Developing a knowledge translation activity to share the neuroscience of living with housing instability

Homelessness is a growing challenge in Canada, with devastating economic and social costs. Neuroscience offers important insights into the causes and consequences of homelessness. Individuals experiencing housing instability are more likely to have a history of brain injury and mental illness than the general population. These brain-based conditions can be associated with impaired cognition, which can include difficulties in tasks such as following instructions, completing paperwork, or managing a schedule. Despite this, many programs and services that target homelessness are not designed with impaired cognition in mind. Our project will nurture collaborations among experts in neuroscience, education, and housing instability to develop educational activities about the role of the brain in homelessness. In the future, these educational activities will be shared with front-line workers and decision-makers. We hope this work will ultimately result in more accessible interventions as well as greater empathy for those experiencing housing instability.

Faculty Supervisor:

Erin Mazerolle;Conor Barker

Student:

Partner:

Family Service in Mi’kma’ki

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

St. Francis Xavier University

Program: