City of Kawartha Lakes Homelessness Challenge Draws On Trent Research Expertise
Trent faculty and students identify needs & gaps in service as part of a holistic approach to finding solutions
A City of Kawartha Lakes and County of Haliburton pilot program designed to help connect individuals and families with appropriate and affordable housing opportunities is drawing upon the research expertise of a team of Trent faculty and students.
“Our hope is this research will provide a holistic understanding of homelessness in the City of Kawartha Lakes and County of Haliburton by identifying what needs exist and where the gaps in service are,” explains Dr. Kristy Buccieri, assistant professor in the Sociology program at Trent.
Professor Buccieri is a member of the Trent University Homelessness Research Network who, with Trent/Fleming School of Nursing associate professor Cyndi Gilmer, is heading up the impact research component of the pilot program.
Working with a team of exceptional students from multiple Trent programs, she describes their specialized training-supported involvement as “vital” to the project’s success.
“These students benefit from the experience of being community researchers, and the project benefits from the passion and knowledge they bring,” says Professor Buccieri. “This project exemplifies Trent’s commitment to creating experiential learning experiences for students. As a co-led project between Sociology and Nursing, this initiative allows a group of undergraduate and graduate students to receive specialized training, undertake the role of community researcher, and create knowledge about homelessness at a local level.”
“For each participant, the research team will seek permission to obtain an interview, survey, visit histories from Ross Memorial Hospital and/or Haliburton Highlands Health Services, shelter intake assessments, ongoing needs assessments and case conferencing notes. Integrating all this data will provide us with a much fuller picture of what contributes to homelessness, what the experience is like, what supports are needed and how we can improve the current response.”
At Trent, every student is guaranteed to have a meaningful, purposeful, and recorded experiential learning experience that will contribute to student success as they enter the workforce. Learn more about Trent’s commitment to career boosting, hands-on education.