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“ We’re Home Now ”: How a Rehousing Intervention Shapes the Mental Well-Being of Inuit Adults in Nunavut, Canada

Author

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  • Karine Perreault

    (École de Santé Publique, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC H3N 1X9, Canada
    Centre de Recherche en Santé Publique, CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC H3L 1M3, Canada)

  • Josée Lapalme

    (École de Santé Publique, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC H3N 1X9, Canada
    Centre de Recherche en Santé Publique, CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC H3L 1M3, Canada
    École de Psychoéducation, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC H2V 2S9, Canada)

  • Louise Potvin

    (École de Santé Publique, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC H3N 1X9, Canada
    Centre de Recherche en Santé Publique, CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC H3L 1M3, Canada
    Canada Research Chair in Community Approaches and Health Inequalities.)

  • Mylène Riva

    (Institute for Health and Social Policy, Department of Geography, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0B9, Canada
    Canada Research Chair in Housing, Community and Health.)

Abstract

This study explores the ways in which a rehousing intervention shapes the mental well-being of Inuit adults living in Nunavut, Canada, where the prevalence of core housing need is four times the national average. More specifically, it compares the housing experiences of participants who were rehoused in a newly built public housing unit, to the experiences of participants on the public housing waitlist. The study was developed in collaboration with organizations based in Nunavut and Nunavik. Semi-structured interviews were transcribed, and a deductive-inductive thematic analysis was performed based on Gidden’s concept of ontological security, and Inuit-specific mental health conceptualization. Twenty-five Inuit adults participated (11 rehoused, 14 waitlist). Three themes were identified to describe how the subjective housing experiences of participants improved their mental well-being after rehousing: (1) refuge creation; (2) self-determination and increased control; (3) improved family dynamics and identity repair. Implicit to these themes are the contrasting housing experiences of participants on the waitlist. Construction initiatives that increase public housing stock and address gaps in the housing continuum across Inuit regions could promote well-being at a population level. However, larger socio-economic problems facing Inuit may hamper beneficial processes stemming from such interventions.

Suggested Citation

  • Karine Perreault & Josée Lapalme & Louise Potvin & Mylène Riva, 2022. "“ We’re Home Now ”: How a Rehousing Intervention Shapes the Mental Well-Being of Inuit Adults in Nunavut, Canada," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(11), pages 1-24, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:11:p:6432-:d:823979
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ade Kearns & Elise Whitley & Phil Mason & Mark Petticrew & Caroline Hoy, 2011. "Material and meaningful homes: mental health impacts and psychosocial benefits of rehousing to new dwellings," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 56(6), pages 597-607, December.
    2. Mylène Riva & Christina Larsen & Peter Bjerregaard, 2014. "Household crowding and psychosocial health among Inuit in Greenland," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 59(5), pages 739-748, October.
    3. Thomson, Hilary & Thomas, Sian, 2015. "Developing empirically supported theories of change for housing investment and health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 205-214.
    4. Padgett, Deborah K., 2007. "There's no place like (a) home: Ontological security among persons with serious mental illness in the United States," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 64(9), pages 1925-1936, May.
    5. Karine Perreault & Mylène Riva & Philippe Dufresne & Christopher Fletcher, 2020. "Overcrowding and sense of home in the Canadian Arctic," Housing Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 35(2), pages 353-375, February.
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