Housing Policy and Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comparative Analysis of Vancouver and Toronto

By reducing the burden of economic uncertainty, regions that had strong pre-existing state social support prior to the pandemic, and that responded to the pandemic with new social policies, saw improved population mental health. Housing is a key social policy area that had an important impact on whether people followed public health orders during the pandemic. The characteristics of a person's home - whether it is in good repair, overcrowded, rented, or free from domestic violence - also have impacts on their mental health. Leading up to the pandemic, housing affordability has been a major issue in many Canadian cities, resulting in further stress during the pandemic. This has especially been the case in Vancouver and Toronto - two of the country's most expensive cities. In immediate response to the pandemic, many Canadian jurisdictions implemented eviction moratoria, rent freezes, and other measures to make sure people were able to maintain their housing; however, it is unclear the extent to which any of these housing policies considered mental health or the impact of stable housing on mental health. The objective of this research is to answer the following questions: 1. How did housing policies during the pandemic in Vancouver and Toronto consider mental health in their framing? 2. How did housing policy consider the unique needs of people living with mental health problems? To prepare for future public health or environmental crises, it is vital to determine how governments currently consider and approach mental health within housing policy, and what they might do to improve housing supports for people with mental illness.