I would like to thank my supervisor, Dr. Sarah Williams, for her excellent guidance and support throughout my time researching and writing this thesis. Her expertise, encouragement and invaluable feedback helped shape this work. I am grateful for the time she dedicated to reviewing multiple drafts and the insightful discussions that assisted in strengthening my analysis.
I am also incredibly thankful for the support and wisdom of my secondary supervisor, Dr. Michael Brown. His insight into the statistical components of this research was indispensable and his perspectives always challenged me to think more critically. I appreciate the time he took out of his busy schedule to meet with me regularly and ensure I was on the right path.
I must acknowledge the financial support provided by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada which made this research possible. Their funding allowed me to fully focus my efforts on this project without worrying about other commitments.
I am grateful to the staff members at the archives I visited for their assistance during my research visits. In particular, I would like to thank the archivists at the National Archives of Canada for navigating me to relevant collections and taking the time to answer my many questions. Their guidance saved me hours of searching and ensured I made the most of my limited time on site. I also appreciate the staff at Libraries and Archives Canada who went above and beyond to retrieve hard to find documents for me.
I must acknowledge the vital contributions of my research participants. I am sincerely thankful for the 24 individuals who volunteered their time to be interviewed and share their perspectives and experiences. This research would not have been possible or as rich without their insights. I appreciated their candidness and the thoughtful responses they provided. Thank you for supporting my work and helping advance understanding in this field.
I am grateful to the members of my lab group for their intellectual sparring and feedback on early drafts of chapters. In particular, I appreciate the feedback provided by Jamie Smith and Michael Jones which helped clarify and strengthen aspects of my analysis. I also thank my fellow graduate students in the Department of Sociology for their advice and support during this process.
I extend thanks to my examination committee members – Dr. Elizabeth Williams, Dr. Raymond Smith, and Dr. Paul Johnson – for their time commitment and insightful feedback which improved the final version of this thesis. I appreciated the care and consideration they brought to evaluating my work.
Several friends and family members provided encouragement and support throughout this long journey. To my parents, Wayne and Angela, thank you for your unwavering belief in me and for cheering me on every step of the way. I cannot express how much your love and support has meant. To my partner Chris, thank you for your patience, for listening to me talk endlessly about this project, for keeping me grounded, and for celebrating each milestone along the way.
Lastly, I must acknowledge the community organizations involved in this research. The staff and volunteers at Housing Help Centre, Homeward Trust, and the Bissell Centre selflessly devote their time to supporting vulnerable populations in our city. I appreciate them taking the time to share their perspectives on the issues explored in this research to help advance understanding and ideally make positive change. Their front-line efforts to support those experiencing homelessness are inspiring.
In closing, completing this research project has been an incredibly rewarding experience. I am grateful to everyone who played a role in helping me achieve this milestone, through feedback, encouragement, or simply by listening as an outlet. Thank you for being part of this journey. I hope the findings presented here can in some way contribute to improving policies and practices surrounding the important issue explored.