National Affordable Housing Study Expands with New Funding

As housing costs continue to rise across the country, Cape Breton University’s Dr. Catherine Leviten-Reid is at the forefront of national research efforts to understand and improve affordable rental housing in Canada. Supported by new funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), she is leading a cross-country partnership focused on renters in the greatest need.

Through a joint SSHRC-CMHC initiative, Dr. Leviten-Reid has been awarded an additional $900,000 to extend her leadership of this research initiative. The new funding, which builds on a $1.3 million grant awarded in 2020, will sustain and expand the project through 2028. The team includes partner organizations and researchers from Ottawa, Saskatoon, Cape Breton and Montreal, and is part of the Collaborative Housing Research Network. 

“This new round of funding means that we can both continue with our original focus, and also work on new projects that our partners felt were missing from our first five years,” says Dr. Leviten-Reid. “It also means we can support students and continue with our knowledge mobilization work, engaging in different ways to share our findings from our first phase.”

Focus on Renters in Need

The partnership brings together researchers and community organizations nationwide to investigate the experiences of renters, particularly those with the lowest incomes and the most significant housing challenges.

“This partnership grant focuses on renters who struggle with housing security and affordability,” explains Dr. Leviten-Reid. “Often these are women and their families, since women are more likely to experience poverty. These also include people who have experienced homelessness and those with disabilities, among other marginalized groups.”

The first phase of the research gained insights into how various types of rental housing models (public, community-based, market, etc.) can affect a tenant’s well-being. It also provided some of the first evidence-based analysis of the Canada Housing Benefit, a key component of the Canadian government’s National Housing Strategy. The research revealed that, while well-intentioned, the benefit has actually fallen short of improving outcomes for tenants.

“Our research has contributed to the much-needed evidence base on different kinds of rental housing approaches and how they support renters,” says Dr. Leviten-Reid. “The work we have done on the Canada Housing Benefit has been among the first research on this new program, and we have found that this mechanism is actually not resulting in housing affordability for tenants.”

Grounded in Cape Breton, Connected Across Canada

Operating out of lab space in the New Dawn Centre in Sydney, Dr. Leviten-Reid’s team is uniquely positioned to highlight housing realities in smaller communities, which are often overlooked.

“Working from CBU has meant that we have been able to place significant emphasis on affordable housing issues in smaller communities, which are typically left out of national conversations and housing research,” she says. “Having lab space at the NDC has given us the opportunity to interview tenants in an accessible and familiar environment and connect with local organizations as well.”

Next Generation of Housing Scholars

The grant has also played a vital role in mentoring emerging housing researchers.

“Aijia Deng, for example, completed her MBA in Community Economic Development at CBU under my supervision and with funding from this partnership grant, and is now pursuing her PhD in Planning at the University of Waterloo,” says Dr. Leviten-Reid. “Her graduate research at CBU was also published in a peer-reviewed journal.”

Second Phase

As the project enters its next phase, the team will continue to analyze data from the Canadian Housing Survey, focusing on tenant experiences related to housing conditions, stability and the types of rental housing they occupy. Partners at Carleton University will also launch a new youth tenant advocacy training initiative, and other team members will explore affordable homeownership options for low-income households in Cape Breton.

For Dr. Leviten-Reid, the continuation of this work is both a responsibility and a privilege.

“Overall, it’s been a privilege for our team to be recipients of this CMHC-SSHRC grant,” she says. “We’ve been able to produce evidence that supports stronger, more equitable housing systems and helps give voice to tenants who are too often excluded from national policy conversations.”