Housing and homelessness – Prosper Canada Learning Hub

Urban, Rural, and Northern Indigenous Housing

This report examines Indigenous housing in urban, rural, and northern areas, an expression which is taken to refer to Indigenous housing in all areas of Canada other than on reserves. This report is intended to provide an analysis of unmet Indigenous housing need and homelessness in these areas, and of government spending to address those issues. The report ends with a range
of estimated costs for addressing housing need to various extents under various programs.
This report was prepared at the request of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (HUMA).

Impacts of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Women: Report of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women

April 20, 2021/0 Comments/in House of Commons Health, Housing and homelessness, Lived experience, Poverty issues Actor mapping, COVID-19, Domestic violence, Employment, Financial well-being, Health, Mental health, Women Marilyn Gladu Miscellaneous Report Canada Employment insecurity, Financial insecurity /by Carrie Wong

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have been profound and far-reaching. Beyond endangering the health of Canadians, the pandemic has worsened inequalities among groups of people. Women, girls and gender-diverse people have faced unique challenges during the pandemic.

The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada take various actions to assist women, girls and gender-diverse people during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Many recommendations relate to improving women’s health and labour force participation. Some recommendations focus specifically on women’s paid and unpaid care work. The Committee also recommends interventions to help reduce trafficking and violence against women.

Budget 2021: A Recovery Plan for Jobs, Growth, and Resilience

April 20, 2021/0 Comments/in Financial well-being, Health, Housing and homelessness, Poverty issues Canada, COVID-19, Government spending Government of Canada Miscellaneous Report Canada Community service organizations, Employment, Food insecurity, Health, Health care, Health sector, Housing, Immigration, Indigenous, non-profit sector /by Carrie Wong

The federal budget released on April 19, 2021 covers the Canadian government's plan for:

Housing insecurity and the COVID-19 pandemic

March 29, 2021/0 Comments/in CFPB - Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Housing and homelessness COVID-19, Homelessness, Housing, Racial wealth gap CFPB - Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Research Report United States Debt, Employment, Home ownership, household income, Mortgage, Race/ethnicity, Rental housing, Unemployment /by Carrie Wong

CFPB released their first analysis of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on housing in the United States. Actions taken by both the public and private sector have, so far, prevented many families from losing their homes during the height of the public health crisis. However, as legal protections expire in the months ahead, over 11 million families — nearly 10 percent of U.S. households — are at risk of eviction and foreclosure.

Homeless Shelter Flows in Calgary and the Potential Impact of COVID-19

March 26, 2021/0 Comments/in Homeless Hub Housing and homelessness COVID-19, Homelessness, Housing Ali Jadidzadeh, Ron Kneebone Research Article Alberta, Canada Income volatility, Low income, Policy, Poverty /by Carrie Wong

Social distancing and self-isolation are two of the key responses asked of citizens during a pandemic. For people without a home, this advice is rather more difficult to follow. This article uses daily data describing the movements of 36,855 unique individuals who used emergency homeless shelters in Calgary over the period 1 January 2014–31 December 2019. The use of emergency shelters is characterized by large flows from and into the broader community and smaller flows between individual shelters. Between admissions of new people into the shelter system and multiple re-admissions of current clients, there were an average of 43,613 movements between the community and between shelters each month. The size of these flows provide a measure of the extent to which people reliant on homeless shelters are exposed to the risk of transmission of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

One in five Canadians with mental health-related disabilities lives in core housing need

February 5, 2021/0 Comments/in Statistics Canada Health, Housing and homelessness Disability, Homelessness, Housing, Mental health Statistics Canada Research Statistics Canada Canada, Gender/sex, Lone adults, Lone parents, Statistics /by Carrie Wong

Canadians with mental health-related disabilities were more than twice as likely as those without disabilities to live in households considered to be in core housing need in 2017. Canadians with mental health-related disabilities were also more likely than those without disabilities to live alone, to rent their homes and to live in subsidized housing, according to the 2017 Canadian Survey on Disability (CSD).

