Every other year Calgary Homeless Foundation (CHF) hosts a two-day event to assess, share and celebrate Alberta’s most innovative homelessness research.
The 4th Biennial Homelessness Research Symposium event will bring together researchers, service providers, government officials, and front-line agencies in the homeless-serving community to discover ways to transform homelessness research and transform it into action. This year the event will be held at Fort Calgary on April 19 and 20th.
Keynote speakers include Kahente Horn-Miller Ph.D. from Carleton University, and MP for Calgary Centre and Minister of Veterans Affairs Kent Hehr. Presenters will be providing concrete ideas on how to turn research into action that results in improving the lives of individuals and families experiencing homelessness, while also contributing innovate ideas on ending homelessness.
Accelerating efficiencies and effectiveness within Calgary’s Homeless-Serving System of Care is a key tenent of Calgary’s Plan to end Homelessness. The Research Symposium is a critical element of CHF’s role as System Planner for Calgary’s Homeless-Serving System of Care as it increases our understanding of the power of research and data to inform decision-making and enhance practices and integration throughout the System of Care. As well, research and development is one of CHF’s four strategic pillars it is important that we are staying up to date with best practices to improve the system of care.
As data quality improves, communities around the province continue to explore new ways to research and enhance our effectivenes and outcomes throughout the System of Care, while also gaining new insights into program performance and individual outcomes. This year’s Research Symposium will showcase recent local research and translate it into improved practice, identify gaps in knowledge, and discuss possible directions for future research. There is a wealth of knowledge within the sector that continues to inform our best practices and to grow through events such as this. Our knowledge and understanding of homelessness, its contributing factors and impact are enhanced when we identify what questions to ask and how best to research finding answers. the Research Symposium is a foundational event that continues to inform new programs and program models – in essence, providing a map to transform research into action.
CHF is excited to be hosting the 4th Biennial Homelessness Research Symposium, as shared knowledge allows for collective action to be taken. The Research Symposium is a centrepoint of community’s need for a knowledge-hub that serves as both a forum for knowledge sharing and forum for networking that results in the creation of new research and working partnerships.
“It’s really exciting when the researchers tell the rest of us what they’ve been working on. It’s equally important when community then tells researchers what they think of the research,” commented CHF’s Director of Research and Data, Nick Falvo. “By collaborating with fellow researchers and learning about the latest data we are ensuring that the homeless-serving system of care is doing its best work to achieve the common goal of ending homelessness and creating stronger communities.”
The event is SOLD OUT, however we will be live-streaming it on Facebook! Join us on Facebook, Wednesday, April 19 and April 20th for exciting developments on Research to Action.
Stay tuned, in the upcoming weeks there will be a summary of the event along with the presenations available for download. If you are interested in being notified of when the summary is available, please submit your contact information in the form below.
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