McMaster university participates in policy making at local, regional, national and/or global level to implement programmes and policies to end poverty in all its dimensions.

McMaster Community Poverty Initiative (MCPI)

The McMaster Community Poverty Initiative (MCPI) was founded in 2007 by concerned faculty, staff, and students who were interested in expanding McMaster’s role in addressing local conditions of poverty.

With partners across Hamilton, this initiative looks to involve people who live in poverty and use knowledge as a tool for social change.

Food Bank Users Study – Food Bank Users are the Poorest of the Poor in Hamilton

Researchers from McMaster University, who collaborated with the Hamilton Food Share, report about one-third of all low-income households in Hamilton use a food bank at least once a year and those households are commonly ones with children. The research for the Food Bank Users Study data was collected between 2015 and 2018 and was analysed in McMaster University’s Secure Empirical Analysis Lab (SEAL).

Poverty and Employment Precarity in Southern Ontario (PEPSO)

The Poverty and Employment Precarity in Southern Ontario (PEPSO) research project is a joint university-community initiative led by United Way Toronto & York Region and McMaster University in partnership with over 30 university, community sector, labour, government and media partners developed to meet the need of data on trends in precarious employment and to encourage policy debate and further research. PEPSO research has been explicitly cited 29 times in federal government proceedings, 10 times in provincial government proceedings and 9 times in municipal government proceedings. In addition, precarious employment has been increasingly cited as an issue of concern during federal and provincial government proceedings.

McMaster Research Hub CHEC at the Heart of Canadian Network on Housing Received $1.135M in Federal Funding

Jim Dunn heads the McMaster-based Canadian Housing Evidence Collaborative (CHEC), a centre within the Faculty of Social Sciences, is the focus of an ambitious new pan-Canadian research project on affordable housing. Consisting of researchers, policy makers, and individuals with lived experience across Canada, this initiative aims to tackle the complex issues involved in making safe and health housing affordable for all Canadians.

In 2021, the pan-Canadian project received $1.35 million in federal funding.

Improving Policymaking with Strong Global Partnerships and the Best Research Evidence

Professor John Lavis launched Social Systems Evidence (SSE), the most comprehensive, free access point for evidence on strengthening 20 government sectors and achieving the SDGs. He is improving policymaking with strong global partnerships and the best research evidence by injecting research evidence to inform government on how to approach their commitments.

Water Without Borders (WWB)

The Water Without Borders (WWB) program is a partnership between McMaster University and the United Nations University – International Network on Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH).

McMaster University has a long and honoured commitment to issues of environment more generally, and more recently water in particular. This innovative program addresses issues of international importance related to water, environment and health.

Global Health Faculty Developing Innovative Strategies to Prevent Child Maltreatment at the Thai-Myanmar Border

Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences and core faculty of the Global Health Program, Amanda Sim’s research, Developing Innovative Strategies to Prevent Child Maltreatment at the Thai-Myanmar Border, focuses on improving the mental health and well-being of forcibly displaced children and families. Sim recently received a $1.2 million grant from The LEGO Foundation to develop innovative strategies to prevent violence against children and improve child development outcomes by rapidly developing and evaluating the effectiveness of parenting interventions.