How does your housing affect your health?
This is the key research question posed by the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) West Housing and Health Study, a research project that is currently taking place in four locations: the City of Toronto, the City of Hamilton, and the Regional Municipalities of Halton and Peel.
With the support of the local housing authorities, we are inviting people who are on the waiting list for Rent-Geared-to-Income, or RGI, Housing, to learn about their life and how they have been feeling.
Participation in our study involves completing a questionnaire with an interviewer, at different points in time, over a few years. Some participants will also be invited to do additional interviews where they can tell their stories in more detail. As participants’ housing situations change over time (or, if they stay the same), we will continue to learn about how their health has changed (or, if it has stayed the same).
This study is the first of its kind in Canada; we are learning about study participants’ housing and health over a few years and not just at one point in time.
We will explore how changes in neighbourhood quality, housing quality, and housing affordability may affect physical and emotional health over time.
Project Hotline: 905.525.9140 x23375