Publications by authors named "Julia Woodhall-Melnik"

The main objective of this research was to qualitatively examine the impacts of Housing First (HF) specifically on those participants who identified themselves as female in response to question asking what their gender was. The data analyzed are from a larger, muti-site, randomized controlled trial. χ analysis was used to compare the life changes (coded as positive, neutral, or negative) experienced by 64 females (42 HF and 22 TAU).

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Article Synopsis
  • - Women experiencing homelessness or poverty in Ontario have significantly higher rates of gambling issues compared to the general population, with 6.2% at-risk, 9.3% problem gamblers, and 19.1% meeting criteria for pathological gambling.
  • - The study involved 162 women using shelter and drop-in services and revealed that over half (55.4%) of those classified as at-risk or higher were considered pathological gamblers.
  • - Raising awareness about the high prevalence of gambling problems among women in these vulnerable situations is crucial for providing better support and resources in shelters and drop-in services.
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Background: Homelessness constitutes a traumatic period that adversely impacts health and quality of life outcomes. The potential mitigating effects of resilience on quality of life levels in people experiencing homelessness are underresearched. This study assesses the longitudinal associations between resilience and quality of life scores among adults experiencing homelessness and mental illness.

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Rationale: Stigma and discrimination are negatively associated with social and health status. People who are homeless often experience systemic stigma and discrimination.

Objective: In this study, we analyze the longitudinal interrelationships between the trajectories of housing (housing stability) and well-being outcomes (i.

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Climate change has spurred an increase in the prevalence and severity of natural disasters. Damage from natural disasters can lead to residential instability, which negatively impacts mental health and wellbeing. However, research on the mental health of residents who are displaced after natural disasters is relatively novel and needs more study.

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Previous studies that have explored the association between childhood trauma and homelessness indicate that traumatic events can lead to survivor distrust of interpersonal relationships and institutions, prolonged homelessness and poor health and social outcomes. The majority of this literature relies on quantitative data and fails to investigate the personal experiences of childhood trauma that are found to impact housing status later in life. Semi-structured, qualitative interviews were conducted with 25 men living in an urban area in Ontario who had spent more than 30 consecutive nights in an emergency shelter over the course of their housing histories.

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There is evidence that involuntary housing instability may undermine health and well-being. For women who have experienced intimate partner violence (IPV), achieving stability is likely as important for other groups, but can be challenging. Through our analysis of 41 interviews with women who have experienced low income and IPV, we argue that definitions of housing stability are multifaceted and for many centred on a shared understanding of the importance of creating an environment of "home".

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Most of the research on gambling behaviour among youth has been quantitative and focused on measuring prevalence. As a result, little is known about the contextual experiences of youth gambling, particularly among those most vulnerable. In this paper, we explore the previous experiences of youth gambling in a sample of adult men experiencing housing instability and problem gambling.

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Background: Problem gambling and homelessness are recognized as important public health concerns that significantly impact individuals, their friends and families, communities and broader society. We aimed to explore the experiences with health and social services of men who had histories of problem gambling and housing instability in Toronto, Ontario.

Methods: We used a community-based participatory approach with a multi-service agency serving low-income individuals.

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Adults with mental illness who are homeless experience multiple barriers to employment, contributing to difficulties securing and maintaining housing. Housing First programs provide quick, low-barrier access to housing and support services for this population, but their success in improving employment outcomes has been limited. Supported employment interventions may augment Housing First programs and address barriers to employment for homeless adults with mental illness.

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Unlabelled: Research suggests that individuals experiencing homelessness have high rates of overweight and obesity. Unhealthy weights and homelessness are both associated with increased risk of poor health and mortality. Using longitudinal data from 575 participants at the Toronto site of the At Home/Chez Soi randomized controlled trial, we investigate the impact of receiving a Housing First intervention on the Body Mass Index (BMI) and waist circumference of participants with moderate and high needs for mental health support services.

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Background: Obesity is a public health concern in North America. Consumption of food prepared outside of the home is often discussed as a contributing factor.

Objective: To determine whether or not Canadian food service workers are more likely to have high Body Mass Indices (BMIs) as compared with the general population, and to examine factors that contribute to BMI in this population.

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Women in physically and psychologically abusive relationships face numerous decisions related to their safety: decisions that historically have been viewed by researchers and human service practitioners as related to individual or interpersonal factors, such as how they feel about their partner, what they (or those they are close to) think is best for their children, or whether they have a safe place to go to. Social and structural factors, such as poverty, sexism, and barriers related to disability, are either left out or viewed at their individual-level consequence, such as a woman's employment status. Using interview data and case studies from a larger study on housing instability, partner violence, and health, the authors apply ecological and macro-level theoretical models that go beyond the individual level to the stories of women who struggled with partner violence, arguing that it is critical to examine the large social and structural forces that impact women's lives if we are to understand the decisions women make when facing a violent partner.

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