Our Homelessness Prevention
Research Agenda

Communities can prevent and end homelessness when they’re informed by credible evidence and are supported by policy and funding. Our research agenda aims to provide the evidence base to address the causes of homelessness and prevent it from occurring.

Research Agenda

Our research agenda aims to generate new insights into homelessness prevention. It’s guided by five intersecting research themes co-created by researchers, community partners, policymakers, and people with lived experience of homelessness.

Core Research Themes

Shifting to Prevention and Early Intervention

Sustaining Successful Exits from Homelessness

Crosscutting Research Themes

Prevention and the Right to Housing

Integrated Structural & Systems Responses to Support Prevention

Leveraging Data & Technology to Drive Policy and Practice

Prevention

Preventing homelessness requires a significant conceptual and operational shift.

Knowledge Mobilization

Our knowledge mobilization (KMb) approach involves collaboration between our research and communications teams and draws on the expertise of our partners.

From Research to Impact

Our research agenda is designed to involve cross-sectoral partnerships and collaboration to conduct and disseminate research for impact.

Our Commitment to Decolonize Research

As part of the COH’s Reconciliation Action Plan (in line with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action), we prioritize the development of genuine partnerships with Indigenous stakeholders to foster the co-creation and implementation of a meaningful Indigenous homelessness prevention research agenda. We acknowledge the legacy of colonialism and racism in Canada, commit to bi-directional learning and capacity building, adopt approaches to research methodologies that embrace hybridity (combining Indigenous and Western methodologies and ways of knowing), and recognize the importance of Indigenous sovereignty regarding the operational implementation of the research agenda.