Research in focus: Jordan Babando

Name:

Jordan Babando

My pronouns:

He/Him/His

Title:

Postdoctoral Researcher

Department/Unit:

Faculty of Health and Social Development, School of Social Work

Location:

Okanagan

What year did you start working at UBC?

2020

Provide an overview of your research in 75 words or less:

My research endeavors are part of the Kelowna Homelessness Research Collaborative (KHRC) which is an extremely dedicated and talented multidisciplinary team that is focused on understanding and supporting the provision of services to – and the perspectives of – individuals with lived experience of homelessness or who are vulnerable to homelessness. My current research has been dedicated to understanding the unique challenges that COVID-19 presents for those experiencing homelessness and for those offering homelessness services.

What first motivated you (or motivates you) to conduct your research?

I am very fortunate for so many things that most take for granted, and I am saddened to know that many individuals and families must live so poorly in a country that is otherwise wealthy. This pandemic has certainly exposed the cracks in our system, especially for those who have no place of their own during 'stay at home orders'. These unfortunate realizations and my personal sadness motivate my research.

What do you hope will change as a result of this research?

I hope that our multiple research undertakings associated with COVID-19 will support the current and future pandemic response and planning in relation to homelessness. More generally, our community-driven research systematically evaluates homelessness programs and policies, identifies gaps in services, and offers useful mitigations and best practices that I hope contributes to the fight to end homelessness.

Are there any research collaborators you’d like to acknowledge and why?

Because I work as part of a collaborative, there are so many bright, hard-working, and dedicated researchers that make all our projects a success. Broadly, I acknowledge all the researchers of the KHRC for helping end the fight against homelessness, our community partners and collaborators, and our research participants.

What have you learned during your research that has surprised you the most?

Despite evidence from past outbreaks among Canadian homeless populations, I am surprised how such lessons learned were not fully considered and incorporated into recent pandemic response and planning. However, I am also pleasantly surprised and thankful for the strong and collaborative community response to homelessness and COVID-19 in the Okanagan region — especially between the city, service organizations, and certain local businesses.