Paula Goering Scholarship Recipient: Rachelle Patille
By Tara Fernando, Graduate Communications Assistant and Rachelle Patille, Vancouver Regional Coordinator
Dr. Paula Goering was a Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto, who led the At Home/Chez Soi study, a study that has shifted the way people view our approach to ending homelessness (1). Across this four-year, five-city project, “Housing First” was studied as an alternative to the ‘treatment first’ approach to homelessness. Housing First is an approach that, as the name implies, is centred around providing permanent housing to those experiencing homelessness first without the prerequisites of behavioural change or the commitment to support/service programs (2). Essentially, the Housing First approach designates that only once the basic human right to housing is met, should other lifestyle or behavioural interventions, services, or supports be introduced. By presenting a long-term approach to ending homelessness, the At Home/Chez Soi study housed over 1,000 people, and subsequently provided them with preventative care and mental health support (3). Apart from her trailblazing role with the At Home/Chez Soi study, Dr. Goering also made considerable contributions to homelessness research and advocacy throughout Canada (4).
Dr. Goering passed away on May 24, 2016, but her legacy is everlasting. The Paula Goering Memorial Scholarship provided by the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness (CAEH) recognizes Dr. Goering’s exceptional role as a mentor to innumerable students, a practitioner, and a pioneering researcher by awarding students and practitioners who are passionate about ending homelessness and forwarding research within the realm of homelessness in her honour. This year, the AIRP-VABE team’s Vancouver Regional Coordinator, Rachelle Patille, was one of two recipients of this distinguished award. Below, we interview Rachelle to showcase what makes her such a deserving recipient.
What encouraged you to apply for this scholarship?
I wanted to attend the CAEH conference, as it is a unique opportunity to come together with service providers, individuals with lived experience of homelessness, researchers, practitioners, and members of government to learn, collaborate, and strive to end homelessness in Canada. It was an absolute honour and privilege to receive this award, in Paula’s name, at such an innovative and forward-thinking conference such as CAEH.
How did it feel to get this award?
Receiving this award was extremely rewarding. It was not an award that I was expecting to receive. I am very happy I had the opportunity to accept this award and attend the CAEH conference to expand my understanding and awareness of homelessness in the Canadian context. Truly understanding who Paula Goering was, and receiving this award in her name was extremely honouring. Not only that, but Dr. Tim Aubry, who worked alongside Paula for many years, presented me with this award and kindly introduced me during my presentation. This moment was surreal because he contributed a great amount to Housing First in Canada, advocacy, and research as well as various efforts towards closing the knowledge and practice gap. I simply felt honoured and thankful.
Can you tell us about the CAEH Conference?
The CAEH conference is quite large in scale! It was a really big conference. I had attended conferences in person before like the Canadian Association on Gerontology and the Summit on Aging that United Way puts on. However, CAEH had at least 1,500 attendees. At first, I was shocked, thinking, “Whoa, this is a lot of people. How am I going to stand up in front of these people? How am I going to present in front of these people?” I quickly realized how friendly everybody was and how kind everybody was and it was smooth sailing from there. The conference atmosphere was very warm and engaging. Everyone was there with a purpose to go back to their work with a different attitude, a new outlook, and some inspiration.
The conference aimed to strongly emphasize the voices of those with lived experience of homelessness. The primary focus was not on research but on how policy, research, practice, and the voices of those with lived experience should inform action. It was clear to me that at least one of the aims was to elevate the voices of the community, which was exceptional. The CAEH conference was very community-engaged and very applicable in practice, where key takeaways seem digestible and actionable. I found all the sessions and topics I attended to be very diverse, intriguing, and inspiring.
How did it feel to attend this conference?
It felt important to be one of the 1,500 attendees who are trailblazers in this field. It was great to be present, to absorb and understand what work others are doing in other provinces, cities, and communities as well as the challenges they are experiencing. I think that that was really, really unique. To be quite honest, it was the best conference I have attended. It felt very mobilizing and inspiring, I definitely left energized.
This award is only awarded to those who are passionate about ending homelessness, what makes you so passionate about this topic?
Honestly, going to school near the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver and frequenting the Downtown Eastside in my role as Regional Coordinator makes me more dedicated to the topic of homelessness. I see it a lot. I see the support that is needed for this population. Being around the crisis more and more has made me more passionate about the topic, and has exposed me to the multiple layers of homelessness. I really wanted to go to a conference that focused on the diversity of homelessness because it's so important to understand beyond what researchers and providers know by asking and working directly with those who have lived experience. The CAEH purposefully included people with lived experience in efforts to amplify their voices, which I think is essential.
This award is also only awarded to research that adopts a Housing First approach, how does your current research adopt this?
The Aging in the Right Place project focuses on researching promising practices that often adopt or are intrinsically linked to the Housing First principles. These promising practices work to provide immediate access to housing as housing is viewed as a human right and a key prerequisite to any future additional support that may be required. It is worth highlighting that many of the promising practices prioritize choice and autonomy in housing solutions with an emphasis on recovery, person-driven support, and community integration and connectivity.
What is your advice to other students entering research spaces committed to ending homelessness?
There are many components that need to be first understood and then addressed within this issue. We can contribute to these components in bite-sized pieces as researchers. It is important to not be naive. One can’t just say, “ My research is going to end this,” because ending homelessness is much more complex than that; to understand that and respect that is really important. Most often, we're not the ones making the specific policy decisions that contribute to ending homelessness. Therefore, as researchers it is essential we amplify the voices of those with lived or living experience of homelessness and work towards informing those who do make those monumental decisions. We need to be advocates. Just doing the research isn’t enough. The voices of those with lived or living experiences must be an integral part of the research process.
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References:
Homeless Hub. At Home/Chez Soi [Internet]. Accessed November 25, 2022 from: https://www.homelesshub.ca/solutions/housing-first/homechez-soi
National Alliance to End Homelessness. Housing First [Internet]. Accessed November 25, 2022 from: https://endhomelessness.org/resource/housing-first/
Van NS. (2016). Paula Goering helped those in need: University of Toronto Magazine [Internet]. Accessed November 25, 2022 from: https://magazine.utoronto.ca/people/faculty-staff/in-memoriam-paula-goering-housing-first-nadia-siu-van/
CAEH22 National Conference on Ending Homelessness. Accessed November 25, 2022 from: https://conference.caeh.ca/wp-content/uploads/CAEH22_ConferenceProgram_ENG-10-25-22.pdf
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