On September 13, 2018, EENet and the Ontario Housing First Regional Network Community of Interest (OHFRN-CoI) hosted a webinar titled, "How a Housing First approach fits with a human rights approach to housing."
The webinar looked at:
- A rights-based approach for the National Housing Strategy;
- How Housing First fits with the approach;
- How to get the rights-based approach into legislation.
View the webinar recording and view the presentation slides.
The presenters
- Kenneth Hale, Director of Legal Services, Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario
- Emily Paradis, Independent researcher, and instructor, Urban Studies, University of Toronto
- Bruce Porter, Executive Director of the Social Rights Advocacy Centre
The moderators
- Tim Aubry, Professor, School of Psychology & Senior Researcher, Centre for Research on Educational and Community Services, University of Ottawa; and OHFRN-COI Co-lead
- Geoff Nelson, Emeritus Professor of Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University; and OHFRN-COI Co-lead; and OHFRN-COI Co-lead
About the Ontario Housing First Regional Network COI
This community of interest aims to assist communities across Ontario to develop, evaluate, and improve Housing First (HF) programs based on the pathways model tested, adapted, and shown to be effective in the At Home / Chez Soi Demonstration Project.
For more information, visit the COI's webpage.
Additional resources
Implementing the human right to housing in Canada’s national housing strategy
OHFRN-CoI’s feedback on discussion paper, "A Human Rights-based Approach to Housing."
Open letter & the Right to Housing Campaign - Sign on & email your MP. Some notes to include are available below:
“We call on the government to ensure that the National Housing Strategy legislation:
- affirms the recognition of the right to housing as a fundamental human right;
- implements accountability mechanisms through which those affected by homelessness or inadequate housing can hold governments accountable for the progressive realization of the right to housing;
- ensures that the Office of the Federal Housing Advocate and National Housing Council are independent, adequately resourced and given authority to make recommendations and require remedial action for compliance with the right to housing
- provides for an adjudication body which includes both experts in human rights and persons with lived experience of homelessness or inadequate housing, to hold accessible hearings into systemic issues affecting the progressive realization of the right to housing and to recommend effective remedies …”