Shapcott is the Director of Affordable Housing and Social Innovation at the Wellesley Institute, an independent, non-profit research and policy organization dedicated to advancing urban health. He has worked extensively in Toronto, in many parts of Canada, nationally and internationally on social innovation, the non-profit sector, civic engagement, housing and housing rights, poverty, social exclusion, urban health and health equity. He is co-editor, with Dr David Hulchanski, of Finding Room, Policy Options for a Canadian Rental Housing Strategy, and co-author, with Jack Layton, of Homelessness: The Making and Unmaking of a Crisis.

“What’s so new and innovative about an age-old need to find a good place to call home,” asks Shapcott. “Well, quite a lot, actually. There are exciting and successful developments in Newfoundland and Labrador, across Canada, and globally, on everything from innovative financing to creative links between supports and services and housing. A relatively small amount of funding over the past decade put into the hands of smart local groups has generated plenty of amazing projects that have helped low-income people to live better lives, strengthened communities, generated jobs and other economic benefits and leveraged additional gains. As we face the prospect of yet another economic downturn, which will make Canada’s already significant burden of poverty and income inequality even worst and will drive even more people into precarious housing and homelessness, we need to ensure that innovation and collaboration are at the centre of our housing work. I’m delighted to meet with housing innovators from across Newfoundland and Labrador to hear of their successes, and share good ideas from others.”