Art in Action: Co-Designing Policy Messages with Older Adults Experiencing Homelessness (97)
Tracks
Track 1
| Tuesday, April 21, 2026 |
| 9:20 AM - 9:40 AM |
Overview
Dr. Martina Kelly
Details
Learning Objectives: Analyze barriers to health and housing faced by older adults experiencing homelessness; Appraise how arts-based methodologies can co-create public health messages with equity-deserving populations
Speaker
Dr. Martina Kelly
University Of Calgary
Art Action: Co-Designing Policy Messages with Older Adults Experiencing Homelessness
Abstract
Background: The number of older adults experiencing homelessness is rising, yet their specific needs remain underrecognized in homeless services and housing policy. For instance, shelters often offer inaccessible sleeping arrangements such as floor mats or bunk beds, and housing policies tend to prioritize short-term interventions, assuming homelessness is temporary. This study employed arts-based methods to document the lived experiences of older adults without secure housing and to co-create advocacy messages aimed at health and housing policymakers. Our guiding question was: What do you want health leaders and housing policymakers to understand about aging without secure housing?
Methods: This research is embedded within an ongoing participatory action project involving a community group of older adults experiencing homelessness, known as The Exchange. Over 18 months, group members (n=12–18) collaborated with the authors, including a visual artist (SB) to explore their experiences through creative practices including mask-making, collage, and body mapping. Key themes were qualitatively distilled into advocacy messages through the co-creation of Zines to convey participants’ insights.
Results: Three overarching themes emerged as priorities for The Exchange: (1) the need to be seen and heard as older adults, (2) persistent barriers to accessing health and housing services, and (3) the centrality of social connection. These themes were illustrated through the Zines, which will be presented during this session.
Discussion: Older adults experiencing homelessness encounter significant structural and systemic barriers to care. However, they are not passive recipients of services or “voiceless victims.” Arts-based approaches foster community, support dialogical engagement, and provide platforms for collective expression. These methods amplify diverse voices while mitigating the burden of testimonial labor often placed on marginalized individuals.
Methods: This research is embedded within an ongoing participatory action project involving a community group of older adults experiencing homelessness, known as The Exchange. Over 18 months, group members (n=12–18) collaborated with the authors, including a visual artist (SB) to explore their experiences through creative practices including mask-making, collage, and body mapping. Key themes were qualitatively distilled into advocacy messages through the co-creation of Zines to convey participants’ insights.
Results: Three overarching themes emerged as priorities for The Exchange: (1) the need to be seen and heard as older adults, (2) persistent barriers to accessing health and housing services, and (3) the centrality of social connection. These themes were illustrated through the Zines, which will be presented during this session.
Discussion: Older adults experiencing homelessness encounter significant structural and systemic barriers to care. However, they are not passive recipients of services or “voiceless victims.” Arts-based approaches foster community, support dialogical engagement, and provide platforms for collective expression. These methods amplify diverse voices while mitigating the burden of testimonial labor often placed on marginalized individuals.
Biography
Martina Kelly is a Family Physician with an interest in Medical Education
COI Disclosure: Any direct financial relationships including receipt of honoraria, gifts, in-kind compensation, etc: SSHRC, CIHR
COI Disclosure: Any direct financial relationships including receipt of honoraria, gifts, in-kind compensation, etc: SSHRC, CIHR
