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Wellesley Institute works in research and policy to improve health and health equity in the GTA through action on the social determinants of health.

Home Publications Enhancing eviction prevention supports for older adults in social housing

Christine Sheppard, Seong-gee Um, Brenda Roche, Sarah Gould, Andrea Austen, Sander L. Hitzig

Enhancing eviction prevention supports for older adults in social housing

Closeup of hope, trust and comfort from a caregiver consulting a senior man in social housing.

Evictions are a key source of housing instability for low-income older renters. This community is particularly vulnerable to evictions due to a complex interplay of financial, social, and health factors that place housing at-risk.

While research suggests social housing may offer some protection against evictions, older adults may still be at risk, particularly for non-payment of rent. Research on eviction practices within social housing, and with older adults specifically, is limited. As a result, there is an inadequate understanding of the factors that place low-income older adults at risk of eviction.

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Infographic: Eviction Prevention Supports for Older Adults in Social Housing


Author(s): Christine Sheppard, Seong-gee Um

Download Infographic: Eviction Prevention Supports for Older Adults in Social Housing
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Christine Sheppard

Christine Sheppard

Dr. Christine Sheppard received her Master’s in Social Work from the University of Toronto, specializing in gerontology, and holds a PhD in Health Studies and Gerontology (with a focus on aging, health and well-being). Prior to starting at Wellesley Institute, she was a CIHR-funded post-doctoral fellow Sunnybrook Research Institute specializing in knowledge translation in urban housing and health. Sheppard_CL

Seong-gee Um

Seong-gee Um

Seong-gee Um is a researcher at the Wellesley Institute. She received her PhD from the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto and has worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Prentice Institute for Global Population and Economy at the University of Lethbridge. Her research interests lie in the areas of inequality, immigration, and health and social care. Her work explores social policy responses to emerging social risks and how they shape the experiences of vulnerable and disadvantaged populations. SeonggeeUm

Brenda Roche

Brenda Roche

Brenda Roche is Director of Research at the Wellesley Institute. She was a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in Anthropology and Health at the Gender, Violence and Health Centre of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She comes with academic and community-based research experience exploring social and health issues in urban settings, including homelessness, sexual health, violence and psychological trauma and distress. Her doctorate, through the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, examined discourses on trauma that operate within the context of refugee resettlement, and how these influence health and social care practices for women (and their families) seeking political asylum in the United Kingdom. Brenroche

Acknowledgement of Traditional Land

We wish to acknowledge this land on which the Wellesley Institute operates. For thousands of years, it has been the traditional land of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca, and the Mississaugas of the Credit. Today, this meeting place is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work on this land.

Revised by the Ceremonial Committee at the University of Toronto Office of Indigenous Initiatives in April 2021.