The work of Faculty of Education Professor Stephen Gaetz, an internationally recognized leader and innovator in homelessness research, is featured in York’s new Right the Future campaign. The campaign shows how different societal challenges look today and imagines how they could look in the future, thanks to the work of students and researchers working in its different departments.
Contributing to creating societal change for people living in cities and communities is just one of York’s great strengths. Homelessness is a reality for too many in Canada, and around the world. York is working together with partners across Canada to understand the complex causes of homelessness and undertaking world-leading research that influences government and decision-makers, and leads to policy changes that support practical solutions.
Thanks to the leadership of Prof. Gaetz, York is home to the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness, one of the largest research institutes of its kind in the world, dedicated to understanding the needs of homeless people in Canada. In response to Covid-19, top social researchers and machine-learning experts from across the country are partnering to develop an algorithm using artificial intelligence to anticipate homelessness, suicide and domestic violence.