“Aging in the right place” involves supporting older adults to live as long as possible in their homes and communities, while recognizing that where an older person lives impacts their ability to age optimally and must match their unique lifestyles and vulnerabilities.
Canada’s older homeless population is increasing. However, they are largely invisible in terms of research. Though there are many different programs in place across the country, there is no clear “one-size-fits-all” solution.
The Aging in the Right Place (AIRP) Partnership is a five year, three-city project to evaluate innovative solutions to supporting older people who are experiencing homelessness. Researchers in Calgary, Montreal and Vancouver are working with housing providers and stakeholders to bring a partnered, community-based approach to measuring “what works, why it works, and for whom it works.”
Project goals are to build capacity and knowledge to bridge the gaps between research and practice and promote policies that are proven to support aging in the right place for older people.
The AIRP Partnership includes more than two dozen co-applicants and collaborators, forty partner organizations, and nine older advisors with lived experience of homelessness.
Funding is provided through a joint initiative of the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SHHRC). This initiative is part of Canada's National Housing Strategy created to support sector innovation and new housing solutions.
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