More and more older Canadians are struggling to stay in their homes. Sarah Canham is the project director for the Aging in the right place partnership. She is a CHEC node leader whose primary focus is housing and homelessness among Canada’s rapidly growing aging population.

Born and raise in Yellowknife, Julia Christensen is working to help northern residents take back their housing. For communities across the Canadian North, housing insecurity is an undeniable public policy priority and human rights issue.

The tables are turned in this episode. Host Jim Dunn is in the hot seat, interviewed by Damian Collins. Jim talks about his journey to housing research, and his focus on data that leads to solutions to our housing crisis.

Dr. Damian Collins believes that if we realize the right to housing for all Canadians, we will be a much more successful, inclusive and equitable society. He also believes that goal is within our reach. Damian is a human geographer who is passionate about the issues of housing and homelessness, especially in urban contexts.

Dr. Catherine Leviten-Reid focuses on affordable housing and vulnerable populations. She is passionate about rural and smaller communities including her home base of Sydney, Nova Scotia.

Alexandra Flynn grew up in isolated northern communities where substandard, overcrowded housing was rampant. She sees housing as a fundamental issue of social justice.

Justin Lewis takes a look back at the big thinkers we’ve had as guests this season. As Director of the Housing Secretariat for the City of Hamilton, Justin is a creative thinker finding solutions to the city's homeless crisis. He's also a friend of the pod: CHEC Director Jim Dunn and Executive Advisor Steve Pomeroy were the academic thought leaders and part of the core team who developed the City of Hamilton’s Housing Sustainability and Investment Roadmap.

Heather Tremain is the CEO of Options for Homes. The non-profit developer uses an innovative funding model to help people with lower incomes become homeowners. Should this model be used as a tool to solve the housing crisis?

Rebekah Young of Scotiabank wrote a report titled "Canadian Housing Affordability Hurts". In it, she says that the government needs to build more non-profit, affordable housing. She talks to Jim Dunn about why non-profit housing is good for business.

Alastair Parvin has a bold idea. The CEO of the UK's Open Systems Lab wants to transform land from an individually owned asset to one owned by the community as a whole. He says this will solve the housing crisis and many of our other social challenges.

Leilani Farha talks about what it means to declare housing a human right and what we must do to live up to that commitment.

Hosts Jim Dunn and Cynthia Belaskie are back. This season features big thinkers sharing their visionary ideas on how to fix our housing crisis. First episode is dropping Wednesday!

What is unaffordability migration? How has it affected cities and towns across Canada? And most importantly, how do we fix it? Hosts Jim Dunn and Cynthia Belaskie look at evidence-based solutions to the "drive 'til you qualify" phenomenon. This episode's experts: Penny Gurstein, Nemoy Lewis, Alix McLean, Mike MoffattLove the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! Learn more about fixing Canadian housing policy at:chec_ccrl.ca | Safe, affordable, and appropriate housing for all Canadians. (chec-ccrl.ca)

What can we do to make homes more affordable for first-time buyers.? Hosts Jim Dunn and Cynthia Belaskie talk about the challenges of buying your first home and some potential solutions.

How housing is a huge corporate money maker and what that means for us as renters and homeowners. Today's experts: Mohamad Bsat, Penny Gurstein, Nemoy Lewis.

Hosts Jim Dunn and Cynthia Belaskie explore how Canada got into this housing policy mess, and what we can do to scratch and claw our way out of it. Today's experts: Mike Moffat, Steve Pomeroy, Paul Kershaw.

To what extent does evidence actually influence public policy? We answer that question and more as Cynthia Belaskie, Robbie Brydon and special guest host Jim Dunn talk to Molly Harrington, former Assistant Deputy Minister with the BC government, and Norm Helfand, former Director of Income Security Policy with the Ontario government. They talk about how data and evidence are used to craft public policy and how health effects are - or are not - considered in income security policy. Tune in to learn more about how public policies are made, how research and evidence are used and what researchers and policymakers need to do to support each other's work.Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! https://mihe.mcmaster.ca/

Prince Edward Island, unlike other provinces, has unit-based rent control, with rent being tied to the units instead of the tenant. However, there is no formal mechanism to know what rent was paid by a previous tenant, despite a provincial bill passed to establish one in 2019. Join Cynthia Belaskie and Robbie Brydon as they talk to Darcie Lanthier, a member of the Green Party of Canada and an advocate of rent control. Darcie founded My Old Apartment to help past tenants tell current tenants what the legal maximum rent should be. In less than a year they added 10% of all apartments in Charlottetown to the registry and have helped tenants get back money - up to $20,000 - that was charged above that maximum. Tune in as Darcie discusses the importance of rent control and advocates for tenants on the housing market.Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! https://mihe.mcmaster.ca/

How do we solve the issue of LGBTQ2 vulnerability in housing? In this episode, Cynthia Belaskie and Robbie Brydon's guest is Kenna McDowell, a graduate student in the Human Geography program at the University of Alberta. Kenna explains that expanding the social and affordable housing sector could solve so many issues that queer people experience. Especially because queer people are more likely to experience violence and discrimination in emergency shelters. Join in the conversation to learn more about LGBTQ2 vulnerability in housing and what you can do to help in your little way. Tune in! Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! https://mihe.mcmaster.ca/

One of the main goals of community housing is to provide more affordable homes for those in need and, ultimately, to help them keep those homes. But what happens when people struggle to maintain tenancy in the community housing sector? In today’s episode, Cynthia Belaskie and Robbie Brydon are joined by Dr. Damian Collins of the University of Alberta. Damian is involved in research with Community Housing Canada and recently published the article, “When We Do Evict Them, It’s a Last Resort”: Eviction Prevention in Social and Affordable Housing. He discusses various eviction prevention strategies and draws some comparisons between what’s at stake in the community housing sector versus the private sector when it comes to being evicted. He also breaks down six major challenges the community housing sector faces that his team's research will be tackling. Join their discussion as Damian explores the importance of housing not only for those in need but in the development of society at large. Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! https://mihe.mcmaster.ca/