abstract: 'Background: Although the risk factors associated with young people

  entering and becoming entrenched in street life have been thoroughly

  investigated, peer-reviewed evidence is scarce to nonexistent for

  rigorous interventions targeting social integration outcomes for young

  people who have experienced homelessness. From the limited research that

  has been done, emerging evidence signals that, although structural

  supports such as subsidized housing and social service providers are

  important, these resources alone are insufficient to help young people

  integrate into the mainstream society.

  Objective: The overarching aim of this study is to assess whether and

  how rent subsidies and mentorship influence social integration outcomes

  for formerly homeless young people living in market rent housing in 3

  Canadian cities. The primary outcome measures for this study are

  community integration (psychological and physical) and self-esteem at 18

  months. Secondary outcomes include social connectedness, hope, and

  academic and vocational participation at 18 months. Exploratory outcomes

  include income, perceived housing quality, engulfment, psychiatric

  symptoms, and participant perspectives of intervention barriers and

  facilitators.

  Methods: This is a convergent mixed methods, open-label, 2-arm parallel

  randomized controlled trial (RCT) with 1:1 allocation embedded within a

  community-based participatory action research (CBPAR) framework. The

  intervention will provide 24 young people (aged 16-26 years), who have

  transitioned out of homelessness and into market rent housing within the

  past year, with rent subsidies for 24 months. Half of the young people

  will also be randomly assigned an adult mentor who has been recruited

  and screened by 1 of our 3 community partners. Data collection will

  occur every 6 months, and participants will be followed for 30 months.

  Results: Ethical approval for this study has been obtained from the

  Providence, St Joseph''s, and St Michael''s Healthcare Research Ethics

  Board (number 18-251). Enrollment took place from April 2019 to

  September 2019. Preliminary analysis of the baseline quantitative and

  qualitative data is underway.

  Conclusions: This pilot RCT will be the first to test the impact of

  economic and social support on meaningful social integration for

  formerly homeless young people living in market rent housing. We believe

  that the mixed methods design will illuminate important contextual

  factors that must be considered if the intervention is to be scaled up

  and replicated elsewhere. Importantly, the CBPAR framework will

  incorporate the perspectives of the community, including formerly

  homeless young people, who are in the best position to determine what

  might work best in the context of their lives.'
affiliation: 'Thulien, NS (Corresponding Author), McMaster Univ, Sch Nursing, 1280
  Main St West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada.

  Thulien, Naomi S., McMaster Univ, Sch Nursing, 1280 Main St West, Hamilton, ON L8S
  4L8, Canada.

  Thulien, Naomi S.; Nisenbaum, Rosane; Wang, Andrea; Hwang, Stephen W., St Michaels
  Hosp, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Inst, MAP Ctr Urban Hlth Solut, Toronto, ON, Canada.

  Kozloff, Nicole; McCay, Elizabeth, Univ Toronto, Dept Psychiat, Toronto, ON, Canada.

  Kozloff, Nicole, Slaight Family Ctr Youth Transit, Ctr Addict \& Mental Hlth, Toronto,
  ON, Canada.

  McCay, Elizabeth, Ryerson Univ, Daphne Cockwell Sch Nursing, Toronto, ON, Canada.

  Nisenbaum, Rosane, St Michaels Hosp, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Inst, Appl Hlth Res Ctr,
  Toronto, ON, Canada.

  Wang, Andrea, McMaster Univ, Dept Hlth Res Methods Evidence \& Impact, Hamilton,
  ON, Canada.

  Hwang, Stephen W., Univ Toronto, Dept Med, Div Gen Internal Med, Toronto, ON, Canada.

  Hwang, Stephen W., Univ Toronto, Dalla Lana Sch Publ Hlth, Toronto, ON, Canada.'
article-number: e15557
author: Thulien, Naomi S. and Kozloff, Nicole and McCay, Elizabeth and Nisenbaum,
  Rosane and Wang, Andrea and Hwang, Stephen W.
author-email: thulienn@mcmaster.ca
author_list:
- family: Thulien
  given: Naomi S.
- family: Kozloff
  given: Nicole
- family: McCay
  given: Elizabeth
- family: Nisenbaum
  given: Rosane
- family: Wang
  given: Andrea
- family: Hwang
  given: Stephen W.
da: '2023-09-28'
doi: 10.2196/15557
files: []
issn: 1929-0748
journal: JMIR RESEARCH PROTOCOLS
keywords: 'homeless youth; community integration; qualitative research; randomized

  controlled trial; housing; mentorship'
keywords-plus: SOCIAL INTEGRATION; PEOPLE; CARE
language: English
month: DEC
number: '12'
number-of-cited-references: '49'
orcid-numbers: 'Nisenbaum, Rosane/0000-0001-7124-0376

  Wang, Andrea/0000-0002-9683-2498

  Thulien, Naomi/0000-0003-1483-9352

  Hwang, Stephen/0000-0002-1276-1101

  Kozloff, Nicole/0000-0003-1389-1351'
papis_id: 693dcbdaac8de6cc5d25a7e7e0091353
ref: Thulien2019evaluatingeffects
researcherid-numbers: 'Hwang, Stephen W./GVR-7773-2022

  Hwang, Stephen/D-2297-2011

  '
times-cited: '3'
title: 'Evaluating the Effects of a Rent Subsidy and Mentoring Intervention for Youth
  Transitioning Out of Homelessness: Protocol for a Mixed Methods, Community-Based
  Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial'
type: Article
unique-id: WOS:000505212300006
usage-count-last-180-days: '2'
usage-count-since-2013: '7'
volume: '8'
web-of-science-categories: 'Health Care Sciences \& Services; Public, Environmental
  \& Occupational

  Health'
year: '2019'