Housing First: A housing model rooted in harm reduction with potential to transform health care access for highly marginalized Canadians

Housing First (HF) is a model for housing people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness that is gaining traction in North America. It is based on the philosophy that housing is a basic human right, and one of its main pillars is that homeless or vulnerably housed people should be given immediat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inCanadian family physician Vol. 67; no. 7; pp. 481 - 483
Main Authors MacKinnon, Laura, Socias, M Eugenia
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Canada College of Family Physicians of Canada 01.07.2021
Subjects
Affordable housing
Canada
Harm Reduction
Health Services Accessibility
Homeless people
Housing
Housing developments
Humans
Ill-Housed Persons
Substance abuse treatment
Substance-Related Disorders
Canada
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Summary:Housing First (HF) is a model for housing people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness that is gaining traction in North America. It is based on the philosophy that housing is a basic human right, and one of its main pillars is that homeless or vulnerably housed people should be given immediate access to permanent housing that offers them optional individualized supports rooted in harm reduction, with an overarching goal of social and community integration. People affected by homelessness are disproportionally affected by substance use disorders (SUDs), which accounts, in part, for much higher mortality rates among this population than is predicted based solely on income. It is not surprising, then, that literature supports supportive housing interventions for people with SUDs who are experiencing homelessness, given that the physical environment is a key social determinant of health.
ISSN:0008-350X
1715-5258
DOI:10.46747/cfp.6707481