Supporting COVID-19 vaccine uptake among people experiencing homelessness or precarious housing in Canada
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This report shares findings from key informant interviews conducted by the National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of Health (NCCDH) to better understand vaccine uptake among adults experiencing precarious housing or homelessness in Canada.
Strategies and barriers to vaccine uptake
Themes extracted through discussion analysis — and validated through a national COVID vaccine community of practice discussion — encompass barriers and facilitators to vaccine uptake and ways to improve vaccine acceptance among this priority population.
Some of the challenges included:
- inaccessible clinics;
- competing priorities.
- difficulty accessing and processing information; and
- mistrust, stigma and discrimination.
The strategies for improving vaccine uptake included:
- leveraging trusted relationships;
- establishing community-led planning for low-barrier clinics; and
- providing accessible information.
Use this resource to:
- understand the structural, logistical and individual barriers to vaccine uptake for people experiencing precarious housing or homelessness and ways to improve their vaccine confidence and access;
- mobilize your public health organization to incorporate effective strategies identified in this report into vaccination program planning and implementation;
- connect to community-based organizations and shelters to support, partner and coordinate on responsive and consistent community-based clinics; and
- advocate with your public health organization and decision-makers for more resources, flexibility and support for community-led and adaptive vaccination roll-out.
Related resources
Measuring what counts in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic: Equity indicators for public health (2020)
Webinar recording: Health equity in student research: Sexualized violence services and pandemic homelessness policy (2021)
Reference
National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of Health. (2021). Supporting COVID-19 vaccine uptake among people experiencing homelessness or precarious housing in Canada. Antigonish, NS: NCCDH, St. Francis Xavier University.
Tags: Community engagement, COVID-19, Housing, Document, Report / Document