PUBLIC LEGAL EDUCATION ON THE RIGHT TO HOUSING
Supporting communities with the knowledge and tools to understand, use, and advance the housing as a human right across Canada.
Why Public Legal Education?
Housing is a fundamental human right in Canada, but the access to justice mechanisms that the federal government created to make this real are still relatively new to the public and communities across the country.
This is why public legal education is needed — it helps people understand Canada’s right to housing law and what it means in practice, and how this knowledge can be used to access housing justice by people in greatest need.
“Human rights are the most powerful when people can understand and use them.”
Strengthening Our Collective Voice
Housing is a fundamental human right in Canada, but the access to justice mechanisms that the federal government created to make this real are still relatively new to the public and communities across the country.
This is why public legal education is needed — it helps people understand Canada’s right to housing law and what it means in practice, and how this knowledge can be used to access housing justice by people in greatest
Where We Step In
The fundamental problem with the access to justice mechanisms under Canada’s right to housing law is that the public simply does not know they exist.
At the same time, the connection between the right to housing, international human rights laws, and housing policy are not well understood by the public nor is that information widely accessible.
NRHN steps in to help close this gap.
We work with civil society organizations, legal clinics, and rights holders across the country to co-design and deliver accessible legal education grounded in community priorities and lived experience. We do this through three main approaches:
1
Building Knowledge
We provide accessible education on the right to housing, Canada’s right to housing law, human rights frameworks, and federal access to justice mechanisms. The National Housing Strategy Act
2
Learning and Working Together
We co-design all workshops, trainings, and resources with partners to ensure the tools and guidance provided are relevant and responsive to local community needs.
3
Connecting Knowledge to Action
We equip people most impacted by Canada’s housing and homelessness crisis with the practical tools and resources needed to meaningfully participate in accessing justice through submissions to the Federal Housing Advocate or Review Panels.
What We Teach
The Right to Housing
Understand Canada’s human rights commitments both domestically and internationally.
The National Housing Strategy Act
Understand Canada’s right to housing law, international legal norms, and key players.
Housing Justice
Learn how federal access to justice work and how to use them in your efforts to exercise justice.
Housing and Human Rights
Connect housing injustice to broader human rights.
Tenant Rights and Protections
Understand tenant protections and their connection to human rights.
Turning Knowledge into Action
Turn legal knowledge into justice.
Previous Public Workshops
Resources & Advocacy Tools
Work With Us
Bring right-to-housing legal education to your community.
NRHN collaborates with organizations across Canada to:
- Co-design workshops
- Co-facilitate training
- Provide legal analysis and right-to-housing framing
- Adapt existing resources for different audiences
- Support organizations integrating the right to housing into their own education and advocacy
NRHN brings a national, rights-based perspective grounded in domestic and international human rights law.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is public legal education needed?
There is no dedicated government capacity, for example, to support those who may wish to engage through written or oral submissions.
We work with communities and organizations across Canada to help them understand, interpret, and use Canada’s right to housing law to access justice in their communities.
What are the access to justice mechanisms under Canada’s right to housing law?
- The National Housing Council
- Review panels
- Office of the Federal Housing Advocate
Who do you work with?
Our public legal education work is designed for and developed with:
- People and communities experiencing housing injustice
- Housing justice advocates and organizers
- Tenant organizers and organizations
- Legal clinics, lawyers, paralegals and community legal workers
- Indigenous and equity-deserving communitiesPeoples
- Black, racialized, and other equity deserving communities
- Organizations working across related movements, including immigration, poverty, labour, harm reduction, social housing and co-operative housing
- Civil society and regional housing justice networks
Why use courts instead of advocacy or policy work?
Strategic litigation is not a replacement for advocacy or policy work; it is a complementary tool that is a vital part of Canada’s democracy. While advocacy builds public and political momentum, the courts can hand out rulings that governments cannot ignore.
It is often the most effective way to resolve systemic failures where political processes have stalled or political will is not aligned with human rights. Court decisions can create precedents that provide long-term legal protection for people experiencing homelessness and mandate systemic changes that advocacy alone may not achieve.
The challenge is that strategic litigation can take a long time and may not also result in a successful decision. That’s why NRHN engages in both advocacy and strategic litigation efforts.
What role does international human rights law play in Canadian courts?
International human rights laws provide the foundational framework that Canadian courts use to measure our own progress. Canada has made formal obligations, such as the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), to protect the right to adequate housing.
When our judges interpret Canadian laws, like the National Housing Strategy Act, they are supposed to refer to the ICESCR to make sure our domestic laws are living up to the standards set by our international obligations.
By using this international framework, our courts ensure that Canadian housing laws are constantly evolving to meet modern needs, specifically focusing on making sure housing is truly affordable, accessible, and safe for everyone.
Has the court decided on similar human rights issues and directed the government to take action?
Yes! Canadian courts have a history of directing the government to take action when systemic human rights obligations are not met. For example, in Eldridge v. British Columbia, the court ruled that the government’s failure to provide medical sign language interpreters was discriminatory, forcing a change in provincial healthcare policy.
Another example would be in cases like Vriend v. Alberta which led to sexual orientation being recognized as a protected ground under human rights law. These precedents prove that the Canadian court system is a powerful mechanism for compelling governments to take meaningful action to fulfill their human rights duties.
Do interventions still matter when they aren't granted?
Strategic litigation is slow and careful work. But even when courts decline to hear intervenors, this work builds the legal record and shifts how homelessness is framed in law. This critical work also lays groundwork for future cases and policy reform when it comes to protecting the rights of people experiencing homelessness.
The Heegsma case is a great example of what we set out to do even when interventions aren’t granted.
