J Consulting Group, in collaboration with Vink Consulting, worked with the Region of York to conduct a series of community consultations as part of the Region’s 5-year review of Housing Solutions, York Region’s 10-Year Housing and Homelessness Plan. The consultation activities were designed to identify housing and homelessness needs within York Region, and identify actions and strategies to address housing and homelessness needs. Community engagement included a series of conversations with staff, community support organizations, and directly with people with lived experience of homelessness.  Building on the results, workshops were planned and facilitated with staff from 23 community agencies to identify and prioritize needs and build consensus around desired outcomes.  Overall, activities heard from 48 community groups, 265 staff, 12 people with lived experience, 7 housing developers, and 320 survey participants. 

J Consulting Group, in partnership with Vink Consulting, completed a comprehensive review of over 30 tools and options available to municipalities to encourage the development of affordable housing. Policy options were evaluated based on costs, impact and implementation. This research informed a series of recommendations including options for pursuing or encouraging the development of affordable housing in Chatham-Kent; potential incentive options and tools that Chatham-Kent should consider; and specific policies to assist Chatham-Kent in working towards its adopted targets for affordable housing; and actions towards securing other government-owned surplus properties for the development of affordable housing.

Since 2006, Jodi has worked closely with the Municipality of Chatham-Kent and community residents and stakeholders to identify changing housing needs and develop strategies and solutions to address growing challenges.  As part of the most recent Plan, the Chatham-Kent Housing and Homelessness Plan (2019), project deliverables included a statistical update for all housing indicators; engagement of community stakeholders (interviews, online surveys, focused discussions, system mapping, design labs and workshops); a comprehensive review of all provincial and local policy and legislation, establishing a housing vision, objectives, actions/strategies, and measures; and establishing housing targets (including targets for accessible and supportive housing).

J Consulting Group, in association with Vink Consulting, conducted a review of the City of Greater Sudbury’s emergency shelter system. To identify current strengths and gaps in the current shelter system, J Consulting Group facilitated a series of engagement activities including interviews with key stakeholders and ‘kitchen-table’ style conversations with shelter users.  A workshop with shelter operators and partners was designed and facilitated to support the development of a model to effectively deliver an integrated homelessness service system.

Building on the County’s previous Housing and Homelessness Plan (2014-2024), J Consulting Group and Vink Consulting worked closely with the County and its community partners to re-examine the housing and homelessness issues facing communities across the County and put forward strategies to better respond to the range of housing issues and support needs of individuals and families. This work involved a detailed analysis of the housing trends and key issues facing individuals and families across the County.  Using a human-centred design approach, the Plan engaged a range of stakeholders, evaluated the overall coordination and delivery of homelessness and housing services and programs, identified greater opportunities for coordination and harmonization within the housing system, and identified objectives, actions, targets and measures to respond to the current and future housing needs in communities across the County.

J Consulting Group and Vink Consulting worked with The Regional Municipality of York to develop a “made in York Region” model for coordinated access to homelessness and housing stability services. To inform the model, they conducted best practices research; a jurisdictional scan; an environmental scan of York Region’s current service system; a review of York Region program data and existing policies and procedures; and engaged over 100 stakeholders, including both system staff and clients. They worked closely with an Advisory committee to use the key findings from the research to develop a recommended model and implementation considerations which was then pilot tested in 2018.

The objectives of this project were to understand the root causes and factors impacting newcomers that put them at risk of homelessness; identify ways to address homelessness among the immigrant community in York Region, and determine the most efficient way of connecting newcomer individuals experiencing homelessness to services in York Region.  Focus groups were facilitated with approximately 60 newcomers who have experienced hidden homelessness after coming to Canada.  Members of a Reference Group of The Housing Help Centre’s clients provided interpretation for the focus groups.

J Consulting Group was pleased to contribute to the 2018 homelessness count for the City of Peterborough. This work is essential to understanding homelessness in the City and County of Peterborough and provides valuable information to informing plans for working towards ending homelessness. J Consulting Group co-facilitated community training and information sessions and participated in the count in March 2018. 

Jodi conducted quantitative and qualitative research and facilitated a series of conversations aimed at identifying opportunities for greater efficiencies within the Centralized Waiting List, for social housing, system in York Region. Consultations included full day observation sessions with staff, interviews with social housing applicants, and focus groups with staff across departments. As part of the final report, 10 recommendations were put forward for moving forward with a more efficient and effective system. Recommendations included a 3-phase approach to restructuring the current Centralized Waiting List application process. 

