Quebec housing crisis worsens domestic violence and school dropout rates, study finds

The housing crisis is a driver of domestic violence and school dropout, according to the third part of the extensive study by the Quebec Observatory of Inequalities (OQI) entitled “The collective cost of the housing crisis in Quebec”. 

After assessing the annual cost of the crisis for the Quebec economy in general ($4.2 billion) and that for the health system ($2 billion), the third part published this Thursday reports on its impact on domestic violence and on academic success.

According to sociologist and researcher Sandy Torres of the OQI (Quebec Housing Office), the housing crisis is forcing many households to live in overcrowded or undersized dwellings, a situation that carries a higher risk of domestic violence. “Insufficient size or overcrowding means that overcrowding and inadequate space generate tension and conflict that can escalate into aggressive acts of any kind—psychological, physical, and so on,” she says.

The researcher cautions, however, that the study only establishes links within the limitations of its methodology. “Indeed, we are dealing with correlation. We are not at all claiming to establish a cause-and-effect relationship. These are calculated probabilities, and what they tell us is that there is an increased risk of experiencing domestic violence, a risk that has been quantified at 7.8 per cent higher compared to those living in non-overcrowded housing.”

Prisoners of their home

However, people living in inadequate housing are usually there because they cannot afford to find better accommodation, which has a twofold impact in cases of domestic violence, explains Torres. “Financial difficulties limit escape from abusive relationships. It is very clear, and it comes up repeatedly, that the lack of affordable housing, the lack of social housing for people with limited financial resources, is a barrier to leaving abusive relationships and truly constitutes a major obstacle.”

His colleague Geoffroy Boucher, an economist at the Observatory, provides more details. “In 2021-2022, approximately 12.7 per cent of people who experienced intimate partner violence in the past 12 months left the shared home.”

Even though the majority of people who fled violence found temporary refuge with family members or friends and a good proportion of them moved, “there are still 7.8 per cent of people who left their homes because of domestic violence who indicated that they resided in a public place not intended for habitation and there, we can think of situations of homelessness,” the economist continues.

He also adds that the ability to flee violence is directly linked to socioeconomic status. “There are still people who decide to leave the shared home, but we see that the proportion is lower among people who declare themselves to be low-income than among those who are financially comfortable.”

The burden of poverty

The study data confirms this statement, as statistical analyses reveal that individuals who perceived themselves as very poor were 59 per cent more likely to have considered leaving their shared home due to violence, but did not, compared to those who perceived themselves as financially comfortable. Not only does poverty trap victims of violence in their homes, but it also multiplies the number of victims, according to the survey, which also reveals that individuals who perceived themselves as very poor were 65.5 per cent more likely to report having experienced violence in their lifetime than those who considered themselves financially comfortable.

This violence has a measurable cost. Studies have already established that in Quebec, the social and economic cost of domestic violence was estimated at $2.3 billion in 2022 – including healthcare, lost workdays, lost wages, lost childcare, divorce or separation costs, and moving expenses. Researchers estimate that approximately 1 per cent of intimate partner violence cases in Quebec could be attributed to overcrowded housing, representing a cost of $23.2 million in 2022. 

Regarding the issue of academic success, researchers analyzed data from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development (ÉLDEQ), which has been following a cohort of over 2000 young people born in 1997 and 1998 for more than 25 years.

Being late to school

These studies have shown that unfavorable housing conditions impair the development of preschool skills assessed by teachers at age 6 and then reading performance in primary school when the child reaches about 10 years old, setting in place from an early age a trajectory of academic delay that is difficult to catch up with. 

Ultimately, the researchers found that children who grew up in homes requiring major repairs had an 80 per cent higher risk of not obtaining a diploma or qualification by age 21. In fact, the follow-up of the 1997-1998 cohort is revealing, according to Geoffroy Boucher. “We can see that 88.4 per cent of children who lived in early childhood in homes that did not require major repairs obtained a diploma by age 21, compared to 76 per cent of those who lived in homes requiring major repairs.”

“We have identified well-established links between the lack of affordable housing and children’s educational paths. In particular, the mechanism is that this lack of affordability generates stress for parents, which affects their ability to meet their child’s basic needs, whether due to a lack of financial resources, but also their availability to be with the child, especially if they have to work more or in slightly more atypical hours,” the researcher explains. 

The condition of the accommodation, or the fact that it is too small and hinders the ability to do homework or sleep well, is, however, only one ingredient in the cocktail of obstacles to successful schooling. Among the other detrimental factors, the most prominent is the lack of money to cover essential expenses, which again brings us back to the household’s financial situation.

Loss of $20.3 billion

As for the costs of these barriers to graduation, various studies show that the loss of individual income due to not graduating ranges from $500,000 to $2 million per person over their working life. This has a double cost: the cost borne by governments in connection with employment insurance programs, social assistance, the healthcare system, and crime, an amount estimated at $15.3 billion. If we add the loss of economic potential—less spending per individual, less tax paid, etc.—this total climbs to $20.3 billion in Quebec, according to 2024 data.

The data revealed by this third phase reflects the daily experience of Dr. Isabelle Samson, Director of Public Health for the Eastern Townships. “I’m not surprised by the results showing an impact on domestic violence, nor am I surprised by the results showing an impact on child development.” 

The solution: social housing

Even though she acknowledges that it is “difficult to pinpoint the specific contribution of housing in such complex issues (…) there is still a lot of evidence in the literature that smaller housing for children harms sleep quality, hinders the ability to do homework, and increases academic failure.”

This third component, she says, represents a powerful argument for the construction of social housing. “Investing in social and community housing has a lasting effect on the next generation as well. We often advocate what is called ‘building subsidies,’ more housing construction rather than simply subsidizing people for access to housing, because it creates a lasting asset that will produce health now, but also health in future generations. Social housing isn’t just public housing. It’s for everyone and it reduces the inflationary bubble in the private housing market.”

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews