If you are in distress, you can call or text 988 at any time. If it is an emergency, call 9-1-1 or go to your local emergency department.

  • Research

Housing First – Key Takeaways

Housing First is a proven, evidence-based approach that provides people experiencing homelessness with permanent housing and access to supportive health services.

Amid rising chronic homelessness and limited resources— especially in mental health and substance use health support—there is a growing need to prioritize flexible, cost-effective, and evidence-informed interventions like Housing First.

In October 2024, the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) convened 62 experts from across Canada to explore how to advance Housing First as a key approach to addressing chronic homelessness. Discussions focused on current implementation challenges and opportunities to adapt the model to better fit today’s context and diverse needs.

To learn more, read the evidence brief.

  • Research

Housing First – Key Takeaways

Housing First – Key Takeaways

  • Housing and Homelessness

Housing First is a proven, evidence-based approach that provides people experiencing homelessness with permanent housing and access to supportive health services.

Amid rising chronic homelessness and limited resources— especially in mental health and substance use health support—there is a growing need to prioritize flexible, cost-effective, and evidence-informed interventions like Housing First.

In October 2024, the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) convened 62 experts from across Canada to explore how to advance Housing First as a key approach to addressing chronic homelessness. Discussions focused on current implementation challenges and opportunities to adapt the model to better fit today’s context and diverse needs.

To learn more, read the evidence brief.

Download the full report (PDF)

Feedback Form

Hey, thanks for checking out this resource. After you’ve seen it, we’d love to learn a bit more about your interests and how you found us. Was the information what you looking for? Was it helpful? We’ll use any feedback you provide to further improve what we do.

Are you willing to be contacted within 3 to 6 months for a short follow-up survey?
In case of “Yes” – please provide an email address
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

SHARE THIS PAGE

RELATED
Review Our Mental Health App Assessment Framework

Review our Assessment Framework for Mental Health Apps — a national framework containing key standards for safe, quality, and effective mental health apps in Canada.

Read More
E-Mental Health Implementation E-Modules

To help expand the use of e-mental health services, we developed four online learning modules based on our Toolkit for E-Mental Health Implementation, in collaboration with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).

Read More
Stepped Care 2.0

Stepped Care 2.0© (SC2.0) is a transformative model for organizing and delivering evidence-informed mental health and substance use services.

Read More

Housing First – What’s Next?
In October 2024, the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) convened a meeting of 62 experts from across Canada to explore how to advance Housing First (HF) as a key approach to addressing chronic homelessness. Discussions focused on current implementation challenges and opportunities to adapt the model to better fit today’s context and diverse needs....
READ MORE

Housing First – What’s Next?
In October 2024, the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) convened a meeting of 62 experts from across Canada to explore how to advance Housing First (HF) as a key approach to addressing chronic homelessness. Discussions focused on current implementation challenges and opportunities to adapt the model to better fit today’s context and diverse needs....
READ MORE