Supportive housing helps people who have experienced homelessness find a stable place to live. However, what happens when they want to live on their own in the private market? Our study shows that people are usually happy with their choice to move despite facing challenges which undermine their housing stability.
Supportive housing in Toronto
For some, transitioning out of homelessness means living in supportive housing. This type of housing has two important features: affordable rent (usually 30% or less of a person’s income) and extra services to help with mental health and/or independent living. Research shows that supportive housing helps people stay housed, but there aren’t enough spaces. In Toronto, there are more than 19,000 people on the waitlist for supportive housing – and that number is expected to grow.
Moving on Initiatives
Moving on initiatives (MOIs) help people move from supportive housing to other places with a reduced level of care. These programs have two main benefits: 1) they help tenants who want to live more independently, and 2) they free up space for new tenants in supportive housing. MOIs could reduce the long waitlists for supportive housing, relieving stress on a resource-strapped sector.
While MOIs have been tried in major U.S. cities, we haven’t found any research on them in Canada.
Home for Good in Toronto, Ontario
Funded by the Government of Ontario, the Home for Good (HFG) program supported Houselink & Mainstay Community Housing (HLMS) to create a MOI. HLMS is Toronto’s largest supportive housing provider and was able to help 11 of their tenants move to private rental units.
- Before the move: HLMS helped tenants find a new unit, learn about renter rights, sign a lease, get financial help with deposits, and negotiate repairs with landlords. Tenants were told they could return to HLMS if needed.
- After the move: Tenants received an $800 monthly rent supplement and monthly check-ins from HLMS staff.
In partnership with HLMS, our team at the MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions studied the experiences of 10 tenants who entered the private rental market during the COVID-19 pandemic.
How did participants experience Home for Good?
All participants were on fixed incomes from social assistance programs. They had spent between 3 and 23 years living in supportive housing and had the skills to live independently. Our study shares participants’ experiences with Home for Good in three phases:
- Deciding to move on – Participants took their time deciding to leave supportive housing. Moving to the private market was a risk (especially when dependent on a rent supplement), but participants were reassured knowing they could return to HLMS at any point. One participant explained, “I’d been there way too long as it was. I wasn’t progressing anymore there. It was holding me back.” Many wanted to move out as a way of continuing their journey to independence.
- Finding a new home – Participants browsed rental listings and shared them with a housing worker who then contacted landlords and assisted with rental applications. One participant proudly stated, “I was helping to find my home.” The process was slow, as it was difficult to find affordable units and some applications were rejected.
- Adjusting to independent living – Participants liked their new homes which were bigger, quieter, and more private than before. They cooked for themselves and were able to see their family or romantic partners more often. Although COVID-19 limited community involvement, all participants appreciated the program. One participant shared, “I came to an environment that everything is normal, people are cheerful and you know everything is perfect.”
After moving out, affordability was an ongoing challenge. Even with the $800 rent supplement from HLMS, most participants spent over half of their income on rent. Rising grocery costs, yearly rent increases, and low social assistance rates tightened their budgets. To prevent evictions, HLMS increased the rent supplement amount. As a result, all participants remain in their homes to this day.
Reflections and Recommendations
Our research shows that MOIs which offer rent supplements can help people move from supportive housing to private rental units. Following learnings from HLMS, future MOIs should teach renters their rights, offer ongoing support to tenants who have moved out, and guarantee the right to return to supportive housing. We recommend that researchers continue to study MOIs in Canada and encourage them to include people with lived experiences of homelessness on their teams.
Governments should ensure that rent supplements can match annual increases in rent prices, enforce stronger rent control laws, and permanently raise social assistance rates to match the cost of living. Toronto needs more affordable housing, and new units should be built for individuals with a variety of support needs.
Taking these steps could reduce waitlists and provide more people with stable and appropriate housing.
Learn More
For more information about our evaluation of Mainstay’s Home for Good program, click here: https://maphealth.ca/home-for-good/.
Coming soon:
This webpage will be updated with links to our upcoming presentation at CAEH24 and our full paper once it is published in an academic journal.
This post is part of our #CAEH24 blog series which highlights research on preventing and ending homelessness that is being presented at the 2024 National Conference on Ending Homelessness, October 29-31 in Ottawa, ON. Learn more about this work at the session titled Thriving Beyond Homelessness: Sustaining Exits and Navigating Supportive Housing on Wednesday, October 30, from 3:30 – 5pm.