Community Grown “Assessment Tool” for Coordinated Access

Image source: APTN

Project Overview

Project Lead: Irene Gonneau, National Indigenous Homelessness Systems Pathfinder, igonneau@wabano.com

Project Funding: The National Indigenous Homelessness Council has received funding through Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy to design a community grown “assessment tool” for coordinated access. The oversight committee for this project is the National Indigenous Reaching Home CE/CAB Advisory Committee. The development of the “assessment tool” will be directed by a newly establish Indigenous Homelessness Pathfinder Working Group.

Project Outcomes: Service providers will have access to a community grown tool that can be used for coordinated access and broader homelessness service delivery with Indigenous persons, with the end goal of preventing and ending homelessness. The tool will be culturally relevant and rooted in a wholistic, trauma-informed, strength-based approach and most importantly the tool will focus on relationship building & trust as necessary for engagement.

The process for constructing this tool will begin and be built upon the continuous gathering of Indigenous community voices and stories nationally from the East, South, West, and North. These diverse Indigenous voices and stories will inform ALL elements of the constructed tool. The tool will not be an adaptation of an existing tool (i.e., VI SPDAT/VAT/YAP) but rather a creation of a new community grown tool.

How to get involved? 

¨   Book a ‘Virtual Coffee Chat’ to share knowledge [BOOK HERE]  

¨   Join the Working Group to help direct the project

¨   Send this blog link to community members to get involved  

Who can get involved? 

¨   Indigenous Community Entities (CEs) & Indigenous Stream (mainstream entities) CEs  

¨   Indigenous Community Advisory Boards (CAB) & Indigenous Representatives from a Designated (mainstream entities) CAB

¨   Indigenous Organizations within the homelessness sector (all services not only shelter organizations)

¨   Elders, Knowledge Keepers (lived/living experience), Community Access Leads, Leadership/Managers, Indigenous Frontline Staff 

¨   Indigenous people who have experience within the homelessness sector, coordinated access, and/or prioritization assessment tools/processes 

¨   ALL communities who have conducted their own research or developed/adapted a prioritization assessment tool (including adding questions to PiT count tool) 

¨   ETC… 

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Project Timeline

June 2021 – December 2021

Part A Establish an Indigenous Homelessness Pathfinder Working Group to direct the development of the tool. Note, The Working Group began meeting in September 2021 and is open to new members. If you are Indigenous, connected to the homelessness sector and would like to join the Working Group, then please email igonneau@wabano.com.

Part B Gather Community Knowledge and Literature Teachings to guide the development of the tool for coordinated access and the broader homelessness sector.

• Connect with Indigenous communities nationally to create a spiderweb of relationships.
• Gather Indigenous narratives and literature on wise practices for the development of the new tool.

• What assessment tools/practices have been used in the homelessness sector and/or Indigenous communities? Assessment tools/practices that been adapted for use with Indigenous people and/or research conducted on tools/practices?
• What is the Indigenous communities’ experiences using these tools/practices?
• Visions for the development of the new tool

Part C The narratives gathered will directly shape the first draft of the Community Grown Tool for coordinated access and the broader homelessness sector.

November 2021 – February 2022

Host Community Gatherings nationally to review and strengthen the community grown tool.

January 2022 – March 2022

Part A Complete a “What We Heard Report” from the community gatherings

Part B Complete a final prototype of the Community Grown Tool.

Note: The tool will require further refinement, including the addition of a training and technical component, and pilot testing by service providers in the homelessness sector across Canada in future phases of work.

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Contact  

Irene Gonneau, National Indigenous Homelessness Systems Pathfinder  

Book Virtual Coffee Chat: BOOK HERE 

Join the Working Group & Other Inquiries: igonneau@wabano.com