What are the services of the Housing First program?
- Assisting participants in finding and maintaining permanent housing.
- Personalized support services to improve the autonomy of individuals who are currently experiencing or have experienced homelessness.
- Rent subsidy of up to 2 years.
- Assistance with first rent, help with initial groceries, furniture, etc.
- Assisting the individual in establishing a good relationship with their landlords and understanding their rights and responsibilities as a tenant.
- Weekly individual follow-up with the participant to improve their community and social integration.
- Facilitation of individual and group workshops on various topics such as budgeting, cooking, organization, etc.
- Support in achieving the goals set by the participant.
The approach used is that of stability with residential support. The main characteristics of this approach are:
- Obtaining permanent housing.
- Assisting individuals experiencing chronic or episodic homelessness.
- Building skills and autonomy of individuals.
- Respecting the choices and responsibilities of the individual in housing.
Admission criteria
- Being 18 years old and older
- Having experienced at least 1 episode of homelessness in the last 3 years and/or being at risk of losing their housing within the month.
- Agreeing to individual follow-up meetings (at the person's place) scheduled with the intervenor, once a week.
- Having an income such as social assistance, loans and grants, employment, etc.
- Identifying goals to work on with their intervenor.
- Demonstrating collaboration and self-determination.
- Agreeing to sign a lease and pay rent on the first of each month.
A person already housed may be eligible for the project if:
- She is at risk of losing her housing in the next 3 months.
- She can remain in her housing with the assistance of the Housing First project.
- Landlords agree to the service agreement and the subsidy.