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Led and supported by a multi-stakeholder partnership based in Ontario, Positive Spaces Healthy Places is the first longitudinal community-based research initiative in Canada examining the relationship between health and housing in the context of HIV to inform housing policies and programs that may lead to improved health outcomes and health-related quality of life for people living with HIV and AIDS.

Mission

The Positive Spaces Healthy Places research study aims to:

Increase understanding and awareness about the housing needs and experiences of people with HIV and AIDS in Ontario and to highlight social policies that may impact their housing circumstance and stability
Investigate the relationship between quality of housing and security, physical and mental health, and access to health care, treatment and social services among people with HIV and AIDS in Ontario
Examine trends in housing status among people with HIV and AIDS in Ontario from the time of diagnosis to throughout their life course, and identify possible areas for intervention

Goals

The goals of the Positive Spaces Healthy Places research study are to:

Position people with HIV and AIDS in housing situations that improve their access to health care, treatment and social services
Ensure safe and stable housing situations for people with HIV and AIDS in communities across Ontario
Inform the development of effective and appropriate housing policies and supportive care models that support people with HIV and AIDS throughout their life course

Objectives

The main objectives of the Positive Spaces Healthy Places research study are to:

Establish a baseline of the housing status of people with HIV and AIDS in Ontario
Identify the range of housing and supportive housing options currently available to people with HIV and AIDS in Ontario, including those provided by AIDS service organizations, community-based health and social service organizations and other housing and/or homelessness agencies
Identify the characteristics of appropriate housing and supportive environments for people with HIV and AIDS at various stages of the disease course
Determine the kind of housing options desired or required by people with HIV and AIDS that will ensure them access to adequate health care, treatment and social services
Identify the factors that affect the housing status and stability of people with HIV and AIDS, and to understand how such factors may impact their physical and mental health and their access and utilization of health care, treatment and social services
Determine possible variations in the housing and/or homelessness experiences of people with HIV and AIDS from specific communities, including Aboriginal peoples and other ethno-cultural communities, women, families, sexual minorities, and former prisoners