Practical Strategies - First Steps

How?

Why?

• Build relationships with Aboriginal services, Community Advisory Boards, and umbrella organizations
• Distribute information at Aboriginal cultural events and community/agency meetings
• Distribute posters and pamphlets to organizations & agencies serving Aboriginal community members
• Utilize social media and email to distribute information

• Aboriginal Peoples have the right to know about and be involved in research impacting their communities
• Informing community members early will increase Aboriginal engagement, participation, and volunteerism

How?

Why?

• Partnerships should begin early and be ongoing
• Partnerships should be based in shared interests, benefits, & goals
• Partner with:
  • Aboriginal Community Advisory Boards
  • Aboriginal umbrella organizations
  • Aboriginal governments
  • Organizations/groups that represent the interests of urban Aboriginal Peoples
  • Agencies/ organizations serving Aboriginal community members experiencing homelessness
  • Aboriginally-owned businesses

• Increases Aboriginal participation and thus data quality and count accuracy
• Partnering with multiple organizations and agencies will better reflect the diverse views of Aboriginal community members
• Partnerships can be mobilized in future efforts to address homelessness

How?

Why?

• Aboriginal Peoples should play leadership roles in any count
• Your PiT Count Committee should include as many Aboriginal community members as possible
• The PiT Count Committee should include, or be lead by, an Aboriginal community member who is well-known and recognized by local Aboriginal communities
• Partner with Aboriginal community leaders to plan and implement an Aboriginal Magnet Event

• Aboriginal leadership will likely increase Aboriginal participation
• Aboriginal leaders are best positioned to anticipate and plan for methodological challenges in enumerating Aboriginal homelessness

How?

Why?

• During community consultations, communities should be asked how the PiT Count survey can reflect their concerns, and what questions about homelessness they would like the count to answer
• Community meetings should be in a highly accessible location and provide childcare (may want to provide transit tokens)
• Community members should have multiple ways of providing feedback on the count (phone, e-mail, office hours, etc.)

• Assists organizers in identifying and addressing local Aboriginal communities’ concerns about participation
• Will help determine what additional questions should be included in the survey
• Will help determine how count findings can provide benefits to both Aboriginal participants and local Aboriginal communities

How?

Why?

• Equitable partnerships with local Aboriginal communities is a key step in preventing harm
• Key considerations include:
  • Mitigating any risks of harm
  • Consent and confidentiality
  • Providing benefits
  • Returning research to the community
  • Ensuring respect for participants
• Count organizers should familiarize themselves with the available ethical guidelines for research for Aboriginal Peoples (see Section 7)

• Increases Aboriginal control, ownership, interest, and benefits in the PiT Count