We are delighted to virtually welcome Dr. Laura Funk from the University of Manitoba to present ‘Social Care Inequality in the Seniors Social Housing Sector: Evidence from Central Canada’ as part of our Seminar Series.
Date: Tuesday 10th November 2026
Time: 3:30- 4:30pm UK time
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About the seminar
The realization of aging in place and deinstitutionalization of care for older adults requires appropriate and equitable social care and supports within seniors social housing settings. This presentation describes findings from our in-depth examination of the seniors social housing sector in one city in central Canada. Drawing on 44 interviews, we explored interpretations and practices of aging in place and social care among public and non-profit housing providers and their community partners. Findings indicate a disconnect between approaches to housing and approaches to social care, and demonstrate how intersecting contexts of social housing, senior’s supports, and home care shape how non-market housing providers position and navigate responsibilities to help older tenants age in place. Tenants’ access to supports in these settings was not only highly dependent on their income, but on the particularities of their building and its management and structure. This phenomenon can contribute to widening inequality and social exclusion, especially as providers face growing pressures to provide more, and more costly, services. Structural changes are needed to embed social responsibility and human rights considerations into the purpose and delivery of social housing for older adults in Canada, to help ensure that both housing rights and care rights are central in aging in place policies.
Dr. Laura Funk
Dr Laura Funk is a social gerontologist and Professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminology at the University of Manitoba, Canada. Her research focuses on paid and unpaid care for older adults and dying persons, including previous explorations of the policy landscape of dying at home in Canada, how families navigate care systems, representations and interpretations of violence in older adults, and the politicization of unpaid care for older adults.
The Centre for International Research on Care, Labour and Equalities (CIRCLE) and Centre for Care Seminar Series
In this seminar series we invite colleagues, partners and experts, whose work aligns with the mission of our Centre, to share their work with us and our audiences, to deepen our understanding of the critical issues in social care in the UK and around the world.
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