Families in Society, Ahead of Print.
This article describes the challenges and issues associated with providing meaningful individualized support for youth who have experienced homelessness through the lens of a not-for-profit supportive employment and housing program provider based in a tourist town in Canada. This article challenges common atomistic approaches to individual support that fail to recognize the importance of the community in which they are provided and tend to underplay the vital role of relationality. Drawing on findings from a qualitatively-driven participatory action research multi-year project, this article describes a qualitative meta-analysis of findings from one organization that articulate the human needs required for optimal functioning, through the lens of Siksika wisdom, Cross’s relational worldview model, and Blackstock’s Breath of Life theory. The research findings emphasized the importance of the intersection of community, relationality, and communications to support program and participant success.