I am very excited to be writing the inaugural Homeless Research Matters blog post! And while I hope the title I chose, Research Cannot End Homelessness, caught your attention, I also hope you don’t buy it. 

Mobilizing research to help end homelessness is kinda our shtick. We can be heard touting our slogan “Making Research Matter” from the rooftops. We actually have a lot riding on this belief...and we’re not the only ones.

What the numbers say
Between 157,000 and 300,000 Canadians experience absolute homelessness and 3.5 million Canadians live in poverty.

But where does the research come into play?
Simple - we believe that the impact of research is threefold:

·       Research can help educate the general public about people who are homeless and homelessness issues;

·       Research can inform policy makers and help them make evidence-based decisions;

·       Research can provide evidence-based solutions to service providers in the social, health care and housing sectors.

Why blog?
We hope to
reach more people and get evidence-based information about homelessness out to a larger audience.  So, please, share this with colleagues and friends, add us to your blogroll and check back regularly for our latest posts.

How can I learn more?
Visit the homelesshub.ca for:

·       Over 20,000 homelessness-related resources, including resources for conducting research

·       Education materials for teachers and students to raise awareness of homelessness

·       Arts-based research, including films, theatre, music, photography and visual art

·       First-hand experiences written by homeless people, formerly homeless and service providers

·       Homelessness-related events across Canada


Allyson Marsolais, Project Coordinator for the Canadian Homelessness Research Network, has a Masters Degree in Critical Disability Studies from York University and has been working in the social justice field for over 5 years.