Exploring the lived experiences of accessible and affordable housing among families with children, youth and young adults with disabilities and identifying solutions to enhance inclusion is a 5-year project focused on the lived experiences of acquiring accessible and affordable housing among families with children, youth and young adults with disabilities and their families. Dr. Sally Lindsay, senior scientist at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital (Holland Bloorview) TRAIL Lab, is leading the team in this project with the overall goal of removing barriers to accessible and affordable housing for families with children and youth with disabilities.

Funding for this project is provided by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and the Kimel Family Opportunities Fund through the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation.

Why is it important to focus on this topic?

• Most research on the topic of housing issues for people with disabilities focuses on adult or elderly populations, risk of homelessness, and/or people with intellectual or developmental disabilities living in group homes.
• Having suitable and secure housing is essential to youth’s development, social and psychological well-being and overall quality of life. We need to develop a better understanding of the experiences of children and youth with disabilities in order to improve their access to affordable housing that suits their accessibility needs.

Project Objectives 

• To understand the lived experiences of acquiring and maintaining accessible and affordable housing among families with children/youth with disabilities.
• To understand the experiences of housing stakeholders in helping to deliver accessible and affordable housing.
• To explore what shifts in policy and practice may be needed to enable families of children and youth with disabilities to thrive.
• To work with families with children with disabilities to identify and prioritize solutions that enhance their access to accessible and affordable housing.

Principal Investigator
Dr. Sally Lindsay

Co-Investigator
Dr. Tim Ross

Staff
Sarah Leo, Research Coordinator

We are currently completing the first phase of our project. We are disseminating the results from Phase 1, where we conducted interviews with parents of children with disabilities (ages 0-18), youth with disabilities (ages 19-29), and housing stakeholders (e.g., architects, planners, designers, builders, contractors, real estate professionals, landlords, policy decision makers and clinicians doing home assessments).

We are entering Phase 2 of our project shortly. Stay tuned for updates on when we will be recruiting for new participants.

For more information or if you are interested in participating in this study, please contact trail@hollandbloorview.ca or call 416-425-6220 x3654