We helped shed a light on the lives and service utilization patterns of some of Edmonton’s most vulnerable.

HUoS stands for Heavy Users of Service, a collaborative initiative focused on working with community partners “to help vulnerable people be more independent, less likely to be victimized and require fewer police, medical and social interventions.” HUoS clients have unique stories, but the common threads of addiction, mental health issues, and homelessness weave throughout each client’s journey. In time, these issues begin manifesting in disease, disability and social problems – in other words, heavy use of service.

Understand

How have the supports provided by the Heavy Users of Service project changed how Edmonton’s most vulnerable access health, justice and social services? Are there less emergency department visits? Fewer interactions with police? Better access to housing? Are they more self-sufficient?

Uncover

We worked with stakeholders from health, justice and human services organizations to obtain data and uncover the service utilization patterns of HUoS clients. We talked with HUoS clients to understand their story and how HUoS has impacted their lives. This information was compiled into a report using storytelling and engaging data visualization principles. Finally, we created a whiteboard animation to highlight the stories of the HUoS clients.

Utilize

The findings have helped inform the development of a scalable model that the team hopes can help more clients. In addition, the findings, particularly the clients’ stories, have been used by the HUoS team to bring awareness and understanding to the work they do and the clients they serve. Eliciting and telling the clients’ stories was something that had not been done before and was particularly impactful. Currently, the findings are being used to help advocate for sustained financial funding for the project.