OBM: Les Sentinelles de rue

Seeking a secure base: An exploration of relationship security from military involvement through homelessness experienced by veterans

The current study was conducted in partnership with Old Brewery Mission (OBM) and is informed by the importance of attachment and social support in both military life and housing stability. This study asks: What is the nature of relationship security from the transition into and out of military involvement through to homelessness as experienced by veterans? We recruited residents of les Sentinelles de rue (Sentinelles), a transitional supported housing program for homeless veterans in Montreal. Starting in 2017, a team from OBM recruited veterans from across Montreal to participate in the Sentinelles program. Our study contributes to the existing knowledge of veteran homelessness via phenomenological research with Sentinelles participants on the security of their relationships and with Sentinelles service providers’ reflections on implementation and administration of the program. Interviews with veterans focused on the five concepts of attachment security embedded in an assessment that measures “secure base”: Availability (trust in others), Sensitivity (emotion regulation), Acceptance (self-esteem and empathy), Family Membership (sense of belonging), and Cooperation (competence and effectiveness; Schofield & Beek, 2013). We adapted the interview protocol (which is generally applied in child research) to be administered to veterans to assess the variation in attachment security over time and across the contexts of military service through entry into OBM’s Sentinelles program. Interviews with service providers generated an understanding of the quality of relationships and service engagement at the intersection of military service and homelessness to inform interventions to improve engagement in and provision of services to veterans at risk of, currently, or formerly experiencing homelessness.

Co-Investigators:

Hannah Brais, MSc, Research Coordinator, Old Brewery Mission

Katharine Bloeser, PhD LMSW, Silberman School of Social Work City University of New York, USA

Research Assistants:

Maybel Gelly, MSW McGill University

Mert Kimyaci, BSc McGill University

Ava Klein, BSc McGill University

This project is supported by a McGill University Internal Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Grant and a grant from the McGill University Centre for Research on Children and Families.

McGill REB File # 434-0419

We had the honor of presenting our findings at the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research 2021 Virtual Forum on October 14, 2021. You can access the full presentation at https://youtu.be/u7wnFOuldRk?t=3303

OBM: Women’s experiences of homelessness

Women's Trajectories through homelessness: An evaluation of services received through Patricia Mackenzie Pavilion

The OBM/McGill partnership study of the Patricia Mackenzie Pavilion (PMP) began as a means to develop a stronger understanding of homeless women’s trajectories. This study sought to contribute to the limited knowledge base of women’s transitions through and out of homeless shelters to other housing. Additionally, it aimed to develop a holistic presentation of the experiences of women who utilize transitional services, focusing on the individual and structural factors they identify as influencing their trajectories through homelessness. This research study employed a mixed-methods analysis of quantitative administrative data and qualitative interviews with women receiving services through PMP. Our findings suggest that many women require assistance through a transitional housing model as opposed to a housing first approach. Additionally, the spectrum of women’s experiences through homelessness differs greatly from men’s experiences. These spectrum of experiences thereby requires a much more specialized set of solutions for women to transition out of homelessness.

Research Partners:

Annie Duchesne, Research Coordinator, Old Brewery Mission 

Nestor Arcia, Research Assistant, Old Brewery Mission

Research Assistants:

Jocelyn Porter, MSW McGill University

Jessica Whitehead, MSW McGill University

This research is supported by The McConnell Foundation and the Old Brewery Mission Foundation.

McGill REB File # 420-0416

The following poster was presented at the 16th European Society for Traumatic Stress Studies Conference, Rotterdam, Netherlands.

Inside the Open Door: Considerations of Inclusivity Among Women Accessing an Open Door Housing Service in Canada

The provision of shelter to individuals experiencing homelessness creates a 24/7 community of co-living in which the common denominator uniting members is lack of housing. Women of all ethnic, racial, religious, cultural backgrounds, as well as members of 2SLGBTQ+ communities, find themselves co-living in the shared and often challenging transitional space. As services have shifted to “open the door” to provide more inclusive access to services, little attention has been paid to the experiences of diverse communities within co-living spaces. Questioning the assumption that shared loss inherently binds a community of homelessness service users to a common identity, this research asks: what discourses of heterogeneity of service users emerge in descriptions from women experiencing homelessness of their trajectories through transitional housing services to stable housing? Interviews were conducted with 33 service users in a women’s transitional housing service between 2016-2018 in Montreal, Canada. Data collected over two waves of semi-structured interviews focused on service usage, homelessness histories, transitional programs experiences, and well-being, featuring 33 and 12 interviews, respectively. Qualitative thematic analysis revealed several instances of participants reflecting on the challenges and benefits of engaging with the heterogeneity of individuals in the space: reflections centered on the unsuitability of services, mental health and substance use, gender identity, as well as a sense of solidarity. In addition to an unexplored complexity associated with inclusive transitional housing user experiences, this analysis underlines a desperate need for refined perspectives on inclusive service policies.