Homelessness
- Anybody's Couch: The Lived Experience of Youth Homelessness through a Rights-Based Lens
- Homelessness in Caledon
- Homelessness and Nursing
- Arts Informed Research
The Canadian Definition of Homelessness (2013)
Canadian Homeless Research Network
Housing, Vulnerability and Health
For the first time in Canada, we have the numbers to show that people who are vulnerably housed face the same severe health problems - and danger of assault - as people who are homeless.
The number of people experiencing the devastating health outcomes associated with inadequate housing could be staggering. There are about 17,000 shelter beds available across Canada every night, but almost 400,000 Canadians are vulnerably housed. This means that for each person who is homeless in Canada, 23 more people are vulnerably housed - paying more than half of their monthly income for rent, and living with substantial risk of becoming homeless.
Key findings: People who don't have a healthy place to live - regardless of whether they're vulnerably housed or homeless - are at high risk of serious physical and mental health problems and major problems accessing the health care they need. Many end up hospitalized or in the emergency department. 40 per cent of people who don't have a healthy place to live have been assaulted at least once in the past year, and one in three have trouble getting enough to eat.
Key recommendations: We're calling for the federal government to respond by setting national housing standards that ensure universal, timely access to healthy (i.e. decent, stable, and affordable) housing.
From Reach3: An interdisciplinary alliance of researcher partners
Precarious Housing in Canada (2010)
Millions of Canadians who are living in substandard, over-crowded and unaffordable homes - plus those who are living without any housing at all. Housing is one of the most important factors for a healthy life. A good home is important for individuals and for overall population health. The growing number of Canadians who are precariously housed continues to be a deep and persistent problem throughout the country; the nation-wide affordable housing crisis is costly to individuals, communities, the economy, and the government. Federal housing and homelessness investments - adjusted for inflation and population growth - have been shrinking over the past two decades; and, while the federal government announces short-term initiatives from time to time, Canada still doesn't have a comprehensive, fully-funded and integrated national housing strategy.
Homelessness - Diverse Experiences, Common Issues, Shared Solutions: The Need for Inclusion and Accountability
