About CHRN

The establishment of the Canadian Homelessness Research Network (CHRN) brings together top researchers on homelessness in Canada. Working in collaboration with a range of key stakeholders and institutions (in the non-profit sector and in government), this group is committed to enhancing the impact of research on the homelessness crisis. That is, our focus is on establishing effective mechanisms for knowledge exchange and mobilization in the area of homelessness research in Canada.

The Canadian Homelessness Research Network is housed at York University, Toronto, but will support the work of regional networks across Canada as well as clusters focused on topical issues (Street youth, Income and Employment, Justice Issues, Aboriginal homelessness, Women and homelessness). Our activities, focusing on education, networking and knowledge mobilization, will provide a national and international forum for sharing and collaboration between researchers, service providers, and policy and program developers, in order to explore the links between research and action, and to move towards effective long-term solutions to homelessness. This project will raise the profile of homelessness research in Canada, showing that research can and should inform decisions, and contribute to solutions to homelessness.

The Homeless Hub

The CHRN also has as its mandate to take over the management and operation of the Homeless Hub (www.homelesshub.com). Building on the success of the Canadian Conference on Homelessness (2005), the Homeless Hub was created to address the need for a single access point to find homelessness information from across Canada. Launched in 2007, the Homeless Hub is a web-based research library and information center representing an innovative step forward in the use of technology to enhance knowledge mobilization and networking. The Homeless Hub has emerged as a place where community services providers, researchers, government representatives, and the general public can access and share research, stories, and best practices. This project began with an understanding that different stakeholders (in government, academia and the social services sector) are likely to think about and utilize research in different ways. As such, the website is built with different stakeholders in mind. Anyone can access and share the latest research, policy and best practices associated with alleviating homelessness and housing instability.

The CHRN has received financial support from the Government of Canada’s Homelessness Partnering Strategy and the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada.