City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1244, Item 3106, Title: View of the courtyard at Spruce Court

Although it’s believed that providing people with better housing improves their physical and mental health, it’s difficult to prove. Like many housing researchers I’ve grappled with the same question that has remained scientifically un-tested. But over the past three years, I’ve worked with Dr. James Dunn, an internationally renowned scientist who specializes in the health impacts of housing and neighbourhood interventions, is studying the very issue through a natural research experiment, the Regent Park Social Housing Redevelopment Project. With only seven studies done like this in the last 100 years, this unique research project merits much attention by those working in the housing sector. Being the first of its kind in the world, and in Canada, it is recognized for using a natural method of conducting research, its longitudinal perspective, and its scientific integrity.

The Regent Park Story

Built 60 years ago as Canada’s first and largest social housing project, Regent Park occupies a 69-acre site in downtown Toronto and home to 7,500 people living in 2,087 social housing units is under transformation. Toronto Community Housing (TCH), which owns and manages Regent Park, is demolishing and rebuilding the entire community in six phases. The fundamental objective of the $ 1-billion, 12 year plan which began in 2005, is to reverse the decline of aging stock and create a financial operational model by mixing incomes and tenure.

This community-based academic partnered research project investigates the impact of Regent Park’s redevelopment on the health of social housing residents – both adults and children.

For proponents and providers of social housing, this is crucial research that will inform redevelopment planning and provide solid evidence to demonstrate the impacts of new built urban forms, in particular the impact affordable and quality housing has on the livelihood of low and moderate income households.

SHSC is optimistic that the evidence will show the benefits of improving the housing situation for Regent Park residents. Ambiguous however, is whether transformative improvements, such as new social housing, can change the situation of marginalized residents that have lived in extended periods of poverty. While the controversy still continues about mixed income communities and whether to demolish a social housing project, relocating residents and rebuilding the sites can truly benefit the original residents, which Dr. Dunn’s research will surely shed some light on. The initial results of Phase 1 residents are expected late 2011.

Until then I ponder the question: Is redevelopment and mixed income communities the current way of thinking about how to do social housing right ? What are your thoughts?

Study at a Glance

Principal Investigator: Dr. James Dunn, Associate Professor McMaster University, Chair in Research on Urban Neighbourhoods, Community Health & Housing, & Scientist, Keenan Research Centre of the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael’s Hospital.

Research Objective: Examine the changes in the health of low-income adults & developmental competencies of their children aged 3 to 10 after moving into the redeveloped social housing units in RP.

Research Questions: Does the health and well-being of Regent Park residents improve after redevelopment compared to their baseline health status and compared to a control group?

Approach: At each phase of the development, baseline data is collected from families prior to their move to temporary off-site social housing. Follow up interviews are completed 12 months after the same individuals move into their new social housing units in the rebuilt Regent Park development. The process will repeat with subsequent waves of subsidized tenants relocated through the different phases.
Advisory Committee: Includes representatives from SHSC, TCH and Regent Park residents’ groups as well as municipal, provincial and federal housing officials. The research team is based at the Centre for Research on Inner City Health at St. Michael’s Hospital.

Research Status: Baseline and follow-up interviews have been conducted with a sample (N=60) of residents of four buildings (Phase 1) that were demolished in 2007; some of these residents moved back to Regent Park in May 2009. Baseline data has also been collected from a number of participants (N=154) living in housing that was demolished (Phase 2) in fall 2010. Recruiting of the comparison group is currently underway.