Our Pillars
Pillar 1
Produce innovative research to improve the socioeconomic outcomes and mental health of low-income households
Saint John, New Brunswick is a vibrant city; however, it experiences some of the highest poverty rates in Canada, which makes it an ideal living laboratory to evaluate evidence-based interventions for community resilience, sustainability, and equity. Saint John has a 19.4% poverty rate. In 2017, the Human Development Council found that 30% of children in Saint John were living in poverty. Seniors and newcomers also experience high poverty rates. Recent assessments indicate that 70% of newcomer children in Saint John who immigrated between 2011 and 2016 live in poverty. Two of Saint John's five priority neighbourhoods have childhood poverty rates of approximately 41% and 45%. Saint John is in a rural province and is a small city with extensive waitlists for primary, pediatric and mental health care. Poverty impacts housing stability and households’ abilities to access affordable accommodations. Studies include:
The Maritime Community Housing and Health Initiative:
Funded by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) and the New Brunswick Health Research Foundation (NBHRF), this study uses a longitudinal, prospective cohort design and employs community-based methods. HOME-RL’s main community partner for this project is the Department of Social Development. .
The objective of this study is to determine the impact of movement into publicly subsidized housing on social, economic, community, and physical and mental health outcomes.
Involvement with the Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) / Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s (CMHC) Housing Partnership Development Grants:
Our research team engages with SSHRC-CMHC Hubs from the University of Alberta and McMaster University.
HOME-RL has partnered with the Canadian Housing Evidence Collaborative, based out of McMaster University, as co-investigators to examine the state and assist in the dissemination of evidence on housing within Canada. This partnership runs from 2020 to 2025 and provides funding for Research Assistant support from 2021-2025.
Drs. Woodhall-Melnik and LeBlanc Haley serve as a Deputy Directors for Community Housing Canada: Partners in Resilience, which is based out of the University of Alberta. HOME-RL coordinates and leads an active cross-national group of researchers to explore social inclusion, sustainability, and resilience in non-market housing in Canada. This partnership has secured approximately $70,000 for graduate student and administrative support at HOME-RL.
Engagement with the At Home/Chez Soi Project:
Dr. Woodhall-Melnik has continued her active status on the At Home/Chez Soi clinical trial, which has demonstrated the efficacy of the Housing First model for persons who experienced chronic and acute mental health concerns, alongside chronic or episodic homelessness across Canada. Dr. Woodhall-Melnik currently analyses data and actively publishes with the Toronto, Ontario site and has formed a relationship with the Moncton, New Brunswick Investigators to gain access to outcome data for Moncton. Research in Medicine (RIM) students from Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick are mentored through HOME-RL and are encouraged to work with these data.
Troubling Disability in Housing Needs Assessments
In In partnership with InclusionNB, this community-engaged project involves the development and implementation of a housing needs assessment tool for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in New Brunswick. Lead by Dr. LeBlanc Haley, this project is deeply-community engaged, and involves working closely with our partner organizations, speaking to key informants, running workshops and receiving feedback from people with lived experience, as well as quantitative data analysis of Statistics Canada data products. This project is funded through grants from ResearchNB, New Brunswick Innovation Fund, and a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Insight Development Grant.
Staying Home 2.0: Rent Banks, Housing Stability and Eviction Prevention Across Canada
Staying Home, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and New Brunswick Innovation Foundation, is the first national study of rent banks. Dr. Tobin LeBlanc Haley and the HOME-RL team collaborated with scholars from Wilfrid Laurier University and St. Thomas University as well as the Canadian Rent Bank Coalition to create Staying Home: The Role of Rent Banks in Enhancing Housing Stability for Canada's Renter Households, which aimed to deepen our understanding of rent banks in Canada. Staying Home 2.0 continues this work through a community-engaged research approach, focusing on preventing housing instability by improving rent bank policies and practices.
Pillar 2
Address new inequities that arise from climate crises
In addition to poverty, Saint John and many other areas in New Brunswick have experienced adverse impacts related to climate crises. Climate change has increased the severity and prevalence of natural disasters around the globe. In light of the social and health inequities that arise from exposure to disasters, HOME-RL has explored the recent and multiyear flooding of the St. John River in New Brunswick. These floods have led to positive community building and resilience; however, associated residential displacement and mental health impacts threaten the wellbeing of affected residents and communities. Studies include:
2018 Rapid Response Study of the Spring Flood in New Brunswick
Funded by the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction Focus, this project worked with affected residents and conducted key informant interviews to determine the impacts of residential displacement on the mental health of households that experience flooding. The secondary aim is to investigate the role of social capital in flood responses and recovery.
