RentSafe in Owen Sound

The RentSafe Owen Sound Collaborative was formed in 2019, building on the momentum generated by the local RentSafe EquIP participatory research (see below) and with strong links to the province-wide RentSafe initiative.

Need Info? Housing-related supports in Owen Sound

To receive updates on RentSafe in Owen Sound, subscribe to E-News.

RentSafe Owen Sound Collaborative

As the RentSafe EquIP research project came to a close, some 25 community members who were involved in the research formed the RentSafe Owen Sound Collaborative to continue the work that had been started. The Collaborative includes people from multiple sectors and perspectives, including housing providers, leadership and staff from health and social services, Indigenous and non-profit organizations, emergency services, tenants, and community leaders. See list of Collaborative Members.

Rental Housing Surveys

The RentSafe Owen Sound Collaborative conducted surveys with landlords/property managers and tenants about their views and experiences regarding rental housing in Owen Sound.

New! Survey highlights now available.

Taken together, the surveys are providing a better understanding of rental housing conditions and the types of issues that housing providers and tenants are facing. The surveys are intended to inform community dialogue on issues and potential solutions. The surveys were conducted in collaboration with researchers at the University of Ottawa.

RentSafe Owen Sound Survey of Landlords and Property Managers: This brief online survey, conducted in Fall 2021, invited input from all landlords and property managers owning or managing rental housing in the City of Owen Sound. To learn more:

RentSafe Owen Sound Tenant Survey: The tenant survey, which was made available online and in paper format at multiple locations throughout Owen Sound, was conducted in Fall 2022. The survey was open to all residents of Owen Sound who live in rental housing, including private market, non-profit and social housing. To learn more:

RentSafe EquIP

From 2016-2019, the RentSafe EquIP research project in Owen Sound, aimed to catalyze and support meaningful interaction among people from diverse sectors to (1) better understand the causes and consequences of housing inadequacy as seen from multiple viewpoints, and (2) foster new ways of conceiving of issues and finding new ways of working together toward potential solutions. RentSafe EquIP (Equity-focused Intersectoral Practice) was participatory action research, which means that university and community-based researchers were working together to support positive change in the community.

Final report: We Are All Neighbours

Video: Housing Issues? We’re here to help

RentSafe Owen Sound Roundtable: Meeting Summary

Journal articles

The following two articles present results from the RentSafe EquIP research project in Owen Sound, Ontario. To request a copy of the full article(s), please email ephipps[at]uottawa.ca.

Lessons from a rural housing crisis: Grounded insights for intersectoral action on health inequities. Social Sciences & Medicine. 2020

It doesn’t happen any other way: Relationship-building and reflexivity for Equity-focused Intersectoral Practice (EquIP) Health Promotion International. 2023

Towards equity-focused intersectoral practice (EquIP) in children’s environmental health and housing: the transformational story of RentSafe. Canadian Journal of Public Health. 2018

RentSafe Owen Sound E-News:

To receive periodic news from the RentSafe Owen Sound Collaborative, including the results of the landlord and tenant surveys, please sign up for the email newsletter:

Subscribe