Centre for Research on Security Practices

CRSP connects researchers, community partners, and practitioners to put research into practice. Our work focuses on the social issues that most affect communities, from housing and homelessness to community safety and social policy. We welcome collaboration with anyone invested in these issues.

Your Research Partner in the Community

CRSP connects researchers, community partners, and practitioners to put research into practice. Our work focuses on the social issues that most affect communities, from housing and homelessness to community safety and social policy. We welcome collaboration with anyone invested in these issues.

Our team can assist with grant writing by identifying funding opportunities and helping you write strong, data-backed applications. We also offer tailored research services, including surveys, focus groups, literature reviews, and program evaluations, delivered on timelines that fit your schedule. Beyond individual projects, we build long-term research partnerships where community priorities shape the questions we ask and the data we gather.

Our Impact

At CRSP, our goal is simple: to produce research that helps build fairer, safer, and better-informed communities. Our researchers specialize in community-engaged approaches that centre the perspectives of those most affected by the issues we study, ensuring that the knowledge we produce is both rigorous and grounded in lived reality. Our work spans many core research areas, including:

• Community-Engaged Research: We believe the most effective research happens when academics and communities work together, ensuring our findings lead to practical action rather than just academic publications.
• Community Safety: We examine how communities can become safer, exploring how policies, services, and systems impact equity and public safety.
• Homelessness and Housing: We work alongside community organizations and people with lived experience to understand housing instability and support practical, evidence-based solutions.

CRSP Resource Catalogue

We created an online Resource Catalogue to make research and data easily accessible to everyone. The catalogue is free, public, and requires no account or registration to use. It contains tools, references, and resources on homelessness, community safety, policing, migration, human trafficking, and community research practices.

The catalogue is built to be a practical tool, whether you need a quick introduction to a new topic or a deeper look at existing literature.

CRSP Resource Catalogue

CRSP Membership

CRSP membership connects academic researchers with the cross-disciplinary networks, resources, and institutional support needed to do meaningful community research. Members join an active research community and receive several practical benefits:

• Research Support: Draw on CRSP expertise for project planning and grant writing assistance, as well as access to research space, technology, and equipment available on loan.
• Research Collaboration Opportunities: Connect with fellow researchers across disciplines, contribute to active interdisciplinary projects, and find partners for your own studies.
• Workshops and Training: Participate in workshops, seminars, and training events led by experts in the field, covering research methods, emerging topics, and professional development.
• Networking Events: Engage with researchers, practitioners, and policymakers through events designed to build professional relationships and find new directions for your work.
• Knowledge Mobilization: Share your research with audiences outside of academia through CRSP's website and podcast, dedicated to housing and disseminating knowledge mobilization resources.

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