Bereavement in the Context of Homelessness

“We need to be heard, seen, and not dismissed.”
(participant with lived experience)

The Need

People who are experiencing homelessness often go unrecognized as grievers in our communities. Many carry these losses silently, without the support most of us take for granted. By listening to their stories and the stories of those who support them, we can begin to understand their experiences and work toward making bereavement care more compassionate and accessible for everyone.

Our Response

In 2022, BCCPC launched a project to better understand the bereavement experiences of people experiencing homelessness and those who support them. This work is part of fulfilling the grief and bereavement action plan developed from the 2022 province-wide roundtable, where experts and leaders in bereavement services identified priority actions and strategies to strengthen bereavement supports. The Action Plan developed 27 action items, with three focused action items that were directed towards the bereaved experiencing homelessness and those who serve them. Through multiple research studies, this project is generating and translating knowledge that will be vital to improving the accessibility and quality of bereavement supports for people experiencing homelessness and those who serve them across British Columbia.

Literature review on bereavement in the context of homelessness

This literature review gathered published information from 17 references on how bereavement is experienced within the context of homelessness. Most of the articles lacked attention to detailed or in-depth explorations of the topic. Despite these limitations, our analysis of these articles identified the importance of providing better bereavement support for people experiencing homelessness and the staff who serve them.

Published manuscript:

Bereavement in the Context of Homelessness: A Rapid Review.
(English version) (French version)
Jody Monk, Joshua Black, Rachel Carter, Eman Hassan. (2023) Death Studies https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2023.2246134

Bereavement in the Context of Homelessness: A Rapid Review. (Summary)
(English version) (French version)

Research study on frontline service providers’ perspectives on bereavement in the context of homelessness

The frontline service provider study gathered information from 72 participants in BC on how bereavement is experienced within the context of homelessness. The survey data exposed narratives of broadly unmet needs and a lack of grief-informed approaches for both the person accessing services and frontline workers or volunteers.

Almost all participants (95%) stated that they have a desire to increase their knowledge of grief and bereavement.

“Speaking from my organization, I can say with confidence we’re not properly trained or qualified to handle bereavement scenarios. ”
(Support Worker – ID 47)

Results have been analyzed and a manuscript is in preparation.

Article Summary:

• English – https://www.bc-cpc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Frontline-Perspectives-Summary-Final.pdf
• French – https://www.bc-cpc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Frontline-Perspectives-Summary-French-Final.pdf

Documentary Film called “No Fixed Address: The White Cart Memorial”

The purpose of the film is to provide a deeper understanding of bereavement experiences among individuals with unstable housing, including the impact memorials can have on their grief journey and the challenges of creating/maintaining them. The film calls for compassion and deeper societal reflection on how we support this population through their grief after a loss.

This film is dedicated to all those who died unhoused and those who continue to grieve without shelter. May this film help us remember and create positive change in the grief support in your community. Only by the community coming together can we create a safer place for people to grieve.

View the film’s trailer here.

Visit Whitecart.ca for more information on the film and resources.

This project has been funded in part by a contribution from the BCCPC, Health Canada, Health Care Policy and Strategies Program through the Pan-Canadian Palliative Care Research Collaborative Seed Grants program, and the University of British Columbia Okanagan Eminence program. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of the funders.

Developing educational e-learning course for community support workers (in partnership with Victoria Cool Aid Society)

This free e-learning course, titled Fostering Grief and Bereavement Literacy in the Workplace for Those Who Serve People Experiencing Homelessness, will have 4 modules that will focus on:

1. Understanding the Basics of Grief
2. Understanding the Homelessness Experience
3. Grief after Loss in the Context of Homelessness
4. Caring for Yourself and Supporting Grief in the Workplace.

This project aims to improve grief and bereavement knowledge and support skills for community support workers who serve those who are experiencing homelessness. We hope this free course can improve community support workers’ abilities to provide grief support to their clients who are experiencing homelessness, as many people with lived experience state they use their staff and volunteers for grief support.

We will be hosting a symposium on the topic of bereavement and homelessness to launch the developed course in early Winter 2026.

