IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsoctx/v11y2021i2p53-d567494.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Is the Right to Housing Being Realized in Canada? Learning from the Experiences of Tenants in Affordable Housing Units in a Large Canadian City

Author

Listed:
  • Kaylee Ramage

    (Community Health Sciences, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cumming School of Medicine, Calgary, AB T2N 4Z6, Canada)

  • Meaghan Bell

    (Calgary Housing Company, Calgary, AB T2G 2M1, Canada)

  • Lisa Zaretsky

    (Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, Calgary, AB T2N 4Z6, Canada)

  • Laura Lee

    (Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada)

  • Katrina Milaney

    (Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, Calgary, AB T2N 4Z6, Canada)

Abstract

Background: Housing is a critical determinant of health and a basic human right. Historically, Canada’s housing policies have not been grounded in a human rights-based approach. In the 1990s, a policy shift prioritized efficiency in government spending and deficit reductions over the provision of many social programs including affordable housing. With various levels of government now acknowledging and recognizing the need for more affordable housing, it is important to understand tenant experiences, perspectives, and needs to ensure policies and practices are supporting individuals appropriately. Methods: In total, 161 individuals participated in this study by completing online or in-person questionnaires. Results: Exploratory analysis of results revealed that although there were some positive benefits to affordable housing, many tenants continued to struggle financially, physically, mentally, and emotionally without adequate supports in place. Conclusions: These findings highlight the need for affordable housing to be part of a system of care that provides supports along a continuum. The results further reiterate that placing a person or family in affordable housing does not guarantee that their lives have improved. Without robust affordable housing models that prioritize the empowerment of individuals and families, housing policies may fail to fulfil the right to safe and affordable housing for Canadians, especially when considering historically marginalized populations.

Suggested Citation

  • Kaylee Ramage & Meaghan Bell & Lisa Zaretsky & Laura Lee & Katrina Milaney, 2021. "Is the Right to Housing Being Realized in Canada? Learning from the Experiences of Tenants in Affordable Housing Units in a Large Canadian City," Societies, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-9, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsoctx:v:11:y:2021:i:2:p:53-:d:567494
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/11/2/53/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/11/2/53/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Krieger, J. & Higgins, D.L., 2002. "Housing and health: Time again for public health action," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 92(5), pages 758-768.
    2. Hwang, S.W. & Chambers, C. & Chiu, S. & Katic, M. & Kiss, A. & Redelmeier, D.A. & Levinson, W., 2013. "A comprehensive assessment of health care utilization among homeless adults under a system of universal health insurance," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 103(S2), pages 294-301.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Peng Nie & Andrew E. Clarck & Conchita D'Ambrosio & Lanlin Ding, 2020. "Income-related health inequality in urban China (1991-2015): The role of homeownership and housing conditions," Working Papers 524, ECINEQ, Society for the Study of Economic Inequality.
    2. Carolina Navarro & Luis Ayala & José Labeaga, 2010. "Housing deprivation and health status: evidence from Spain," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 38(3), pages 555-582, June.
    3. Sima Alizadeh & Catherine E. Bridge & Bruce H. Judd & Valsamma Eapen, 2023. "Home Indoor Environmental Quality and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-25, February.
    4. Milovanska-Farrington, Stefani, 2020. "Parents labor supply and childhood obesity: Evidence from Scotland," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 38(C).
    5. Dragan Gjorgjev & Mirjana Dimovska & George Morris & John Howie & Mirjana Borota Popovska & Marija Topuzovska Latkovikj, 2019. "How Good Is our Place—Implementation of the Place Standard Tool in North Macedonia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(1), pages 1-16, December.
    6. Philipp Ager & James J Feigenbaum & Casper W Hansen & Hui Ren Tan, 2024. "How the Other Half Died: Immigration and Mortality in U.S. Cities," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 91(1), pages 1-44.
    7. Judith Schröder & Susanne Moebus & Julita Skodra, 2022. "Selected Research Issues of Urban Public Health," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-28, May.
    8. Juan Pablo Díaz-Sánchez & Moisés Obaco & Javier Romaní, 2022. "Measuring Overcrowding in Households with Children: Official vs. Actual Thresholds in the Ecuadorian Case," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 15(2), pages 383-398, April.
    9. Min Zhou & Wei Guo, 2023. "Self-rated Health and Objective Health Status Among Rural-to-Urban Migrants in China: A Healthy Housing Perspective," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 42(1), pages 1-24, February.
    10. Sungwoo Lim & Pui Ying Chan & Sarah Walters & Gretchen Culp & Mary Huynh & L Hannah Gould, 2017. "Impact of residential displacement on healthcare access and mental health among original residents of gentrifying neighborhoods in New York City," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(12), pages 1-12, December.
    11. Völker, Sebastian & Kistemann, Thomas, 2013. "Reprint of: “I'm always entirely happy when I'm here!” Urban blue enhancing human health and well-being in Cologne and Düsseldorf, Germany," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 141-152.
    12. Stefan Angel & Benjamin Bittschi, 2019. "Housing and Health," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 65(3), pages 495-513, September.
    13. Quinonez, Pablo, 2022. "Social spending and income inequality in Latin America. A panel data approach," MPRA Paper 113538, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    14. Yang Xiao & Siyu Miao & Chinmoy Sarkar & Huizhi Geng & Yi Lu, 2018. "Exploring the Impacts of Housing Condition on Migrants’ Mental Health in Nanxiang, Shanghai: A Structural Equation Modelling Approach," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-14, January.
    15. Badland, Hannah & Whitzman, Carolyn & Lowe, Melanie & Davern, Melanie & Aye, Lu & Butterworth, Iain & Hes, Dominique & Giles-Corti, Billie, 2014. "Urban liveability: Emerging lessons from Australia for exploring the potential for indicators to measure the social determinants of health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 64-73.
    16. Emma J. Kuhn & G. Stewart Walker & Harriet Whiley & Jackie Wright & Kirstin E. Ross, 2019. "Household Contamination with Methamphetamine: Knowledge and Uncertainties," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(23), pages 1-15, November.
    17. repec:pri:crcwel:wp10-05-ff is not listed on IDEAS
    18. Diana Margot Rosenthal & Antoinette Schoenthaler & Michelle Heys & Marcella Ucci & Andrew Hayward & Ashlee Teakle & Monica Lakhanpaul & Celine Lewis, 2023. "How Does Living in Temporary Accommodation and the COVID-19 Pandemic Impact under 5s’ Healthcare Access and Health Outcomes? A Qualitative Study of Key Professionals in a Socially and Ethnically Diver," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(2), pages 1-22, January.
    19. Nipuni Nilakshini Wimalasena & Alice Chang-Richards & Kevin I-Kai Wang & Kim N. Dirks, 2021. "Housing Risk Factors Associated with Respiratory Disease: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-24, March.
    20. Justyna Rój & Maciej Jankowiak, 2021. "Socioeconomic Determinants of Health and Their Unequal Distribution in Poland," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(20), pages 1-20, October.
    21. M. Kissinger & Y. Karplus, 2015. "IPAT and the analysis of local human–environment impact processes: the case of indigenous Bedouin towns in Israel," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 17(1), pages 101-121, February.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsoctx:v:11:y:2021:i:2:p:53-:d:567494. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.