The Canadian Observatory on Homelessness

What The Canadian Observatory on Homelessness does

The Canadian Observatory on Homelessness (COH) is a research, policy, and practice-oriented non-profit based at York University's Faculty of Education in Toronto. Its primary asset is the Homeless Hub, a publicly accessible knowledge-translation platform aggregating more than 30,000 resources on homelessness, housing, and related social policy. The Observatory develops conceptual and operational frameworks — including the Canadian Definition of Homelessness, the Canadian Definition of Youth Homelessness, A New Direction: A Framework for Homelessness Prevention, and a Deflection and Pre-charge Diversion framework developed with the Centre for Public Safety Excellence — and funds and conducts original research, with more than 40 projects concentrated on youth homelessness. Through the co-led Making the Shift social innovation lab (with A Way Home Canada) and the Upstream Canada initiative, it adapts international prevention models and pilots service-system change.

The Observatory serves four interlocking stakeholder groups: federal, provincial, and municipal policymakers; frontline service providers; academic and applied researchers; and people with lived experience of homelessness. Delivery is national across Canada, with international knowledge-exchange partnerships — notably with the Welsh Government and the University of Stirling — that export Canadian frameworks and import adapted models. Product surface has expanded beyond the open-access knowledge library into Hub Solutions (a fee-for-service consulting and communications arm) and the Learning Hub community-of-practice platform. Indigenous community-led approaches have been progressively integrated, including through the Aboriginal Standing Committee on Housing and Homelessness, and the organization has aligned its work with the Government of Canada's Reaching Home strategy.

The Observatory is structured as a non-profit with no commercial revenue model. Funding flows primarily through government grants (notably the federal Reaching Home-aligned work), institutional and foundation grants (e.g., Foundation Symposia, MakeWay Foundation), and academic support via York University. Operating capacity is in the 11–50 employee band. The model is mission-driven rather than margin-driven; sustainability hinges on continued public-sector and foundation commitment rather than on commercial pricing power.

Name

The Canadian Observatory on Homelessness

Legal name

Canadian Observatory on Homelessness

Website

https://homelesshub.ca

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Canadian Observatory on Homelessness is a York University–based non-profit research and policy organization that runs the Homeless Hub — a free library of 30,000+ resources — and develops national frameworks on homelessness and prevention for governments, service providers, researchers, and people with lived experience.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Policy Research and Knowledge Mobilization

NAICS

Community Housing Services (62422)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Housing Assistance & Homeless Services (BPAGAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Homelessness Prevention, Shelter & Supportive Housing Services (BPAIANAC), Homeless, Foster Care & Highly Mobile Youth Education Services (EDAJAEAG), Special Education, Disability Support & Inclusive Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAH)

Keywords

• Homelessness research
• Knowledge mobilization
• Policy research
• Social innovation
• Housing policy

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto, Ont

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Research and knowledge mobilization funding: The Canadian Observatory on Homelessness operates as a non-profit research organization, generating impact through government and institutional funding partnerships, research grants, and knowledge-mobilization initiatives. The organization does not sell products or services commercially but rather advances homelessness research and prevention frameworks through collaborative funding arrangements with federal, provincial, and community partners.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Canadian Observatory on Homelessness is a non-profit research and knowledge mobilization organization housed at York University that produces evidence-based research, policy analysis, and educational resources on homelessness and housing. It operates the Homeless Hub, an online repository of over 30,000 resources, and develops program models and training resources for service providers, policymakers, and communities working to prevent and end homelessness.

Product overview

The Canadian Observatory on Homelessness operates the Homeless Hub as its primary platform—a comprehensive online research library containing over 30,000 resources on homelessness in Canada. The platform organizes content through collections including Homelessness 101, Prevention, and Programs That Work. Supporting products include the Homelessness Learning Hub (offering free training courses), the Making the Shift Youth Homelessness Social Innovation Lab (funding prevention research), Hub Solutions (consulting services), and Prevention Matters (video content series). The organization also promotes several evidence-based program models including Housing First for Youth, Family and Natural Supports, Upstream Canada, Duty to Assist, Reconnect, Rapid Rehousing, Host Homes, and Shelter Diversion/Eviction Prevention—all documented and disseminated through the platform to guide policy and practice across Canada.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Homeless Hub: A leading source of research on homelessness in Canada with a library of more than 30,000 resources.
• Making the Shift: Youth Homelessness Social Innovation Lab
• Homelessness Learning Hub
• Hub Solutions
• A Way Home Canada
• Upstream Canada

Products and services

• Homeless Hub
• Homelessness Learning Hub
• Making the Shift
• Hub Solutions
• Prevention Matters

