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Events

Keep an eye on this space for upcoming events!

Past Events:

Intersectionality & Homelessness Speakers Panels (April 26, 2024)

  • The Kelowna Homelessness Research Centre, MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, and St. Michael’s Unity Health Toronto hosted an afternoon of Speakers Panels on Intersectionality & Homelessness on Friday, April 26, 2024 virtually and in-person at the Central Okanagan United Church. This  free event was open to all community members and featured two different panels: one focusing on seniors and homelessness and the second focusing on 2SLGBTQIA+ and homelessness. We are grateful to the wonderful panelists for sharing their time and knowledge with us: Carmen Rempel (Executive Director, Kelowna’s Gospel Mission), Ian Gerbrandt (Executive Director, Seniors Outreach & Resource Centre), Chris Danielsen (Senior with lived experience), Bree Smith (Counsellor & Group Facilitator, This Space Belongs to You), Wilbur Turner (he/him/his, President, Advocacy Canada), and Lazzy (they/them/their, Youth with lived experience). Enjoy the recording available here.

 

Kelowna Homelessness Research Centre Community Showcase & Roundtable (October 27, 2023)

  • After showcasing outcomes of research related to homelessness from the KHRC to date, we spent the day engaging in interactive discussions with people with living and lived experience of homelessness, community members, service providers, and other stakeholders. With student-led “research minutes”, and provider/practitioner spotlights in roundtable discussions that ask you to consider the difficult questions, this was an event to remember. If you were unable to attend or would like to refer back, the 2023 KHRC Research Showcase & Community Roundtable Summary Report is available.

 

Homelessness Research in the Okanagan: Pathways to solutions (January 18, 2022)

  • In 2018, the Kelowna Homelessness Research Collaborative (https://khrc.ok.ubc.ca/) was established to bring together homelessness researchers and community partners across the region. Numerous pathways to solutions are being applied. The presentation overviews the cause and solutions to homelessness in the region, and discusses research of current hopeful initiatives in Vernon and Kelowna. A recording is available through the Vernon All Saints Anglican Church’s YouTube Channel.

 

Homelessness Research in the Okanagan and Beyond (November 26, 2021)

  • In collaboration with the Institute for Healthy Living and Chronic Disease Prevention, members of the Kelowna Homelessness Research Collaborative (KHRC) overview local projects related to: 1) technology and homelessness, 2) homelessness in smaller communities, and 3) allyship in research. If you were unable to join the event on November 26th, a recording of the presentation is available on the IHLCDP YouTube channel here: Homelessness research in the Okanagan (and beyond)

 

2021 National Conference on Ending Homelessness (November 3 & 4, 2021 )

  • CAEH’s National Conference on Ending Homelessness (conference.caeh.ca) arms policy makers, funders, researchers, advocates, community leaders and front line workers with the inspiration, information, tools and training they need to end homelessness. KHRC Co-Investigators and our partners with the Lived Experience Circle on Homelessness presented on the following topics:
    1. Embedding authentic allyship into the research process (Kyleen Myrah, Kerry Rempel, Dorothy Goodeye, Stephanie Laing)
    1. Addressing Homelessness in Kelowna: Establishing Participatory Action Research Priorities (Kerry Rempel, Stephanie Laing, Sherry Landry)
    1. Lived Experience site visits, learnings and benefits (Sherry Landry, Stephanie Krehbiel)

 

Using Allyship to Enhance your Research Process with Marginalized Populations (May 4 & 13, 2021)

  • The Allyship in Research Toolkit provides researchers and practitioners with a framework to embed lived and living experience, and allyship, into their work. The toolkit describes ways to incorporate authentic participation into the entire research process or program development process, identifies strategies for engaging in a co-research/con-construction process, and outlines the benefits of practicing in this way (for more info on our Allyship work, see our KHRC Community Reports and Summaries page). An overview of the work on Allyship in Research was also recently promoted by the Homeless Hub, and was presented at the 2021 National Conference on Ending Homelessness.
    1. RIPE Conference – May 4th: Dr. Kyleen Myrah, Kerry Rempel and Stephanie Laing detailed their consultations with lived experience co-researchers and advisors on how to conduct authentic, ethical and community-engaged research with marginalized populations. This presentation was a part of Okanagan College’s fourth annual Research Innovation Partnerships Expo (RIPE).
    2. Enactus Canada National Exposition – May 13th: Dr. Kyleen Myrah and Stephanie Laing presented their findings at the Enactus Canada National Exposition, as part of the Faculty Advisor Research Fund Presentations sponsored by the John Dobson Foundation: VIDEO LINK, 54m 51s

 

The complex connections between homelessness and health inequities in BC (January 26, 2021)

  • Bringing together diverse voices, including researchers and community advocates, to discuss the intersectionality of homelessness and health inequities, and share what we all can do to help. The featured speakers included KHRC’s Dr. John Graham as moderator and Dr. Silvina Mema presenting.
  • YouTube Link
  • Alumni UBC lists resources shared during the webinar

 

Heads Up! Community Mental Health Virtual Summit – Session 3: Exploring Integrated Solutions for Substance Use & Homelessness (November 26, 2020)

  •  KHRC’s Dr. John Graham joined Wendy Stevens (Peer Operations Coordinator, Vancouver Coastal Health) in a discussion of Housing for All: Pioneering a Coordinated & Accessible System of Care (~2:17:41 in video linked below)
  • YouTube Link

 

Homelessness Vulnerabilities and Potential Mitigating Supports — Phase 3: Establishing Research Opportunities (October 20, 2020)

  • Phase Three brought together both researchers and potential sector partners to (1) present our research findings from Phases One and Two and (2) collaboratively identify future research projects that are relevant and responsive to the local community needs. See Resources for our Report from these findings.

 

Panel discussion: Social housing and homelessness (October 1, 2019)

  • David Saltman of the Okanagan Sustainability Leadership Council will moderate a panel discussion on social housing and homelessness.
    • Luke Stack, City Councillor, Kelowna
    • Gordon Lovegrove, UBC Okanagan, School of Engineering
    • Ken Chau, UBC Okanagan, School of Engineering
    • Kyleen Myrah, Okanagan College, School of Business
    • John Graham, UBC Okanagan, School of Social Work

 

Panel discussion on sustainability focusing on Indigenous and green housing (October 1, 2019)

  • After opening remarks by Mayor Colin Basran, UBCO Associate Professor Kevin Hanna, will moderate a panel discussion on sustainability focusing on Indigenous and green housing.
    • John Bass, UBC Vancouver, School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture
    • Jaimie Harris, Heiltsuk Nation
    • Brian Rippy, Okanagan College, Sustainable Construction Technology
    • Trevor Butler, Archineers

 

Canada’s National Housing Strategy: What it means for homeownership, renting and homelessness (September 30, 2019)

  • Keynote speaker David Hulchanski, professor of housing and community development at the University of Toronto, will discuss Canada’s National Housing Strategy. He will cover the strategy in detail, including how it affects homeownership, renting and homelessness.

 

Social Policy and Advocacy Committee Roundtable on Canada’s National Housing Crisis at the CASWE-ACFTS Annual Conference at the Congress by the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences (June 4, 2019)

  • John Graham and Stephanie Laing presented on the Kelowna Homelessness Research Collaborative.