Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Transitions to Home (T2H) is a Housing First program designed to house men experiencing chronic and episodic homelessness in Hamilton, Ontario. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the housing stability and general wellbeing outcomes associated with participation in T2H. We also explored the experiences of program participants. In order to accomplish this we analyzed T2H program data and data provided from Hamilton's Homeless Individuals and Families Information System. We also conducted semi-structured interviews with 16 program participants, 10 men who qualified for the program but had not enrolled, 10 T2H case managers, and 5 key informants who had extensive knowledge of homelessness services in Hamilton. We found that program participants experienced higher levels of housing stability and fewer incidents of shelter use after enrollment in the program. Additionally, we found that these individuals experienced fewer barriers in finding housing than those who had not accessed the program. Our results indicated that T2H participants and the program in general benefited from a variety of supports including access to recreational programming, addictions counseling, and housing support. This presentation provides an overview of this research and discusses the implications of our findings for other communities who wish to develop Housing First programs.