The BCCPC and the Victoria Cool Aid Society have been awarded a REACH 2023 Award by Michael Smith Health Research BC for this project.

Research study on the lived experience of bereavement in the context of homelessness

The goal of this research is to better understand the bereavement experiences for those with lived experience of homelessness, and to understand what is needed to improve the grief support moving forward.

Data collection for this project included 80 in-person interviews with people with lived experience of bereavement in the context of homelessness and 2 closing events. There were 40 interviews and a closing event held on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Syilx Okanagan Nation in what is colonially known as Kelowna, BC, as well as 40 interviews and closing event held on the unceded traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) nations in what is colonially known as DTES of Vancouver, BC.

Closing events

Something that we feel was special in our research was the opportunity to hold a closing event for the community after the completion of the research. These ceremonies were an expression of gratitude for everyone involved in the study, as well as a way to honour those who have died in the community and those who have been impacted by the losses.

During the event in Kelowna, we were guided through an opening prayer, eulogy to honour all those who have died, a drumming circle, and smudging. Together, we completed the event with food and a memorial art piece: a white shopping cart adorned with the names of those we have lost, now respectfully located at Outdoor Sheltering Site 4 (OS4) in Kelowna.

During the event in Vancouver, we were guided through an opening prayer, and then a sharing circle that included our research team. Many people spoke about the impact that grief had on them and the hope that they have for future events like this to occur. The event had food and drinks available.

Results of this research study are being analyzed and manuscripts are in preparation.

For more information on this project:

• Video on the preliminary data
• Grief and Bereavement ECHO Session – Bereavement in the Context of Homelessness

This project has been funded in part by a contribution from the BCCPC, Health Canada, Health Care Policy and Strategies Program through the Pan-Canadian Palliative Care Research Collaborative Seed Grants program, and the University of British Columbia Okanagan Eminence program. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of the funders.

Research study on the memorials at Outdoor Sheltering Site 4 (OS4) in Kelowna

The goal of this research is to better understand the impact that the community memorials in OS4 (e.g., memorial white cart and memorial grave) have on the community of people who are experiencing homelessness, and to understand what other community memorials people who are experiencing homelessness may like to see in their community moving forward (if any).

Data collection for this project included 22 in-person interviews with people with lived experience. The interviews were held on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Syilx Okanagan Nation in what is colonially known as Kelowna, BC.

Results are being analyzed and manuscripts are in preparation.

This project has been funded in part by a contribution from the BCCPC, Health Canada, Health Care Policy and Strategies Program through the Pan-Canadian Palliative Care Research Collaborative Seed Grants program, and the University of British Columbia Okanagan Eminence program. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of the funders.

Downtown Eastside (DTES) grief support programming (in partnership with Carnegie Community Centre)

The BCCPC and the Carnegie Community Centre (with additional partnerships from KHRC, Carnegie Branch Library of the Vancouver Public Library, and DeathCare BC) secured $25,000 funding from the Community-University Engagement Support (CUES) Fund at UBC. The funding has enabled the Carnegie Community Centre to continue and expand their Community Death Care Project, which includes grief and bereavement support programming, and End-of-Life information and planning in 2024 and 2025.

On May 2, 2024, an information gathering session at the Carnegie Community Centre asked members of the local community for their input to inform the support programs and resources that will be prioritized with the funding. Individuals at the session heard about some different programming options and then discussed their thoughts with Carnegie Community Centre staff and completed a survey. BCCPC staff were there to offer information and answer questions on bereavement, palliative care, and Advance Care Planning.

Visit the Community Death Care Project website to learn more: https://communitydeathcareproject.ca

FUTURE: Kelowna annual memorial

BCCPC and KHRC are in discussion with the Lived Experience Circle on Homelessness (LECoH), the City of Kelowna, and other community organizations to plan an annual memorial. We hope this honours the grief of those who are experiencing homelessness and the staff who serve them.

For more information

For more information on these projects, please contact Joshua Black at jblack@bc-cpc.ca.

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