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has identified those living with pre-existing mental health-related disabilities as a particularly vulnerable population because of the impacts of isolation and disruptions to mental health-related services during the COVID-19 pandemic. A recent crowdsourcing survey by Statistics Canada found that almost three-quarters (73%) of participants with mental health-related disabilities stated that their mental health had worsened since the beginning of the pandemic. In addition, PHAC has indicated that those living with inadequate or unsuitable housing are also more vulnerable during the pandemic and are at higher risk of contracting COVID-19.

This infographic presents pre-existing living situations and housing conditions among Canadians with mental health-related disabilities that may put them at greater risk of contracting COVID-19, as well as the emotional and psychosocial impacts of living through a pandemic.

Creating Communities Where We Live – A Good Practices Guide

January 5, 2021/0 Comments/in E4C Alberta, University of Alberta Community Service Learning Best practices, Housing and homelessness Best practices, Housing Alexandra Parker, David Prodan, Shauna Young Tools Guide Alberta, Canada Accessibility, Co-location of service, Employment, Financial well-being, Housing assistance, Indigenous, Mental health, Policy, Research, Security /by Carrie Wong

Creating Communities Where We Live - A Good Practices Guide is a locally-driven community-based researched project conducted in Edmonton, Alberta, by e4c and the University of Alberta Community Service-Learning program. The project seeks to add to the knowledge and practice of community care around supporting people to achieve a safe, secure, and affordable housing experience.

The 10 good practices in this guide describe structures, roles, and relationships which promote community and wellbeing for tenants who live in affordable housing. The practices are informed, in part, by research into tenant and staff experiences at affordable housing complexes run by four Edmonton housing providers.

Gender Results Framework: Data table on core housing need

December 17, 2020/0 Comments/in Statistics Canada Housing and homelessness, Research and evaluation Canada, Housing, Statistics Statistics Canada Research Statistics Canada Demographics, Financial inclusion, Gender/sex, Immigrants, Indigenous, Race/ethnicity /by Carrie Wong

Statistics Canada's Centre for Gender, Diversity and Inclusion Statistics has released an enhanced data table on the topic of core housing need. These statistics will be used by the Gender Results Framework, a whole-of-government tool designed to track gender equality in Canada.

Using data from the 2006 Census of Population, the 2016 Census of Population and the 2011 National Household Survey, the table shows the proportion of the population in core housing need by selected economic family characteristics.

This table includes a breakdown by province and territory, age group as well as other demographic characteristics such as population groups designated as visible minorities and Indigenous identity.

The Canadian Housing Survey, 2018: Core housing need of renter households living in social and affordable housing

October 27, 2020/0 Comments/in Statistics Canada Housing and homelessness Demographics, Education, Employment, Financial insecurity, Gender/sex, Health, Homelessness, Housing, Indigenous, Lone parents, Race/ethnicity, Rental housing, Survey Jeannine Claveau Research Statistics Canada /by Carrie Wong

This article provides a high level overview of those living in social and affordable housing by painting a portrait of them based on the results of the 2018 CHS. Socio-demographic and household characteristics are examined using housing indicators such as core housing need.

Youth Reconnect Program Guide: An Early Intervention Approach to Preventing Youth Homelessness

September 10, 2020/0 Comments/in A Way Home Canada, Canadian Observatory on Homelessness Press Housing and homelessness Advocacy, Barriers to services, Canada, Education, Families, Financial aid, Goal setting, Government spending, Homelessness, Housing, Pilot program, Program design, Program development, Research, Rights, Service integration, Youth Chad Story, Erika Morton, Meryl Borato, Stephen Gaetz Tools Guide Canada /by Carrie Wong

Since 2017, the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness and A Way Home Canada have been implementing and evaluating three program models that are situated across the continuum of prevention, in 10 communities and 12 sites in Ontario and Alberta. Among these is an early intervention called Youth Reconnect.

This document describes the key elements of the YR program model, including program elements and objectives, case examples of YR in practice, and necessary conditions for implementation. It is intended for communities who are interested in pursuing similar early intervention strategies. The key to success, regardless of the approaches taken, lies in building and nurturing community partnerships with service providers, educators, policy professionals, and young people.

