SHSC-Housing Internship and Scholar Program Papers
SHSC’s innovative partnership with Canadian Policy Research Networks (CPRN) has successfully attracted bright graduate-level students to conduct independent research on a number of social housing issues:
- Recession and Stimulus Spending: A Preliminary Examination of Stimulus Spending on Affordable Housing in Ontario
- Arif Jinha
The federal budget of January 2009 allocated almost $2 billion toward social housing, reversing a trend of funding cuts to social housing policies and programs from previous governments. This paper provides an early look at the significance of the global economic recession and the impact of one-time stimulus spending on affordable housing programs in the province of Ontarios.
- The Homeownership Component of the Canada-Ontario Affordable Housing Program: Critical Analysis of Program Objectives
- Helen Looker
In April 2005, the federal and Ontario governments jointly invested $734 million in the Canada-Ontario Affordable Housing Program (COAHP) with more than $28 million dedicated to the COAHP Homeownership Component. The goal of the COAHP Homeownership Component was to help 20,000 low to moderate income households transition from renting to home ownership through assisted down payments. This paper assesses the variable uptake of the COAHP Homeownership Component and critically analyzes the
presumption that home ownership represents a necessarily positive trajectory for low and middle income Canadian households.
- Overcoming Challenges in Centralized and Decentralized Housing Models: Ontario and British Columbia Compared
- Carla Schuk
Social housing policy has experienced substantial changes over the past two decades. In the early 1990s, social housing devolved completely from federal responsibility to the purview of provincial and territorial governments who have differently organized and administered their respective social housing programs. This paper addresses the centralized model for social housing employed by the British Columbia government and the decentralized model employed by the province of Ontario in order to assess the challenges and advantages of each system. The report also examines theoretical models that have been adapted to overcome the trade-offs associated with these two systems.
- Homelessness, Program Responses and an Assessment of Toronto’s Streets to Homes Program
- Nick Falvo
- Social Housing Wait Lists and the One-Person Household in Ontario
- Suzanne Swanton
- The Role of Public-Private Partnerships in Funding Social Housing in Canada
- Alex Moskalyk
Alexandra’s paper reviews the role currently played by public-private partnerships (PPP’s) in sustainable social housing development in Canada and explores policy options, assessing their potential for funding housing for low-income households.
- Towards Food Security Policy for Canada’s Social Housing Sector
- Abigail Friendly
Despite high levels of economic prosperity in Canada, food insecurity is increasingly being recognized as a crucial issue that lacks a coherent policy response at both federal and local levels. The concentration of low-income populations in social housing makes the problem especially acute for social housing residents and providers. Abigail’s study will review the overall Canadian policy context to assess Canada’s past and present performance on food security, provide case studies and make policy recommendations aimed at social housing providers in Canadian cities.
- Housing for Immigrants in Ontario’s Medium-Sized Cities
- David Wachsmuth
Through a combination of key-informant interviews, quantitative analysis, and a literature review, David’s report examines the challenges medium-sized cities face in housing immigrants and the current and potential policy responses.
- The Role of Supportive Housing for Low-Income Seniors in Ontario
- Allison Jones, University of British Columbia
- Linking Social Housing and Energy Efficiency
- Mary Pitt, McGill University
- Inclusion and Social Housing Practice in Canadian Cities: Following the Path from Good Intentions to Sustainable Projects
- Joël Thibert, McGill University
- Fostering Better Integration and Partnerships for Housing in Canada: Lessons for Creating a Stronger Policy Model of Governmental and Community Collaboration
- Michel Molgat Sereacki, Université de Montréal
- Social Lives in Social Housing: Resident Connections to Social Services
- Jeff May, York University
- Sustaining Ontario’s Subsidized Housing by Supporting Non-Profit Organizations
- Sally Turner, York University