Quantifiable outcome

• In Wales, preliminary evaluation of the Housing (Wales) Act 2014 (Duty to Assist model) showed services were successfully reoriented toward prevention, reducing the number of people in temporary accommodation and decreasing those remaining homeless after seeking help.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• A Way Home CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOH co-leads the Making the Shift: Youth Homelessness Social Innovation Lab with A Way Home Canada. This initiative is a centre of innovation designed to generate and mobilize preventive solutions to youth homelessness, funding over 40 research projects and operating multiple demonstration projects across Canada including Family and Natural Supports, Youth Reconnect, Upstream Canada, and Housing First for Youth.
• York University (Faculty of Education)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Canadian Observatory on Homelessness is housed at the Faculty of Education, York University. York University provides the institutional host for COH, enabling academic research infrastructure and connections.
• Government of CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2019, the Government of Canada launched Reaching Home: Canada's Homelessness Strategy, which signals a shift toward prevention. COH's research, frameworks, and Making the Shift initiative align with and inform this federal homelessness strategy. The federal government provides funding through Reaching Home for communities to implement prevention-focused approaches developed and evaluated by COH.
• Wales (Government / Housing (Wales) Act 2014)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Housing (Wales) Act 2014 pioneered the Duty to Assist model, which COH has studied, adapted, and advocated for in Canada. The Welsh model serves as the foundational international example for COH's rights-based approach to homelessness prevention legislation in Canada.
• Argus HouseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArgus House in Cambridge, Ontario developed a centralized shelter diversion program that successfully diverted 17% of those who sought access to shelter. This program model was replicated by RAFT in Niagara, Ontario, informing shelter diversion practice across Canada.
• Upstream AustraliaflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerUpstream Canada was adapted from Upstream Australia (Community of Schools and Services / COSS Model) from Geelong, Australia. The COH-led Upstream Canada initiative adapts this school-based early intervention model for the Canadian context to prevent youth homelessness and school disengagement.
• Covenant House TorontominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCovenant House Toronto operates a Family and Natural Supports (FNS) program designed to offer intensive clinical and case management support to help young people reconnect with family members in a safe and supportive way. This is an example of an FNS program implementation under the broader COH framework.
• RAFT (Niagara)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRAFT in Niagara, Ontario launched a shelter diversion program based on the Argus House model. Within six months, RAFT diverted 40% of youth seeking access to its shelter, demonstrating effective implementation of COH-influenced shelter diversion practices.
• NiGiNan Housing VenturesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNiGiNan Housing Ventures in Edmonton operates the Omamoo Wango Gamik Program, an Indigenous approach to transitions from child welfare care. This is cited as an example of systems prevention within COH's typology of prevention, supporting Indigenous youth leaving care by reuniting families and creating community.
• StepStones for YouthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStepStones for Youth in Toronto offers the Building Connections program, which supports youth exiting care in developing a strong network of caring people they can depend on for life — an example of community-based systems prevention cited within COH's prevention framework.
• Niwasa Kendaaswin TegminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNiwasa Kendaaswin Teg operates NYA-WHE, an Indigenous-led adaptation of the Reconnect program for youth at risk of homelessness. This represents COH's approach to Indigenous-led adaptation of early intervention programs.
• Hamilton Regional Indian CentreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHamilton Regional Indian Centre leads Endaayaang (meaning 'Our Home' in Ojibwe), an Indigenous-led Housing First for Youth program that focuses on helping youth deal with loss of culture or community as a key contributor to homelessness.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• National Alliance to End Homelessness: The leading US homelessness policy nonprofit; comparable as a national research, advocacy, and training organization focused on evidence-based homelessness prevention and systems change.
• Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago: A research-policy institute producing evidence on youth and family homelessness; comparable as an academic-hosted research organization generating homelessness evidence for policy adoption.
• FEANTSA (European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless): The European umbrella federation for homelessness; comparable as a multi-country homelessness observatory and knowledge-mobilization platform serving policy and practitioner audiences.

Direct peers

• A Way Home Canada: A national Canadian collaborative co-leading Making the Shift with COH; directly comparable as a national homelessness prevention coalition with similar knowledge-mobilization and policy-advocacy functions.
• Centre for Homelessness Impact: A UK-based homelessness research center focused on evidence generation and what-works frameworks; highly comparable as a research-driven homelessness observatory similar to COH.
• Institute of Global Homelessness: A global initiative focused on ending street homelessness worldwide; comparable as an international homelessness research and advocacy organization working across geographies.
• Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness: Canada's national homelessness advocacy body; comparable as a Canadian peer organization operating in homelessness prevention policy, training, and community mobilization.
• Maytree Foundation: A Canadian foundation focused on poverty reduction and homelessness policy; comparable as a Canadian peer organization generating evidence, advocating policy change, and supporting direct interventions.

Regional players

• Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI): Australia's national housing and homelessness research body; comparable as an academic-affiliated research institute producing evidence-based housing and homelessness policy research.
• Homelessness Australia: Australia's national peak homelessness body; comparable as a national observatory/coalition for homelessness research, policy, and member organization services in a different geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/homelesshub
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/HomelessHub1
• Facebookfacebook.com/homelesshub
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-homeless-hub
• Instagraminstagram.com/homelesshub

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Canadian Observatory on Homelessness