Bringing equity-informed practices to homelessness prevention and support

Photo Source: Ken Lund (wikimedia commons) - Collaboration between Western researchers, an Indigenous Youth Council and YOU will support Indigenous youth leaving homelessness A community collaboration led by researchers from Western University's Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing will bring critical supports to Indigenous youth who are transitioning from homelessness to housed. The EQUIP Housing Research Project is led by nursing professors Abe Oudshoorn and Vicki Smye and will run in partnership with London's Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU) . Researchers from Western will co-lead the project with Indigenous youth to develop and implement equity-oriented and culturally safe practices to support YOU's delivery of services for those exiting homelessness. The EQUIP model was originally developed by Western and University of British Columbia researchers to enhance health-care providers' and organizations' ability to deliver equity-oriented health care, particularly for those who experience social inequities like substance-use stigma, poverty and racism. The project will adapt this existing model to address homelessness prevention and cultural safety and will also assess and measure its outcomes and impact. "Applying the EQUIP model allows us to take an approach that is traumaand violence-informed and considers issues around substance use health, cultural safety and anti-racism," said Oudshoorn. "We see this as an important part of supporting YOU's model of wrap-around care." The project will be guided by an Indigenous Youth Council, comprised of Indigenous youth who have accessed YOU's services in the past.