The Data That Makes a Difference webinar is a series of online, lunchtime talks that provide a quick and accessible way to learn about the latest developments in how data is being used to improve the lives of people experiencing homelessness.
The last webinar was hosted on
Thursday, January 27, 2022
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Thanks for joining us.
2022 presenter:
Dr. Ron Kneebone is a Professor of Economics and Scientific Director of Social Policy & Health research in The School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary. His research examines government budgets and their financing but more recently has focused on the economics of poverty reduction and homelessness. Professor Kneebone is co-author of two undergraduate textbooks in economics, a co-winner of the Doug Purvis Memorial Prize for the best-published work in Canadian public policy, and a former associate editor of Canadian Public Policy, Canada’s foremost journal examining economic and social policy. From 2016-19 he served on the Board of Directors of the Calgary Homeless Foundation where he was chair of the public policy committee. Recent publications include Patterns and Intensity of Use of Homeless Shelters in Toronto, Homeless Shelter Flows in Calgary and the Potential Impact of COVID-19, and How do Youth Use Homeless Shelters?, all with co-author Ali Jadidzadeh.
Presentation Title: Who to House in Housing First
The Pathways Housing First model was introduced to provide access to housing for chronically homeless individuals with psychiatric disabilities and/or substance use disorders. A “drift” toward serving a broader population has characterized many programs with the result that the evidence gleaned from the success of the Pathways model is increasingly strained when used to suggest similar rates of success can be expected for these more broadly defined programs. In this presentation, we describe the characteristics of clients who experience success in a large Housing First program implemented in a non-experimental setting in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. We discuss the implications of these success rates for the size of cost-savings to the justice and health care systems and for meeting targets for reducing chronic homelessness.