Support networks around low-income housing

Over the past few decades, local intervention networks have been developed to facilitate access to support services for people living in low-income housing (HLM) and to help meet their needs. What impact do these networks have on those they serve?

Such networks are generally made up of several organizations, such as community organizations, tenants' associations, school and day-care center administrations, as well as health and social services. André-Anne Parent, a researcher at the Université de Montréal's School of Social Work, conducted a study to better understand their creation and impact.

She attended meetings of collective action networks and conducted interviews with their members as well as with social workers and tenants. The results show that this type of intervention often stems from a crisis within the low-income housing sector, or from a desire to apply a collective vision of intervention in these living environments. Concerted action reduces the risk of working in silos and promotes the sharing of expertise, which in turn helps to better meet residents' needs.

Tenants also feel that this approach improves their living conditions. The support of a community worker from such a network facilitates access to help and support services. It promotes prevention, increases residents' sense of security and strengthens their capacity for action.

Of course, this approach does have its challenges. Maintaining the long-term commitment of partners can be difficult, particularly in view of high staff turnover. Defining roles, deciding which actions to take and sharing collective spaces between partners can also be complex. André-Anne Parent's work opens up avenues for overcoming some of these obstacles and building a better-structured community network model.

Reference :

Parent, A.-A., Reiser, C., et Tourillon-Gingras, S. (2022). Intervention de proximité auprès de résidents d’habitations à loyer modique de Montréal et Québec. Nouvelles pratiques sociales, 33(1) : 89-111. https://doi.org/10.7202/1095938ar