Retrospective Reflection on an Evolving 7-year Evaluative Action Research Project

Abstract Information: Tracking the effectiveness of multi-pronged and dynamic social services can be challenging for many social service programs that anticipate intangible and variable outcomes. This is the case for services that support young people who have experienced homelessness given their emergent and changeable needs. In this presentation we reflect on the insights drawn from a 7-year evaluative research project with the Work2Live program delivered by Zero Ceiling, a Whistler-based not-for-profit organization. The program provides an innovative supportive employment and housing program for youth-at-risk of homelessness featuring 24/7 supports, housing, nature-based programming for youth, and coaching for employers who provide supportive employment. While the research was not intended to be long term, it proved valuable, and data collection became an annual, and then twice annual between 2017 and 2023. As the project evolved, the focus adapted to the needs at the organisation and the participants. However, the overarching research question has remained, what is the experience of participants and rights-holders in the Zero Ceiling Work 2 Live program and how does it impact them during and beyond program completion? Each year, the research focus was decided in consort with the university-based researchers and the leadership team at Zero Ceiling. With youth voice being central to the process, the aim was to capture the voices of the Zero Ceiling community in a continuous cycle of action-reflection. The research followed a qualitative-driven mixed methodology (Hesse-Biber, 2022) using a participatory action-oriented research approach. This was supported by social constructivist theoretical framework (Kemmis, 2008; Reason & Bradbury, 2006; McIntyre, 2008) that aimed to identify effective practice and support the continued improvement and efficacy of the Work 2 Live program. The methodological framework allowed the researchers to privilege the youth’s perspectives, noting benefits and areas for improvement, by recognizing their inherent wisdom and lived experience, with a view to investigating “reality in order to transform it” (Kemmis, 2008, p.132). The research incorporated annual or bi-annual semi-structured interviews and focus groups with the Work 2 Live community, which included the program’s current participants and graduates, Executive Directors, Founder and past Executive Directors, board members, donors, employers, mentors, current employers, referral agencies, potential employers, housing representatives, and staff. Between 2017 and 2023, the three researchers spoke with 225 individuals within 34 focus groups and 10 interviews. This was augmented by literature reviews, analysis of case notes, and employer and alumni surveys. The researchers drew on reflective thematic analysis (Braun & Clark, 2006; 2012; 2022) to enliven the research question and sub-questions. The research produced a range of reports, articles, and public presentations, as well as Zero Ceiling’s Theory of Change. In the last three years, the research has included an exploration of the not-for-profit/government/private sector collaboration that underscored its most recent work to redress youth barriers to housing and employment. This presentation shares the methodological and relational insights gained over the evolution of the project and highlights the organization’s success in diligently incorporating annual recommendations from the research as they focus on continuous improvement.