Housing for Assisted Living in Inner-City Winnipeg: A Social Analysis of Housing Options for People with Disabilities

Abstract

People with disabilities who have complex health and housing needs have limited housing options. Younger adults with disabilities, for example, are inappropriately placed in personal care homes with seniors when the cost of supporting a person in her or his own home exceeds the cost of supporting her or him in an institutional setting. Over the last decade, a working group called the Housing for Assisted Living (HAL) Committee has been seeking a solution to this problem in Winnipeg. The HAL Committee recently identified a building in the Logan area of Winnipeg's Inner City to re- develop as an assisted living facility that will provide a range of on-site support services for people with disabilities within an integrated setting.

This research project gathered information about social issues in the area where the assisted living facility is being developed. The findings will help ensure the long-term success of the HAL project, which will be beneficial for people with disabilities in particular and Winnipeg as a whole.

Working from a cross-disability perspective, we utilized a participatory action research approach. Thirty in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with people with disabilities who have complex health and housing needs, people with disabilities currently living in the Inner City, and representatives of agencies that provide housing and other services in Winnipeg to people with disabilities. The data from these interviews was analyzed and the major themes were compiled into a preliminary report that was distributed to all study participants who reviewed the research findings and provided feedback.