Expert Insights: Preventing Evictions in Communities of Color During COVID-19

September 1, 2020/0 Comments/in AFN - Asset Funders Network Housing and homelessness COVID-19, Demographics, Employment, Housing, Rental housing Christie Cade, Solomon Greene Tools Webinar United States /by Carrie Wong

COVID-19 is radically reshaping many aspects of people’s financial health in America, including their housing security. The economic fallout is disproportionately impacting communities of color due to systemic inequities related to race, housing, employment, and more. As the protections put in place at the start of the pandemic fade away, the United States are facing an eviction tsunami that will disparately displace Black and Latinx families.

On August 25, AFN’s summer Expert Insights briefed attendees on rental risks and evictions related to COVID-19. Speakers were Solomon Greene with The Urban Institute and Dr. Christie Cade of NeighborWorks America.

Shelters for victims of abuse with ties to Indigenous communities or organizations in Canada, 2017/2018

September 1, 2020/0 Comments/in Statistics Canada Housing and homelessness, Research and evaluation Aboriginal peoples, Abuse, At risk population, Canada, Children, Demographics, First Nations, Government spending, Health, Homelessness, Housing, Indigenous, Mental health, Research, Women Ashley Maxwell Research Article Canada /by Carrie Wong

There were 85 shelters for victims of abuse that had ties to First Nations, Métis or Inuit communities or organizations operating across Canada in 2017/2018. These Indigenous shelters, which are primarily mandated to serve victims of abuse, play an important role for victims leaving abusive situations by providing a safe environment and basic living needs, as well as different kinds of support and outreach services. Over a one-year period, there were more than 10,500 admissions to Indigenous shelters; the vast majority of these admissions were women (63.7%) and their accompanying children (36.1%).

This article uses data from the Survey of Residential Facilities for Victims of Abuse (SRFVA). Valuable insight into shelter use in Canada and the challenges that shelters and victims of abuse were facing in 2017/2018 is presented.

Prosperity Now Scorecard

July 21, 2020/0 Comments/in Prosperity Now (formerly CFED) Asset building and saving, Financial well-being, Health, Housing and homelessness Asset building, Debt, Demographics, Disability, Education, Health, Health care, Home ownership, household income, Racial wealth gap, Statistics, Student debt, United States Prosperity Now (formerly CFED) Tools Toolkit United States /by Carrie Wong

The Prosperity Now Scorecard is a comprehensive resource featuring data on family financial health and policy recommendations to help put all U.S. households on a path to prosperity. The Scorecard equips advocates, policymakers and practitioners with national, state, and local data to jump-start a conversation about solutions and policies that put households on stronger financial footing across five issue areas: Financial Assets & Income, Businesses & Jobs, Homeownership & Housing, Health Care and Education.

A Pandemic Response and Recovery Toolkit for Homeless System Leaders in Canada

July 8, 2020/0 Comments/in CAEH - Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness Housing and homelessness Canada, COVID-19, Data collection, emergency response, Health, Homelessness, Housing, Housing assistance, trauma informed CAEH - Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness Training/Toolkits Toolkit Canada /by Glenna Harris

The Pandemic Response and Recovery Toolkit is intended to assist System Leaders plan and navigate the next steps in their community’s response and recovery as it pertains to people experiencing homelessness and people supported in housing programs. The Toolkit outlines phases and action steps – many that have yet to be mobilized - to help with planning, implementation and evaluation of pandemic response and recovery activities in communities. Furthermore, it contains a compendium of resources to help System Leaders along the way.

This could be a time of doom and gloom. But there is a silver lining. With innovation and the courage to capitalize on emerging opportunities, the homelessness response and housing support system may emerge from this situation stronger and better than before the pandemic hit. It is possible that we can achieve Recovery for All.

Community Benefits of Supportive Housing

February 21, 2020/0 Comments/in BC Housing Research Centre Housing and homelessness, Poverty issues, Research and evaluation Canada, Health, Homelessness, Housing, Housing assistance, Poverty, System reform BC Housing Research Centre Research Report British Columbia, Canada /by Carrie Wong

This report highlights mostly B.C.-based research and includes key information, facts, and statistics to answer common questions that neighbours, local government, and other stakeholders may have about supportive housing. The easy-to-read question and answer format also includes infographics to showcase the benefits of supportive housing in neighbourhoods across British Columbia and beyond.