2019 Rapid Response Study of the Spring Flood in New Brunswick
Funded by the Harrison McCain Young Scholars Award, the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction, and the Marine Environmental Observation and Prediction and Response Network (MEOPAR), this project involved semi-structured interviews with residents impacted by the historic 2018 and 2019 flooding in New Brunswick, aiming to investigate the mental health impacts of repeated flooding on affected households, establishing a network of disaster, displacement, and mental health researchers This project is working to establish collaborations with other disaster and displacement researchers across Canada, including a listserv of interested researchers and graduate students, a centralized webpage, and an active blog that highlights current research. Its objective is to determine avenues for future work on the impacts of all forms of disasters on communities. .
Establishing a Network of Disaster, Displacement, and Mental Health Researchers
Establish collaborations with other disaster and displacement researchers across Canada. Establish a listserv of interested researchers and graduate students, a centralized webpage, and an active blog that highlights current research. Determine avenues for future work on the impacts of all forms of disasters on communities.
Climate Change and Housing Loss: Investigating residential displacement, housing damage, and associated vulnerabilities from climate disasters from a national perspective
Funded by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation President’s Medal, this study built upon Dr. Woodhall-Melnik’s 2018 and 2019 studies of the historical flooding in New Brunswick by conducting a survey across Canada of households that have experienced housing damage or housing loss due to climate events such as flooding or wildfires. The objective of this research is to gain a better understanding of the impacts of climate events on household decisions such as whether to stay in a disaster-prone area or leave, while also establishing an understanding of wellbeing following disasters on a national level. The research team is aiming to use the results of this survey to inform policy recommendations to policymakers at all levels of government, as well as disaster response organizations.
Pillar 3
Youth Outcomes
Social, economic, community, and personal wellbeing are fundamental to youth and community resilience and sustainability. Youth is a tumultuous time where individuals gain the skills needed to function as adults. This period presents challenges for all youth; however, it is especially trying for youth who have histories of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) or who experience marginalization. These youth often require access to positive, creative, and trauma informed programming and mentorship to improve outcomes in adulthood. This pillar focuses on establishing effective, evidence-based interventions for improving social, economic, health, community integration, and housing outcomes in youth with histories of housing instability and ACEs. HOME-RL continues to engage with data collected through Dr. Woodhall-Melnik’s Toronto-based studies of youth mental health and housing.
The I-Click Youth Photography Intervention Evaluation with the Teen Resource Centre (TRC) and the Saint John Art Gallery (SJAG):
Funded by the New Brunswick Social Innovation Fund. Youth engage with staff from the TRC and the SJAG to complete intensive photography training and participate in an active photovoice session and exhibit. The main objective of this research is to assess the efficacy of this method as a mechanism for connecting marginalized youth with case workers, supports, and training opportunities. The secondary objective is to assess the role of photography in reducing community stigma toward youth.
Building Home – Youth Experiences of Housing and Home
This project is a collaboration between the HOMERL research team, the Teen Resource Centre in Saint John, and the Saint John Learning Exchange. The project aimed to evaluate the impact of a youth housing first program that was piloted in Saint John, by investigating the mental health and wellbeing of youth housed through the Safety First program. This involved completing interviews with youth housed through Safety First, as well as staff. The team then undertook a secondary phase of the study, wherein youth that partook in the interviews worked alongside artists to build home-like art installations representative of their housing experiences. This art installation was interactive and available to the public, and was showcased across the province. This work was funded through a shared CMHC grant with the community partners.
Pillar 4
Establish training & experiential education opportunities for senior undergraduate and graduate students
Supervision of Honour’s, Master’s, and Ph.D. students in the areas of Sociology, Interdisciplinary Studies, Community Studies, and Health Studies
HOME-RL engages with students throughout their academic journeys. Through employment and student scholarships, we support Undergraduate, Masters, and Doctoral level students. We engage with post-doctoral fellows in their training. We view contributions to student training as an important step in developing the next generation of housing scholars.
Construction and execution of senior undergraduate courses with experiential education components:
SOCI 4379: Community Engaged Health Research Seminar
Currently offered every other winter. Students engage with organizations in Saint John that are mandated to improve health and social determinants of health in the community. Students volunteer with agencies and work with agencies to determine a research question that can be answered with academic and grey literature. Final products include a working paper with the Institute for Urban and Community Studies and a mini-conference poster presentation.
Participating agencies in 2019 included the New Brunswick Association for Community Living, the Saint John Free Public Library, Avenue B, Romero House, and Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Saint John.
SOCI 3376: Mental Health, Addictions, and Wellbeing
Currently offered every other winter. Students are introduced to the idea of community engaged research and are exposed to potential community partners through field trips and in conversation with invited in-class speakers. Final products include a brief research proposal and reflection papers. Students are asked to exercise critical thought and incorporate course concepts as they reflect on their participation in a variety of wellness activities.
This course provides students who wish to take SOCI 4379 with an introduction to community engaged research and helps develop research capacity in students who plan to complete honour’s and/or graduate work.