J Consulting Group worked in partnership with Vink Consulting and the City of Windsor to review the Windsor Essex 10-Year Housing and Homelessness Plan.  This project involved conducting an assessment of current and future housing needs within Windsor Essex and developing goals, objectives and strategies to improve access to safe, affordable, accessible and quality housing and support services for individuals and families in Windsor Essex. It involved re-thinking and re-organizing the housing and homelessness system, to focus on housing stability, homelessness prevention and quick access to permanent housing (housing first) rather than emergency responses. The Plan also considers the housing and support needs of specific population groups, including persons with disabilities, Indigenous people, immigrants, youth, seniors, and victims of domestic violence. Approximately 1,500 residents and stakeholders provided insights and feedback into the Plan.

Working with a consulting team comprised of the University of Toronto Balance of Care Group, Snyder Architects and SHS Consulting, on behalf of Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Jodi led the team to prepare content for an updated, web-based, Housing Options for Persons Living with Dementia Guide.  The Guide is aimed at providing information and guidance, through a web-based platform, to individuals living with dementia and their caregivers, and to operators and providers of housing for persons with dementia.   Jodi facilitated online consultations with providers and operators of existing community-based housing for persons living with dementia across the country, with caregivers of persons living with dementia, and with people living with dementia themselves. The Guide was developed using a conceptual framework informed by a person-centered care philosophy.

J Consulting Group co-facilitated a series of broad multi-stakeholder consultations to establish key priorities, opportunities and recommendations to address housing needs across the City of Edmonton. This process incorporated a systemic design approach to engaging stakeholders using methods and tools such as user journey and system maps, storytelling and other hands on interactive activities.

This research project, prepared by Cassandra Vink with assistance from Steve Pomeroy and Jodi Ball, was aimed at preparing a comprehensive review of policy options that would form the basis of an Indigenous housing strategy.  J Consulting Group, assisted in this important project by conducting a review of academic and grey literature on Indigenous housing which examined: key issues in Indigenous housing; principles and desired outcomes; recent historical and contemporary programs and policies that have targeted Indigenous housing; program and policy recommendations; and international program and policy examples. The review involved a search of scholarly databases and an Internet search of published and unpublished information from both Canadian and international sources. 

As part of a consortium of consultants, Jodi facilitated a series of neighbourhood workshops to hear from Edmontonians to help clarify housing needs and opportunities within five inner City neighbourhoods.  These workshops, along with a review of data, provided a baseline for developing five Neighbourhood Housing Roadmaps.  Each roadmap established a shared vision for housing along with founding principles, as well as put forward a series of unique actions and housing pilot projects.

On behalf of Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and in partnership with Ontario Professional Planners Institute (OPPI), J Consulting Group, in collaboration with SHS Consulting, led a research study aimed at increasing the understanding of approaches used by local governments in Canada to allow and encourage secondary suites in residential areas.  Activities included a survey all municipalities in Ontario as well as a case study analysis of 10 municipalities.  Together with CMHC, Jodi shared the research results at the 2016 OPPI annual conference.   Results were published in the CMHC Research Insights (May, 2017).

As part of a review of the City of Windsor shelter system, J Consulting Group facilitated a consultation process aimed at understanding current service strengths and gaps in emergency shelter services in Windsor Essex. This process incorporated interviews with City staff, shelter service providers, and community partners. Focus groups with shelter users and brief ‘intercept’ interviews with non-shelter users (individuals sleeping ‘rough’) were also conducted.  J Consulting Group also facilitated a series of conversation with comparable municipalities to explore best practices and promising approaches in homelessness system planning.  The key outcome from this work was a recommended service deliver model that aimed to improving access, providing diversion supports, promoting dignity and respect, incorporating housing-focused services, and measuring performance through data collection. 

This study was aimed at identifying the needs and challenges facing social housing tenants across the North East Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) geographic area, and to work with stakeholders to identify strategies and solutions to these challenges.  The study included a comprehensive literature review, gap analysis, comprehensive stakeholder engagement process and final research report.  As part of the consultation strategy, several community engagement initiatives were undertaken including in-person focus groups with housing providers and community stakeholders, in-person and telephone interviews, web-based focus groups, questionnaires for housing providers, community agencies, and social housing tenants, and a full day ‘think-tank’ with various levels of government, housing providers, and service agencies. The study included community engagement across five hub regions, noting unique needs of each area while also highlighted broad regional trends and gaps.  A final research report was prepared and submitted to the NE LHIN and its partners including recommendations on a service delivery system.  Working with a multi-organization consulting team, Jodi was the Project Manager for this study, consultation lead, and the lead author in the final report and recommendations.

As part of a review of the Women’s Transition House, J Consulting Group facilitated a series of interviews with comparator shelters from across Canada. Results from these interviews helped strengthen the services for survivors of domestic violence in Whitehorse.