Recovering in Place Lab
The Recovering in Place Research Lab (RIPL) at the University of Calgary is a transdisciplinary research hub advancing recovery science through community-engaged and action-oriented inquiry.
About
Grounded in lived experience, RIPL examines how recovery is shaped by context, environment and everyday spaces and frames recovery as a place-based process, shifting the focus from individual change alone to the transformation of the environments where people study, work and play. Through this lens, the lab explores how recovery-oriented values, practices and systems can be embedded within post-secondary institutions and other community settings, contributing to real-world systems change.
RIPL informed the development of the UCalgary Recovery Community (UCRC) and the expansion of Recovery on Campus (ROC), Canada’s first province-wide collegiate recovery initiative.
Get involved!
Goals
As a leader in recovery science in Canada, RIPL aims to:
Current Research Opportunities
Substance Use, Process Addiction & Recovery (SUPR) Study
Publications
Conferences
Columbus, OH | June 2023
ARHE Conference
San Diego, California | June 2024
ARHE Conference
New Orleans, Louisiana | June 2025
ARHE Conference
Speaking engagements
Research from the ROC team is shared widely through conferences, panels, and invited talks, translating evidence into practice and fostering dialogue across academic, policy, and community spaces.
Speakers: M. Cooney, V. F. Burns, & McClung
Presented at The Qualitative Report’s 17th Annual Conference (TQR2026) in a virtual format, this session examined how lived experience can strengthen research credibility and ethical practice.
Speakers: V. F. Burns, C. Graham, & G. Gilchrist
Presented at Collaborations for Change (virtual conference), this talk explored how supporting staff capacity enhances student wellbeing and institutional culture.
Speakers: V. F. Burns, C. Graham, C. Tosczak, K. Pisani, & S. Khanal
Presented at the Association of Recovery in Higher Education Conference in New Orleans, this session highlighted a peer-led model for strengthening campus recovery supports.
Speakers: V. F. Burns, C. Graham, R. Gom, & S. Snodgrass
Presented at Healthy Campus Alberta at the University of Calgary, this presentation showcased ROC’s integrated approach to research, evaluation, and direct practice.
Speaker: V. F. Burns
Delivered as a keynote panel at the Association of Recovery in Higher Education Conference in San Diego, this session focused on building sustainable, cross-campus recovery initiatives.
Speakers: V. F. Burns & K. Coombes
Presented at the Association of Recovery in Higher Education Conference in San Diego, this talk explored the diverse and non-linear experiences of student recovery.
Speakers: V. F. Burns, C. Graham, et al.
Shared as an international panel at the Association of Recovery in Higher Education Conference in San Diego, this session compared recovery approaches across national contexts.
Speakers: V. F. Burns, C. Graham, & N. Hadad
Presented at the Canadian Post-Secondary Mental Health Conference: Collaborations for Change (virtual), this session introduced Recovery on Campus Alberta and strategies for institutional change.
Speaker: V. F. Burns
Presented at the Contemporary Drug Problems Conference in Paris, this panel examined disclosure, identity, and power within academic spaces.
Speakers: V. F. Burns, N. Hadad, & L. Mizejewski
Presented at the 14th Annual Collegiate Recovery Conference in Columbus, Ohio, this session explored the personal and professional implications of disclosure in recovery.
Speakers: V. F. Burns, N. Hadad, C. Graham, & L. Knight
Presented at the 14th Annual Collegiate Recovery Conference in Columbus, Ohio, this session outlined ROC Alberta’s province-wide model and collaborative impact.
As a home care social worker, Dr. Burns helped older adults “age in place”—living independently at home for as long as possible. This experience revealed how deeply physical environments shape well-being and inspired her research program on marginalized older adults, including those experiencing homelessness and aging in and out of place.
Dr. Burns has received multiple Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) grants and published extensively in this area.
Beyond housing documentary
Older adults experiencing homelessness are a rapidly growing yet largely invisible population. Dr. Burns created Beyond Housing to give them a voice, sharing their stories in their own words.
This short documentary follows Hillary and George, two formerly homeless older Calgarians, as they navigate re-housing. By amplifying their experiences, Beyond Housing aims to raise awareness, challenge stereotypes, and offer hope to older homeless adults across Canada.
The film is part of a larger SSHRC-funded study on older homelessness.
Accessible Research
Dr. Burns uses community-based participatory methodologies and makes research more accessible. View select publications below.
Exploring Harm Reduction in Supportive Housing for Formerly Homeless Older Adults
A qualitative study exploring how harm reduction policies and practices in supportive housing help formerly homeless older adults and care staff work together to improve housing stability and dignity.
“A Right Place for Everybody”: Supporting Aging in the Right Place for Older People Experiencing Homelessness
This article reports on workshops in three Canadian cities identifying key housing challenges and solutions to support “aging in the right place” for older people experiencing homelessness.
Identifying Shelter and Housing Models for Older People Experiencing Homelessness
An environmental scan and workshops identified and categorized a range of shelter and housing models tailored to the needs of older adults with experiences of homelessness.
Shelter/Housing Options, Supports and Interventions for Older People Experiencing Homelessness
A scoping review of international research that organizes shelter and housing models along a continuum of supports to meet the diverse needs of older people experiencing homelessness.
Creating a Sense of Place After Homelessness: We’re Not “Ready for the Shelf”
This study uses interviews to show how older adults with histories of homelessness create a sense of place and purpose after housing, identifying facilitators and barriers to feeling at home.
Finding Home After Homelessness: Older Men’s Experiences in Single-Site Permanent Supportive Housing
A qualitative case study of formerly homeless older men living in single-site supportive housing, highlighting how design and rules shape their sense of home and exclusion.
Homeless for the First Time in Later Life: Uncovering More Than One Pathway
A study revealing that first-time homelessness in later life can result from multiple pathways, challenging assumptions about later-life homelessness.
Available through The Gerontologist, 59(2), 251-259.
Later-Life Homelessness as Disenfranchised Grief
This article conceptualizes later-life homelessness as a form of disenfranchised grief, emphasizing emotional and social dimensions of aging into homelessness.
Available through Canadian Journal on Aging, 37(2), 171-184.
Amrit Matharoo
Krysia Denys
