Working towards a sustainable Hamilton community that is caring, inclusive, empowering, and
accessible for all
SPRC Hamilton is an independent voice, serving to inform the community about demographic trends, highlight social inequities, and promote solutions that will improve social conditions. We work in partnership with community members and organizations to provide relevant social research and analysis which helps inform decision making. We provide consultation services to help organizations better understand and analyze their data, and we facilitate community programs which help address existing and emerging needs. Our work is centered around issues related to poverty reduction; housing security, equity and inclusion, and the healthy development of children and families.
Land Acknowledgement
SPRC Hamilton is situated on the traditional territories of the Erie, Neutral, Huron-Wendat, Haudenosaunee, and Mississaugas. This land is covered by the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement between the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabek to share and care for the resources around the Great Lakes. We acknowledge that this land is also covered by the Between the Lakes Purchase, 1792, between the Crown and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.
OVERVIEW: SERVICES AND PROGRAMS
SPRC Hamilton has several programs that it directly develops and manages. These programs support our goal of developing a sustainable Hamilton community that is caring, inclusive, empowering, and accessible with a focus on meeting the fundamental needs of people in our city.
We also have services that build on SPRC Hamilton’s strong history of helping the Hamilton community through areas of specialty that are uniquely positioned to support organizations in being and becoming the best versions of themselves.
OVERVIEW: SERVICES & PROGRAMS
SPRC Hamilton operates programs for individuals which support our goal of developing a sustainable, accessible, and equitable Hamilton, by focussing on meeting the fundamental needs of people in our community.
We also offer services to organizations and institutions that build on SPRC Hamilton’s strong history of helping and supporting the community and non-profit sector through social planning and community development activities.
SERVICES
Research
and Analysis
Program
Evaluation
Systems Planning and Facilitation
Community Development for Change
Programs
Tastebuds, Hamilton’s Student Nutrition Collaborative
Financial
Empowerment Program
Community Action Program
for Children (CAPC)
Research and Insights
When we say we LOVE data and research, we really mean it. We’ve been providing these services in our community for almost 60 years. Why is this important? In order to make effective and informed decisions for our community, one needs to collect data, as well as analyze and make sense of the data. That’s what we do.
We help people understand information about their community, including how our population is changing and what new supports or services might be needed in the future. Research and analysis helps our community meet needs today and plan for the future. We break this down in our publications which focus on four key areas:
- Poverty Reduction and Elimination
- Healthy Development of Children and Families
- Housing and Homelessness
- Equity and Inclusion
RESEARCH AND INSIGHTS
When we say we LOVE data and research, we really mean it. We’ve been providing these services in our community for almost 60 years. Why is this important? In order to make effective and informed decisions for our community, one needs to collect data, as well as analyze and make sense of the data. That’s what we do.
We help people understand information about their community, including how our population is changing and what new supports or services might be needed in the future. Research and analysis helps our community meet needs today and plan for the future. We break this down in our publications which focus on four key areas:
- Poverty Reduction and Elimination
- Healthy Development of Children and Families
- Housing and Homelessness
- Equity and Inclusion
LATEST PUBLICATIONS AND UPDATES
The Hamilton Spectator: Demand for school-based food programs soars in Hamilton
City food programs are working to keep up with a spike in demand amid inflation and rising food costs, with some reporting a 25 per cent increase in demand over recent years. And food prices in Ontario are climbing — about 18 per cent since 2018. The latest Canada...
Rental Housing Market Amplifies Inequality for Young Renters
Hamilton Social Landscape, Issue #30 Young renters face more challenges to finding affordable housing, according to the SPRC report from November 2022. Households led by racialized and Indigenous youth are among the highest rates of renter households, amplifying...
Hamilton Living Wage 2022
It's Living Wage Week 2022 and Hamilton's new living wage is $19.05. A new report from the Ontario Living Wage Network was released on Monday that suggests hourly wages required to live in Ontario have increased amid decades-high inflation and remain significantly...
Renter Growth in Hamilton
Hamilton renter households are growing in all parts of the city. Growth of renter households across Hamilton was 11.5% from 2016 to 2021, a 5 times higher growth rate than the 2.3% growth in owner households in that time. Two new reports have been released, 2021...
Inflation, Social Assistance, And Hunger In Hamilton
The combination of high inflation and frozen social assistance rates is causing a food insecurity emergency for Hamilton residents living in deep poverty across the city. Inflation in Ontario has hit lowest income residents most intensely. Low income residents spend...
2021 Census: Poverty In Hamilton By Major Age Groups
The 2021 Census showed that poverty rates have changed substantially across Canada including in Hamilton. The income data in this latest Census is from the 2020 tax year, and for almost a third of Canadians, their income included Canada Emergency Response Benefits...
SUPPORT SPRC HAMILTON
When you support SPRC Hamilton, you become part of the effort to improve the quality of life for all those living in Hamilton. You can make an impact with SPRC Hamilton as a participant, collaborator, or donor.