Research That Matters
Housing First for the Mentally Ill
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SFU health sciences associate professor Julian Somers is now the Vancouver principal investigator for the Canadian Multi-site Research Demonstration Project in Mental Health and Homelessness. The Mental Health Commission of Canada and Health Canada are co-sponsoring the $110-million five-city research initiative that is tasked with finding ways to help the growing number of homeless Canadians who have a mental illness. The first randomized trial of housing interventions undertaken in Canada, the study is employing a “housing first” approach to immediately provide permanent housing for the homeless and then the services to support them once they are stabilized. The current system provides emergency shelter and transitional housing first.