From Disruption to Reconstruction: Implementing Peer Support in Homelessness During Times of Crisis for Health and Social Care Services
Introduction: Peer support workers—people with a significant lived and living experience of a social or health condition—use their experiential knowledge and obtain training to help and care for others. They are integrated in different clinical settings, including those for people experiencing homel...
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Ubiquity Press
2025-01-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Integrated Care |
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| Online Access: | https://account.ijic.org/index.php/up-j-ijic/article/view/8594 |
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| author | Mathieu Isabel Daniel Turgeon Émilie Lessard Andreea-Cătălina Panaite Gwenvaël Ballu Odile-Anne Desroches Ghislaine Rouly Antoine Boivin |
| author_facet | Mathieu Isabel Daniel Turgeon Émilie Lessard Andreea-Cătălina Panaite Gwenvaël Ballu Odile-Anne Desroches Ghislaine Rouly Antoine Boivin |
| author_sort | Mathieu Isabel |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Introduction: Peer support workers—people with a significant lived and living experience of a social or health condition—use their experiential knowledge and obtain training to help and care for others. They are integrated in different clinical settings, including those for people experiencing homelessness. Most research on peer support implementation in homelessness has not considered the timing of the implementation, particularly in periods of crisis. Description: During the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, a participatory research project examined the integration of a peer support worker in a primary and community care clinic that serves people experiencing homelessness in Montreal (Canada). This article presents a narrative case study analysis of the specific data on implementation derived from this project. Results: Three main learning points are of interest regarding implementation: 1) crises can precipitate challenges but also particular opportunities for the implementation of peer support initiatives in homelessness; 2) even during a crisis, certain key steps cannot be skipped when the goal is a successful implementation; and 3) research can be an external asset for clinical teams as they struggle to deliver care during periods of crisis. Conclusion: Peer support initiatives in homelessness can be implemented in the Canadian context during periods of crisis—for example, the COVID-19 pandemic—for health and social care services. Moreover, the concept of crisis itself can be reexamined by clinical and research teams worldwide as potentially enabling the implementation of novel initiatives. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-cd3bbca18af94bf986ccda4e4e7aee4e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1568-4156 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Ubiquity Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Integrated Care |
| spelling | doaj-art-cd3bbca18af94bf986ccda4e4e7aee4e2025-02-11T05:33:51ZengUbiquity PressInternational Journal of Integrated Care1568-41562025-01-01251110.5334/ijic.85948490From Disruption to Reconstruction: Implementing Peer Support in Homelessness During Times of Crisis for Health and Social Care ServicesMathieu Isabel0https://orcid.org/0009-0003-0851-9093Daniel Turgeon1Émilie Lessard2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9040-5797Andreea-Cătălina Panaite3https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7795-6586Gwenvaël Ballu4Odile-Anne Desroches5Ghislaine Rouly6https://orcid.org/0009-0004-8882-3059Antoine Boivin7https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7824-8602Department of Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine, Université de Montréal; Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of TorontoCanada Research Chair in Partnership with Patients and Communities, CHUM Research CenterCanada Research Chair in Partnership with Patients and Communities, CHUM Research CenterCanada Research Chair in Partnership with Patients and Communities, CHUM Research CenterCanada Research Chair in Partnership with Patients and Communities, CHUM Research CenterCanada Research Chair in Partnership with Patients and Communities, CHUM Research Center; School of Public Health, Université de MontréalCanada Research Chair in Partnership with Patients and Communities, CHUM Research CenterDepartment of Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine, Université de Montréal; Canada Research Chair in Partnership with Patients and Communities, CHUM Research CenterIntroduction: Peer support workers—people with a significant lived and living experience of a social or health condition—use their experiential knowledge and obtain training to help and care for others. They are integrated in different clinical settings, including those for people experiencing homelessness. Most research on peer support implementation in homelessness has not considered the timing of the implementation, particularly in periods of crisis. Description: During the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, a participatory research project examined the integration of a peer support worker in a primary and community care clinic that serves people experiencing homelessness in Montreal (Canada). This article presents a narrative case study analysis of the specific data on implementation derived from this project. Results: Three main learning points are of interest regarding implementation: 1) crises can precipitate challenges but also particular opportunities for the implementation of peer support initiatives in homelessness; 2) even during a crisis, certain key steps cannot be skipped when the goal is a successful implementation; and 3) research can be an external asset for clinical teams as they struggle to deliver care during periods of crisis. Conclusion: Peer support initiatives in homelessness can be implemented in the Canadian context during periods of crisis—for example, the COVID-19 pandemic—for health and social care services. Moreover, the concept of crisis itself can be reexamined by clinical and research teams worldwide as potentially enabling the implementation of novel initiatives.https://account.ijic.org/index.php/up-j-ijic/article/view/8594peer supporthomelessnessprimary carecommunity careimplementationcrisis |
| spellingShingle | Mathieu Isabel Daniel Turgeon Émilie Lessard Andreea-Cătălina Panaite Gwenvaël Ballu Odile-Anne Desroches Ghislaine Rouly Antoine Boivin From Disruption to Reconstruction: Implementing Peer Support in Homelessness During Times of Crisis for Health and Social Care Services International Journal of Integrated Care peer support homelessness primary care community care implementation crisis |
| title | From Disruption to Reconstruction: Implementing Peer Support in Homelessness During Times of Crisis for Health and Social Care Services |
| title_full | From Disruption to Reconstruction: Implementing Peer Support in Homelessness During Times of Crisis for Health and Social Care Services |
| title_fullStr | From Disruption to Reconstruction: Implementing Peer Support in Homelessness During Times of Crisis for Health and Social Care Services |
| title_full_unstemmed | From Disruption to Reconstruction: Implementing Peer Support in Homelessness During Times of Crisis for Health and Social Care Services |
| title_short | From Disruption to Reconstruction: Implementing Peer Support in Homelessness During Times of Crisis for Health and Social Care Services |
| title_sort | from disruption to reconstruction implementing peer support in homelessness during times of crisis for health and social care services |
| topic | peer support homelessness primary care community care implementation crisis |
| url | https://account.ijic.org/index.php/up-j-ijic/article/view/8594 |
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