Understanding the Intersection Between Justice-Involvement and Homelessness

In partnership with the John Howard Society of Ontario and the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness, SRDC is investigating the intersection between homelessness and involvement in Ontario’s justice system. This study involves the use of both quantitative and qualitative methods to explore the housing-related challenges, barriers, and needs of justice-involved people. The first phase of the research involves a secondary data analysis of several existing datasets to determine the prevalence of justice involvement and incarceration among people experiencing homelessness in Ontario.

The second phase involves qualitative data collection to explore the lived experiences of people who are released from incarceration and experiencing homelessness. The final phase of the research focuses on identifying promising practices and programs in Ontario. This research will inform recommendations on promising practices and policies to help improve access to safe, adequate housing for people who are justice-involved.