Resident Perspectives on Modular Housing: The Need for Progression, Collaboration, and Autonomy

Publication: Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health
15 August 2023

Abstract

Modular housing is a temporary and transitional housing program in British Columbia. This qualitative study gathered the perceived needs of residents at modular housing sites to determine how service delivery impacts care continuity and well-being. Twenty-five residents at four modular housing sites in an urban setting participated in focus groups and semi-structured interviews. Thematic content analysis was used to summarize key findings. Themes highlight the need for flexible, person-centred, and tailored supports. Participants also voiced the importance of communication during times of transition into modular housing, as well as the impact of the environment on safety and autonomy.

Résumé

Modular Housing est un programme d’hébergement temporaire et transitoire mis en place en Colombie-Britannique. Cette étude qualitative a recensé les besoins perçus des résidents de centres d’hébergement temporaire afin de déterminer comment les services offerts ont un impact sur la continuité des soins et le bien-être. Vingt-cinq résidents issus de quatre centres d’hébergement temporaire en milieu urbain ont participé à des groupes de discussion et des entrevues semi-structurés. Des analyses thématiques ont été utilisées pour synthétiser les principales informations. Les thèmes mettent en évidence le besoin de supports flexibles, centrés sur la personne et adaptés. Les participants ont aussi fait mention de l’importance de la communication durant leur séjour de transition en hébergement temporaire, de même que de l’incidence de l’environnement en termes de sécurité et d’autonomie.

Get full access to this article

View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.

