Grant: Operating Grant

Over 200,000 low socio-economic households live in subsidized housing in the western part of Greater Toronto Area, comprising the Regions of Peel and Halton and the Cities of Hamilton and Toronto. Given that subsidized housing (modestly) increases the disposable income of these households and improves the security of their housing, it is plausible that subsidized housing may have a positive impact on health. The present research investigates changes in adult (ages 18-75) mental health among households who are re-housed into subsidized housing. The study population is a cohort of household applicants for social housing in the GTA West we have enrolled into a longitudinal study. The proposed grant renewal will allow us to follow all of these participants for a total of 18 months after being re-housed (at 6-month intervals). This kind of research is critical because there are very few studies of housing improvement and health in the last 100 years and none have followed households so thoroughly.