How housing stability breaks cycles and builds brighter futures

A new study on public housing investment across the GTHA, The Public Housing Dividend, reveals just how closely children’s futures are tied to the stability of the homes they grow up in. The study examined how different levels of investment in public housing shape outcomes like health, family stability, and well-being — showing that stable housing is one of the strongest tools the GTHA has to break intergenerational poverty.

The report finds that family stability rises when we invest in renewing and expanding public housing; and that stability is what launches the next generation. It shows that improving housing conditions — by repairing aging homes and adding new, high quality ones — strengthens outcomes for households across the region.

Children and youth are the most affected by housing decisions. They rely on predictable routines, safe environments, and consistent caregiving to grow. When homes are in good condition, young people experience stronger well-being, better mental health scores, and more reliable access to school, transit, and community supports.

But when funding is reduced and buildings fall into disrepair, the effects on young people are immediate and personal. The study shows that reduced investment leads to 139 building closures and 13,322 lost homes, causing family stability scores to drop sharply. This brings the stress of displacement, which disrupts schooling, breaks social networks, and potentially increases the likelihood that young people will carry precarity into adulthood.

The physical environment is a major driver. Buildings in poor or critical condition create daily stressors that erode well-being. By contrast, eliminating critical condition units and preventing closures — outcomes achieved only when governments both repair existing homes and build new ones — gives young people the steady footing they need to imagine and pursue a different future.

The Public Housing Dividend shows that when homes are stable, accessible and well-maintained, children experience stronger well-being, better mental health scores, and more reliable access to the supports that shape their futures. These are the conditions that help break cycles of poverty, giving young people a chance to grow, learn, and move toward opportunity.

The Public Housing Dividend was published by the GTHA Community Housing Collaborative. It was produced by the Canadian Centre for Economic Analysis (CANCEA), supported by Scotiabank.