The NHS emphasizes that all Canadians have a right to housing and prioritizes those who are most vulnerable due to disadvantage or marginalization. This research area was established to enhance understanding of the causes of, and solutions to, housing vulnerability, a theme that “cuts across” all of our Areas of Inquiry. The work of the cross-cutting theme supports our research teams in understanding and attending to the needs of vulnerable groups.
Work Highlights
- Defining and understanding housing vulnerability in Canada. To understand housing vulnerability in the Canadian context, we conducted a scoping review of residents of community housing in Alberta and BC. Through this work, we found that housing policy is Canada is increasingly targeted to those in core housing need, with community housing seen as a safety net and last resort for the most vulnerable households. This means the benefits of community housing – including better well-being outcomes (vs. market housing) and innovative supports for tenant needs – are not widely accessible.
- Building community, social connectedness and resilience among residents. While community housing addresses core housing needs, it can also support needs for social connection and quality of life. Working with three partner organizations, we surveyed residents of both non-profit and market rental buildings on their friendships, connections with neighbours, sense of belonging, and loneliness. We found that the quality and quantity of social connections were associated with well-being.
- Reconsidering housing vulnerability in research, policy and practice. To advance knowledge of housing vulnerability at the international scale, we edited a special issue of Housing, Theory and Society. It includes eight articles from different world regions and identifies the systemic forces that produce housing vulnerability in diverse contexts.
Research Team
Yushu Zhu
Area Lead
Dr. Zhu’s research focuses on housing and community issues against the backdrop of urbanization and globalization. She pays special attention to communities of immigrants, low-income populations, and ethnic minorities.
Meg Holden
Area Lead
Dr. Holden’s research and professional work examines how cities and urbanites change in relation to demands, plans, actions, and new concepts related to sustainable development and community wellbeing.
Jacqueline Gahagan
Co-Investigator
Dr. Gahagan’s specializes in evaluating policy interventions, with a focus on gender and LGBTQ issues, particularly concerning health-promotion.
Ed Hall
Co-Investigator
Dr. Hall specializes in disability, learning disability, social inclusion/exclusion, and belonging.
Katie MacDonald
Co-Investigator
Dr. MacDonald is an interdisciplinary community-engaged researcher focused on learning in encounters with difference.
Cynthia Puddu
Co-Investigator
Using community-based participatory research methods, Dr. Puddu works closely with homeless youth in Edmonton, sharing their stories of difficulty and success.
Marianne Touchie
Co-Investigator
Dr. Touchie’s research focuses on improving the energy performance and indoor environmental quality of existing buildings to make them more comfortable, healthy and sustainable through comprehensive retrofits.
Rob Wilton
Co-Investigator
Dr. Wilton’s research is broadly concerned with the social geographies of exclusion. Much of his research has focused specifically on the experiences of people with disabilities.
Andy Yan
Co-Investigator
Andy Yan is the director of the City Program at Simon Fraser University. Mr. Yan specializes in the fields of urban regeneration, applied demographics, Geographic Information Systems, neighborhood development, public outreach, social media and quantitative research.
Lead Community Partners
BC Housing administers subsidized housing across the province of British Columbia. They also carry out research and education programming, provide data, and work to strengthen the community housing sector.
Hey Neighbour Collective works with residents of community housing buildings to learn about how to reduce loneliness and social isolation.