References

Anderson J. T. and Collins D. 2014 Prevalence and causes of urban homelessness among Indigenous peoples: A three-country scoping review Housing Studies 29 959 -976 https://doi.org/10.1080/02673037.2014.923091
Aubry T., Agha A., Mejia-Lancheros C., Lachaud J., Wang R., Nisenbaum R., and … Hwang S. W. 2021 Housing trajectories, risk factors, and resources among individuals who are homeless or precariously housed Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 693 102 -122 https://doi.org/10.1177/0002716220987203
Backer, E., Carten, R., Emberley, J., Irving, S., Millar, J., Roberge, R., … Olmos, C. (2019). Vancouver Mental Health and Addictions Systems Barrier Report 2018/2019. Vancouver, British Columbia.
Batterham D. 2019 Defining “at-risk of homelessness”: Re-connecting causes, mechanisms and risk Housing, Theory and Society 36 1 -24 https://doi.org/10.1080/14036096.2017.1408678
Bengtsson-Tops A., Ericsson U., and Ehliasson K. 2014 Living in supportive housing for people with serious mental illness: A paradoxical everyday life International Journal of Mental Health Nursing 23 409 -418 https://doi:10.1111/inm.12072
Burns V. F., Leduc J. D., St-Denis N., and Walsh C. A. 2020 Finding home after homelessness: Older men’s experiences in single-site permanent supportive housing Housing Studies 35 290 -309 https://doi.org/10.1080/02673037.2019.1598550
Braun V. and Clarke V. 2006 Using thematic analysis in psychology Qualitative Research in Psychology 3 77 -101
BC Housing Research Centre. (2019). Modular supportive housing resident outcomes study: Results for the first seven modular supportive housing developments. Vancouver, British Columbia: British Columbia Government EBook.
Brown, C., Stoffel, V., & Muñoz, J. P. (2019). Occupational therapy in mental health: A vision for participation (2nd ed.). Philadelphia, PA: F.A. Davis.
Campbell D. J. T., O’Neill B. G., Gibson K., and Thurston W. E. 2015 Primary healthcare needs and barriers to care among Calgary’s homeless populations BMC Family Practice 16 1 -11 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-015-0361-3
Canham S. L., Davidson S., Custodio K., Mauboules C., Good C., Wister A. V., and Bosma H. 2018 Health supports needed for homeless persons transitioning from hospitals Health and Social Care in the Community 27 531 -545 https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.12599
Cherner R. A., Aubry T., Sylvestre J., Boyd R., and Pettey D. 2017 Housing first for adults with problematic substance use Journal of Dual Diagnosis 13 219 -229 https://doi.org/10.1080/15504263.2017.1319586
Chapleau A., Seroczynski A. D., Meyers S., Lamb K., and Buchino S. 2012 The effectiveness of a consultation model in community mental health Occupational Therapy in Mental Health 28 379 -395 https://doi:10.1080/0164212x.2012.708609
City of Vancouver. (2020). Temporary modular housing. https://vancouver.ca/people-programs/temporary-modularhousing.aspx
Clifasefi S., Collins S., Torres N., Grazioli V., and Mackelprang J. 2016 Housing first, but what comes second? A qualitative study of resident, staff, and management perspectives on single-site housing first program enhancement Journal of Community Psychology 44 845 -855 https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop
Fazel S., Geddes J. R., and Kushel M. 2014 The health of homeless people in high-income countries: Descriptive epidemiology, health consequences, and clinical and policy recommendations The Lancet 384 1529 -1540 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(14)61132-6
Fitzpatrick S. 2005 Explaining homelessness: A critical realist perspective Housing, Theory and Society 22 1 -17 https://doi.org/10.1080/14036090510034563
Forchuk C., Nelson G., and Hall G. B. 2006 “It’s important to be proud of the place you live in”: Housing problems and preferences of psychiatric survivors Perspectives in Psychiatric Care 42 1 42 -52 https://doi:10.1111/j.1744-6163.2006.00054.x
Gaetz, S., Scott, F., & Gulliver, T. (2013). Housing first in Canada: Supporting communities to end homelessness [PDF file]. https://yorkspace.library.yorku.ca/xmlui/handle/10315/29317
Goldberg B., Brintnell E. S., and Goldberg J. 2002 The relationship between engagement in meaningful activities and quality of life in persons disabled by mental illness Occupational Therapy in Mental Health 18 17 -44 https://doi:10.1300/J004v18n02_03
Henwood B. F., Lahey J., Rhoades H., Winetrobe H., and Wenzel S. L. 2018 Examining the health status of homeless adults entering permanent supportive housing Journal of Public Health (United Kingdom) 40 415 -418 https://doi.org/10.1093/pubmed/fdx069
Kerman N., Gran-Ruaz S., Lawrence M., and Sylvestre J. 2019 Perceptions of service use among currently and formerly homeless adults with mental health problems Community Mental Health Journal 55 777 -783 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10597-019-00382-z
Kerman N., Sirohi R., Curwood S. E., and Trainor J. 2017 Canadian service providers’ perceptions of barriers and support gaps in housing and mental health Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health 36 2 61 -75 https://doi.org/10.7870/cjcmh-2017-009
Kirsh B., Gewurtz R., and Bakewell R. A. 2011 Critical characteristics of supported housing: Resident and service provider perspectives Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health 30 15 -30 https://doi:10.7870/cjcmh-2011-0002
Krotofil J., McPherson P., and Killaspy H. 2018 Service user experiences of specialist mental health supported accommodation: A systematic review of qualitative studies and narrative synthesis Health and Social Care in the Community 26 787 -800 https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.12570
Laidley, J., & Tabbara, M. (2021). Welfare in Canada, 2021[PDF File]. Toronto, ON: Maytree. https://maytree.com/wp-content/uploads/Welfare_in_Canada_2021.pdf
Marshall C. A., Lysaght R., and Krupa T. 2018 Occupational transition in the process of becoming housed following chronic homelessness Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy 85 33 -45 https://doi.org/10.1177/0008417417723351
Marshall C. A., Davidson L., Li A., Gewurtz R., Roy L., Barbic S., and Lysaght R. 2019 Boredom and meaningful activity in adults experiencing homelessness: A mixed methods study The Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy 86 357 -370 https://doi.org/10.1177/0008417419833402
Mendez P. 2019 Economic restructuring and housing markets in Vancouver: The role of secondary suites BC Studies 200 187 -214 https://doi.org/10.14288/bcs.v0i200.191474
O’Donovan J., Russell K., Kuipers P., Siskind D., and Elphinston R. A. 2019 A place to call home: Hearing the perspectives of people living with homelessness and mental illness through service evaluation Community Mental Health Journal 55 1218 -1225 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-019-00406-8
Piat M. and Sabetti J. 2012 Recovery in Canada: Toward social equality International Review of Psychiatry 24 19 -28 https://doi.org/10.3109/09540261.2012.65571
Poremski D., Stergiopoulos V., Braithwaite E., Distasio J., Nisenbaum R., and Latimer E. 2016 Effects of housing first on employment and income of homeless individuals: Results of a randomized trial Psychiatric Services 67 603 -609 https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.201500002
Saunders, M. N. K., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2019). Research methods for business students (8th ed.)., Harlow, England: Pearson Education.
Shinn, M., & Khadduri, J. (2020). In the Midst of Plenty: Homelessness and what to do about it. Hoboken, NJ: WileyBlackwell. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119104780
Stergiopoulos V., Gozdzik A., Campo P. O., Holtby A., and Tsemberis S. 2014 Housing first: Exploring participants’ early support needs BMC Health Services Research 14 167 https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6963-14-167
Tiderington E. 2017 We always think you’re here permanently: The paradox of permanent housing and other barriers to recovery-oriented practice in supportive housing services Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research 44 103 -114 https://doi:10.1007/s10488-015-0707-0
Waegemakers Schiff J. and Rook J. 2012 Housing first: Where is the evidence? The Homeless Hub Paper Series 1 1 -29 https://www.homelesshub.ca/resource/housing-first-where-evidence
Walton Q., Bromley E., Porras-Javier L., and Coker T. 2022 Building bridges: Primary care and mental health providers’ perspectives on a behavioral health collaborative intervention among underserved populations Child and Youth Care Forum 51 495 -514 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-021-09638-w

Information & Authors

Information

Published In

cover image Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health
Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health
Volume 42Number 2August 2023
Pages: 1 - 15

History

Version of record online: 15 August 2023

Key Words

  1. modular housing
  2. Housing First
  3. supportive housing
  4. transitional housing
  5. homelessness

Mots-clés

  1. hébergement temporaire
  2. Housing First
  3. logement supervisé
  4. logement provisoire
  5. itinérance

Authors

Affiliations

Joshua Delleman [email protected]
University of British Columbia
Meredith Charbonneau
University of British Columbia
Minnie Teng
University of British Columbia
Tal Jarus
University of British Columbia

Metrics & Citations

Metrics

Other Metrics

Citations

Cite As

Export Citations

If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.

There are no citations for this item

View Options

Get Access

Login options

Check if you access through your login credentials or your institution to get full access on this article.

Subscribe

Click on the button below to subscribe to Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health

Purchase options

Purchase this article to get full access to it.

Restore your content access

Enter your email address to restore your content access:

Note: This functionality works only for purchases done as a guest. If you already have an account, log in to access the content to which you are entitled.

View options

PDF

View PDF

Media

Media

Other

Tables

Share Options

Share

Share the article link

Share on social media