Making Strides Episode 8: A New Blueprint for Housing and Human Well-Being
Canada’s housing crisis and homelessness in our communities are dominating headlines, but the solutions are more complex than building more homes. In this episode of Making Strides, Dr. Naomi Nichols, Canada Research Chair in Community-Partnered Social Justice, explores the deeper forces shaping housing insecurity across Canada.
From rising homelessness in both big cities and smaller communities to the stigma that continues to surround poverty and housing instability, Professor Nichols explains how housing intersects with health care, income security, public space, and community well-being. Professor Nichols shares how housing issues are understood through human stories and draws on her research in Peterborough to inform more inclusive and equitable housing and social supports across the country.
Featured Expert
Dr. Naomi Nichols
Canada Research Chair, Community-Partnered Social Justice Professor of Sociology
As Canada Research Chair in Community-Partnered Social Justice at Trent, Dr. Naomi Nichol’s studies social inequality and the systems that shape people’s everyday lives. Her research explores how policies and institutions influence the experiences of children, youth, and families, particularly those facing poverty and housing insecurity.
At Trent, Professor Nichols and her research team are leading a city-wide institutional ethnographic study in Peterborough to understand how residents experience shifting patterns of privilege and marginalization. The research examines interconnected issues including housing and food insecurity, public health precarity, safety in shared public spaces, and changing population dynamics.
By working closely with community partners in her research, Prof. Nichols generates insights that can help governments and organizations develop more equitable policies and supports for people navigating complex social challenges.
Listening to Locals
Professor Nichols’ research emphasizes the importance of understanding how policies affect people’s daily lives. In a recent report on parenting and community life in Peterborough, researchers found that many families feel increasingly isolated and overwhelmed as they navigate rising costs, housing instability, and changing social supports. By centering the voices of community members, this work helps inform policy decisions that better reflect local realities and lived experience.
Peterborough parents feel isolated and overwhelmed according to new research report.
A Medal for Championing More Equity
Trent researchers are nationally recognized for their contributions to community-engaged scholarship and social change. Professor Nichols was recently honoured with a King Charles III Coronation Medal, recognizing her work advancing research that supports more equitable outcomes for communities across Canada.
Two Trent professors receive King Charles III Coronation Medals.
Informing Public Conversations
As housing, affordability, and social policy remain central issues for Canadians, Trent researchers are contributing expert insight to public dialogue. Through media commentary and public engagement, Professor Nichols shares research findings that help communities and policymakers understand the complex factors shaping housing insecurity and social inequality.
Related story: Peterborough polls: what voters want from Canada’s next leader.
Featured Programs
Students interested in exploring the social forces shaping issues like housing, inequality, and community well-being can pursue interdisciplinary study across several programs at Trent University. In programs like Sociology, Criminology and Social Work, students examine how institutions, policies, and social structures influence people’s lives, while Gender & Social Justice explores how power, identity, and equity shape communities and public policy.
At the graduate level, Trent’s Canadian Studies & Indigenous Studies M.A. and Ph.D. programs provide opportunities to investigate pressing social issues through interdisciplinary research grounded in Canadian and Indigenous contexts. The Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Social Research equips students with advanced research tools to examine complex social challenges and work collaboratively with communities to develop innovative solutions.
