Team

Izumi Sakamoto (Lead Researcher), Assistant Professor, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto
Cyndy Baskin, Associate Professor, School of Social Work, Ryerson University
Aisha Chapra, Research Co-Coordinator, Collaborative Arts Research Project, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto
Matthew Chin, Research Co-Coordinator, Collaborative Arts Research Project, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto
Nancy Viva Davis Halifax, Assistant Professor, Critical Disability Studies, York University
Tekla Hendrickson, former Provincial Director, Ontario Women’s Health Network
Erika Khandor, Research and Evaluation Coordinator, Street Health
Julie Maher, Provincial Director, Ontario Women’s Health Network
Kate Mason, Street Health Survey Coordinator, Street Health
Jim Meeks, Peer Researcher, The Street Health Report 2007, a day in the life and asleep in Toronto
Nadya Melanson, Peer Researcher, Exploring Food Security with Young Aboriginal Moms
Catherine Moravac, Clinical Research Coordinator, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, St. Michael’s Hospital
Brandi Nashkewa, Peer Researcher, Coming Together and The Street Health Report 2007
Grace Piekielko, Coordinator, Grant and Office Administration, Wellesley Institute
Josie Ricciardi, Coordinator of Community Health Workers, Regent Park Community Health Centre
Brenda Roche, Director of Community-Based Research, Wellesley Institute
Sheila Samuels, Peer Researcher, Coming Together
Natalie Wood, Independent Visual Artist & CED Coordinator at Inspirations Studio, Sistering - A Woman’s Place
Billie Allan, Research Assistant, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto

In order to address homelessness, we need to focus on housing, income, and community/health/social supports together as intersecting issues, not as separate ones.

Encompassing these three factors in addressing homelessness are the issues of inclusion and accountability, which affects equitable access to housing, income and support. Through inclusion and accountability, we are taking into consideration the diverse identities and experiences of marginalization of people who are homeless. For example, we name identities such as women, people with disabilities, lesbian/gay/bisexual/trans people, young mothers, Aboriginal peoples, etc. This is a unique contribution of our policy document (and Joint Exhibit), as solutions to homelessness are often discussed in a one-size-fits-all manner, ignoring the diverse faces and realities attached to the issues.

As homelessness continues to grow in Toronto, there is an urgent need to respond in meaningful and effective ways to the challenges faced by diverse people experiencing this issue. Homelessness - Diverse Voices, Common Issues, Shared Solutions: The Need for Inclusion and Accountability outlines the common needs identified by diverse homeless people in our studies based on inclusive methodologies and presents a set of realistic and practical solutions to address homelessness in Toronto. These solutions were identified by many or all of our research projects.

Immediate action is needed to meet the common and unique needs of diverse homeless people by:
I. Ensuring that policy-making, planning and service delivery are inclusive of and accountable to diverse homeless people
II. Ensuring adequate incomes
III. Improving and creating affordable and appropriate housing
IV. Creating flexible and responsive health, social and community supports

Creative Commons 2008