Laurier researchers launch homelessness learning resources for secondary schools across Canada

Oct. 1, 2026
For Immediate Release

BRANTFORD — Secondary school teachers across Canada can now access a new suite of learning resources designed to help students better understand homelessness in their communities.

Developed by a team led by two professors at Wilfrid Laurier University’s Brantford campus, Creating Dialogue: Secondary School Teaching Resources on Homelessness in Canada features six flexible, evidence-based lesson plans for students in grades nine through 12. The resources are available online, free of charge.

“The homelessness crisis has risen dramatically in recent years. Young people are bound to have questions, and there aren't many places they can turn to for answers,” said project co-lead Erin Dej, associate professor in Laurier’s Department of Criminology. “We’re providing students and teachers with resources that explore homelessness through real-world perspectives, critical dialogue and hands-on learning activities. We hope the lessons spark meaningful conversations and encourage critical thinking about this complex social issue.”

The lesson plans are designed to complement existing secondary school curricula, enabling teachers to integrate the content into courses ranging from civics to economics to English.

A key feature of the website is the Ontario Curriculum Finder, which allows educators to search by grade and course code to identify which lessons align with specific curriculum expectations. While the tool is tailored to Ontario’s secondary school system, the resources were designed to be easily incorporated into classrooms across the country.

The resources were developed by Dej and project co-lead Carrie Sanders, a Criminology professor, with key contributions from Kelly Gallagher-Mackay, an associate professor of Law and Society who works on education policy. An interdisciplinary team of homelessness and education researchers and peer researchers with lived experience of homelessness also contributed to the project, which was supported by a Connection Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

“Growing up surrounded by homelessness shaped who I am, and I believe that by bringing honest conversations about homelessness into our high school curriculum, we can help young people see beyond stereotypes and understand the realities that many people in their own communities face,” said Barb McPhee, peer researcher, lived experience expert advocate and market manager at North End Harvest Market in Guelph. “Knowledge creates empathy, empathy inspires action and action builds stronger communities.”

Before their public release, team members at Laurier, York University and the University of Guelph piloted the resources with more than 200 secondary school students and teachers from across southern Ontario. Feedback gathered during the pilot phase informed the final version of the lesson plans and supporting materials, including a teacher FAQ that addresses some of the challenging questions students are likely to ask.

“The resources are designed to help educators feel confident facilitating discussions on what can be a complex and sensitive topic,” said Dej. “We don’t tell students how they should feel or what conclusions to reach. Instead, we give them the tools to explore the issue through evidence, lived experience and critical dialogue.”

The lesson plans build on Dej and Sanders’ work on the acclaimed 2024 documentary, Bridging Divides: Voices and Visions about Homelessness in Canada. The film explores homelessness through the diverse perspectives of five community members, including people with lived experience of homelessness and housing precarity, a law enforcement officer, a small business owner and a service provider.

“The response we kept getting at community screenings of the documentary was, ‘You’ve got to keep showing this. What’s next?’” said Dej. “Incorporating the documentary into lesson plans that support secondary school learning outcomes was a natural next step.”

Teachers can access the full suite of resources online.