State of homelessness in Canada 2016

February 21, 2020/0 Comments/in Canadian Observatory on Homelessness Press Housing and homelessness, Poverty issues, Research and evaluation At risk population, Government spending, Homelessness, Housing, Housing assistance, Housing first, Policy recommendations, Poverty, Research Erin Dej, Melanie Redman, Stephen Gaetz, Tim Richter Research Report Canada /by Carrie Wong

Ending homelessness in Canada requires partnerships across public, private, and not-for-profit sectors. Preventative measures, and providing safe, appropriate, and affordable housing with supports for those experiencing homelessness is needed.

This paper provides a series of joint recommendations – drafted by the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness and the Canadian Alliance to end Homelessness – for the National Housing Strategy.

Homelessness and Brain Injury – Program Findings

November 26, 2019/0 Comments/in BIST - Brain Injury Society of Toronto Health, Housing and homelessness Canada, Disability, Frontline, Health, Homelessness, Housing first, Low income, Poverty, Social assistance, Statistics, Urban BIST - Brain Injury Society of Toronto Research Report Canada, Ontario /by Glenna Harris

Across Canada, homelessness has always existed but with the creation of statistical reporting across the country the awareness of the pressure this puts on Canadian society is more apparent. The statistics on homelessness are staggering and understanding the path to homelessness, included by those who have experienced brain injury, is a critical piece in the prevention strategies that must be implemented in order to solve the issues.

In 2018 the Brain Injury Society of Toronto (BIST) received Ontario Trillium Seed Grant funding for a Homelessness Prevention Coordinator (HPC) whose role was to assist individuals with cognitive disabilities with housing issues. This report discusses the current homeless crisis and its relation to the findings of this project.

Child Welfare and Youth Homelessness in Canada: A Proposal for Action

February 23, 2018/0 Comments/in Homeless Hub Housing and homelessness Canada, Health, Homelessness, Housing assistance, Mental health, Policy recommendations, Research, Youth, Youth in care Bill O'Grady, David French, Kaitlin Schwan, Melanie Redman, Naomi Nichols, S. Gaetz, Sean A. Kidd Research Report Canada /by Glenna Harris

Without a Home, conducted by the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness in partnership with A Way Home Canada, surveyed 1,103 youth experiencing homelessness across Canada. Youth in 42 different communities and nine of the 10 Canadian provinces, as well as Nunavut Territory, completed the self-report survey. The results provide the first national picture of youth homelessness in Canada.

Portrait of Homelessness in First Nations Communities in Quebec

November 29, 2017/0 Comments/in Housing and homelessness, Poverty issues Aboriginal peoples, Abuse, At risk population, Canada, Families, First Nations, Gender/sex, Homelessness, Housing, Lone adults, Mental health, Methodology, Policy, Remote, Research, Youth Marie-France Harvey Research Report Canada /by John Smith

Hidden homelessness in Canada

November 29, 2017/0 Comments/in Statistics Canada Housing and homelessness Aboriginal peoples, Abuse, Canada, Crime, Disability, Homelessness, Housing, Research, Youth Edward Rodrigue Research Statistics Canada /by John Smith

No Vacancy. Affordability & Homelessness in Vancouver.

November 29, 2017/0 Comments/in University of Victoria Housing and homelessness Canada, Gender/sex, Homelessness, Housing, Housing assistance, Low income, Rental housing, Social assistance, Urban Bernie Pauly, Derek Weiss, Geoff Cross Research Report Canada /by John Smith

Ending homelessness in Canada: A Study of 10-Year Plans in 4 Canadian Cities

November 29, 2017/0 Comments/in Canadian Observatory on Homelessness Housing and homelessness Canada, Evaluation, Homelessness, Housing first, Methodology, Municipalities, Policy, Policy recommendations, Research, Urban Abro Adamo, Fran Klodawsky, Stephen Hwang, Tim Aubry Research Report Canada /by John Smith

