As the housing and homelessness epidemic continues to intensify at both local and national levels, Trent University’s Research for Social Change Lab (RSCL) has been actively investigating the trends, systemic issues, and potential solutions through various shared learning initiatives. 

A significant part of the RSCL’s work and mission around this cause – and what makes its specific approach unique – is the consultation and collaboration with key community and crisis-specific stakeholders, particularly those with lived experience, to develop a ground-up strategy to address critical needs timely. 

This is something Dr. Naomi Nichols, founder and director of RSCL emphasizes is essential “if we have any hope of destabilizing current efforts to politically profit from fearmongering and economically profit from a housing crisis." 

The Peterborough Community Symposium on Housing & Homelessness, a two-day interactive forum hosted in partnership with Peterborough Drug Strategy (PDS) on February 22-23, proved another significant step towards creating meaningful, actionable change. 

The event united representatives from academia, local organizations, and municipal government, each equipped with the necessary authority, expertise, and passion to drive crucial dialogue and action – included professors, harm reduction advocates, social workers, and people with lived experience (PWLE). 

Additionally, the event featured three impactful keynote speakers: 

• Dr. Jayne Malenfant, Trent Anthropology graduate and McGill University professor

• Janalyn Dodds, a mature fourth-year Trent Bachelor of Social Work student

• Alex Nelson, Community Engagement and Research Specialist for The National Right to Housing Network  

Next steps include finalizing an accountability plan with specific actions and owners; some of which include creating an advocacy coalition, a lived experience support network, a living list of resources and eligibility criteria, distribution of trauma-informed Indigenous resources, and engagement with shelter operators about harm reduction policies. 

“So that we don’t just talk anymore, but actually commit to doing something tangible to get us out of this mess,” which Dr. Nichols emphasizes “we absolutely must and can do.” 

With demand for registration exceeding capacity (more than 50 people waitlisted), free materials including a detailed synthesis and podcast recap will be uploaded to the RSCL and PDS websites in the coming weeks. 

“This symposium was a significant site of learning, solidarity-building, and action planning,” explains Dr. Nichols. “I am glad to have spent two days basking in the expertise of our local community and engaging in enriching dialogue with the very people who I anticipate I will be working hard alongside for the foreseeable future.” 

Hear more from Dr. Nichols on Global News Peterborough here.

This event was generously supported by the Government of Canada, the United Way, The Symons Trust for Canadian Studies (Trent University), and the Research for Social Change Lab (RSCL), which is partly funded through the Canada Research Chair program.