aging in place

housing & homelessness in later life

"I have learned that where we receive care can be just as important as how." 


-Victoria F. Burns

As a home care social worker, Dr. Burns' job was to help older adults ‘age in place,’ which essentially means keeping people at home, living independently, for as long as possible. This work taught Dr. Burns about the importance of the physical environment in promoting wellbeing. It also inspired a program of research focusing on marginalized older adults, including those experiencing homelessness, who were aging in and out of place. Dr. Burns has been the recipient of several SSHRC grants, and published extensively in this area.

beyond housing documentary

Older homeless people are rapidly rising in number yet largely misunderstood & invisible. Dr. Burns wanted to give older individuals experiencing homelessness a platform to share their stories, in their own words and become visible.


Beyond Housing, a short documentary, shares the intimate re-housing stories of Hillary and George, two formerly homeless older Calgarians. By providing a voice to George & Hilary, Beyond Housing aims to raise awareness, combat stereotypes, & provide hope to older homeless adults across Canada.



The short documentary is part of a larger SSHRC-funded study that focuses on older homelessness.

beyond housing

After receiving more than 6k votes on social media, Dr. Burns' team received a $10,000 grant from Telus Story Hive to help produce and disseminate the film Beyond Housing within the UCalgary community, locally, provincially, nationally, and internationally. Since its release in 2018, it has been featured in print media (two UCalgary Today articles, Calgary Star Newspaper), on television (Public Affairs Channel [CPAC] program Outburst, Calgary Global News), Radio (CBC Calgary), one podcast (The Gerontologist), and three film festivals (Third Action, Calgary; Tokyo Cowboys, Japan; and the New Filmmakers, New York City). In 2021, Dr. Burns was approached by the Federal Government’s Employment and Skills Department to do a presentation on the film.

highlights

Beyond housing film

Older homeless people are rapidly rising in number yet largely misunderstood & invisible. By providing a voice to George & Hilary, Beyond Housing aims to raise awareness, combat stereotypes, & provide hope to older homeless adults across Canada.

Print Media

The documentary film has been widely featured across various media sources, including, two UCalgary Today articles, Calgary Star, Public Affairs Channel [CPAC] program Outburst, Calgary Global News, CBC Radio, three film festivals, and as part of a national panel hosted by the Government of Canada.

Accessible Research

I love to use community-based participatory methodologies, and making research accessible beyond the ivory tower. 

Select publications

  1. Nixon, L., & Burns, V. F. (2022). Exploring harm reduction in supportive housing for formerly homeless older adults. Canadian Geriatrics Journal 25(3), 285-94.
  2. Weldrick, R., Canham, S. L., Sussman, T., Walsh, C. A., Mahmood, A., Nixon, L., & Burns, V. F. (2022). “A right place for everybody”: Supporting aging in the right place for older people experiencing homelessness. Health & Social Care in the Community, 30(6), e4652-e4661.
  3. Canham, S. L., Walsh, C. A., Sussman, T., Humphries, J., Nixon, L., & Burns, V. F. (2021). Identifying shelter and housing models for older people experiencing homelessness. Journal of Aging and Environment, 36(2), 204-225.
  4. Canham, S., Humphries, J., Moore, P., Burns, V. F., & Mahmood, A. (2021). Shelter/housing options, supports and interventions for older people experiencing homelessness. Aging and Society, 42(11), 2615-2641.
  5. Burns, V. F., St-Denis, N., Walsh, C. A., & Hewson, J. (2020). Creating a sense of place after homelessness: We’re not “ready for the shelf”. Journal of Aging and Environment, 36(1), 1-15.
  6. Burns, V. F., Deslandes-Leduc, J., St-Denis, N., & Walsh, C. A. (2020). Finding home after homelessness: Older men’s perspectives in permanent supportive housing. Housing Studies, 35(2), 290-309.
  7. Burns, V. F., & Sussman, T. (2019). Homeless for the first time in later life: Uncovering more than one pathway. The Gerontologist, 59(2), 251-259.
  8. Burns, V. F., Sussman, T., & Bourgeois-Guérin, V. F. (2018). Later-life homelessness as disenfranchised grief. Canadian Journal on Aging, 37(2), 171-184.
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