Geographies of Inequality

November 29, 2017/0 Comments/in Third Way Next Housing and homelessness Housing, Inequality, Millennials, Policy recommendations, Poverty, United States, Urban Joel Kotkin Research Report United States /by John Smith

On the Map: The Atlas of Student Homelessness in New York City

November 29, 2017/0 Comments/in Institute for Children, Poverty & Homelessness Housing and homelessness Child poverty, Education, Homelessness, Housing, Map, Municipalities, Policy, Poverty, Program development, United States, Urban Poverty & Homelessness Institute for Children Research Report United States /by John Smith

Gender Differences in the Financial Knowledge of Canadians

November 29, 2017/0 Comments/in Statistics Canada Housing and homelessness Canada, Financial education, Financial literacy, Gender/sex, Inequality Marie Drolet Research Article Canada /by John Smith

The destructive legacy of housing segregation

November 29, 2017/0 Comments/in The Atlantic Housing and homelessness Financial exclusion, Financial vulnerability, Homelessness, Housing, Inequality, Neighbourhood, Policy, Race/ethnicity, Racial wealth gap, Social change, United States, Urban, Wealth inequality, Welfare Patrick Sharkey Miscellaneous Article United States /by John Smith

Evaluation of San Francisco’s Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program

November 29, 2017/0 Comments/in San Francisco Human Services Agency Housing and homelessness Evaluation, Homelessness, Housing, United States Anne Paprocki Research Evaluation report United States /by John Smith

Beyond Housing First: Essential Elements of a System-Planning Approach to Ending Homelessness

November 29, 2017/0 Comments/in University of Calgary Housing and homelessness Canada, Homelessness, Housing, Housing first, Policy, Policy recommendations, Regulation, Systems change, Urban Alina Turner Research Brief Canada /by John Smith

Financial Inclusion for Homeless Persons and Those at Risk

November 29, 2017/0 Comments/in Prosper Canada Housing and homelessness Asset building, Financial exclusion, Financial inclusion, Financial literacy, Fringe financial services, Homelessness, Housing, Mainstream financial services, Research, Unbanked SEDI Research Report United States /by John Smith

Independent Living Accounts: Leaving Homelessness in the Past

November 29, 2017/0 Comments/in Prosper Canada Housing and homelessness Aboriginal peoples, Canada, Evaluation, Homelessness, Housing, Independent living account, Matched savings account, Newcomers, Program development, Urban, Youth Adam Fair, Barbara Gosse, Hollis Moore, Jennifer Robson Research Report Canada /by John Smith

No Safe Street: A Survey of Hate Crimes and Violence Committed Against Homeless People in 2014 & 2015

November 29, 2017/0 Comments/in Housing and homelessness Abuse, Crime, Gender/sex, Homelessness, Research, United States, Youth National Coalition for the Homeless Research Report United States /by John Smith

Canadian Housing First Toolkit

November 29, 2017/0 Comments/in Mental Health Commission of Canada Housing and homelessness Aboriginal peoples, Canada, Evaluation, Homelessness, Housing, Housing first, Mental health, Program development, Tool development, Toolkit, Youth E. Macnaughton, L Polvere, L. MacLeod, M. Piat, P. Goering, S. Gaetz Programs Toolkit Canada /by John Smith

Expiring Operating Agreements: A Planning Guide for Ontario’s Former Federal Housing Programs

November 29, 2017/0 Comments/in Housing and homelessness Best practices, Canada, Housing, Program development Housing Services Corporation Miscellaneous Guide Canada /by John Smith

Welcome to the first in a series of planning guides on the Expiry of Operating Agreements. Housing Services Corporation has been working for a number of years on the issue of expiring agreements. We see this Guide as a living document. We hope that this Guide will become a trusted resource for you not only for the information it contains, which will be kept up to date, but also as we continue to add links to new resources based on work being done by the various organizations that operate in this sector. In addition to the range of information contained in the Guide, the online version allows you to link to additional resources which have been prepared or collected by Housing Services Corporation.