HART’s Associate Director, Dr. Craig Jones, has spent over a decade trying to make sure that the people making housing decisions have the evidence they need to make good ones. On Tuesday, the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association recognized that work with their 2026 Leadership Award, presented at CHRA Congress in St. John’s, NL.
Craig has led the development, implementation, and advocacy of the Housing Assessment Resource Tools (HART) project since 2022, and has researched and advocated for better housing policy for over a decade. That work has had real consequences: his research and advocacy helped shape the Public Lands for Homes plan, the updated Federal Lands Initiative, and the Canada Rental Protection Fund, as well as dozens of municipal housing plans and strategies across the country. Running through all of it is a consistent thread: more non-profit housing, more community housing on public land, stronger tenant protections, and better access to housing data for everyone who needs it.
In addition to receiving this award, the HART team presented a prototype of our upcoming BC Public Lands Map — a tool that will map all publicly-owned land in BC with data on servicing, amenities, slope, natural disaster risk, and potential housing yield, launching in June 2026.
The HART core team has worked together for several years, which is unusually stable for a research group, and not by accident. Here’s what some of Craig’s collaborators had to say about why:
“What distinguishes Craig as a leader is his deep commitment to authentic, respectful, and sustained Indigenous partnership. As both a regular partner and advisor in HART’s work, AHMA has seen firsthand how Craig ensures Indigenous voices guide decision-making and that the tools developed truly serve community goals. We are currently collaborating on an Indigenous Housing Needs Assessment Tool for publication next year and providing guidance on HART’s upcoming BC Public Land Map, initiatives that reflect Craig’s understanding that effective housing policy must be grounded in Indigenous self-determination.”
– Margaret Pfoh, CEO, Aboriginal Housing Management Association.
“Here’s what separates Craig’s work from typical research contributions: he built infrastructure, not just publications. Before HART, if you were a small municipality or non-profit trying to understand your community’s housing needs, you had two options—hire an expensive consultant or make educated guesses. Craig recognized this wasn’t a knowledge gap; it was a structural inequity in who could access housing data and analysis.”
– Carolyn Whitzman, Housing Researcher and Adjunct Professor, School of Cities, University of Toronto
“Dr. Jones has been an invaluable partner to the non-profit housing sector. As someone who has had the privilege of working closely with him over many years, I’m pleased to have this opportunity to highlight his transformative contributions to housing research and policy in Canada, work that has fundamentally reshaped how communities across the country identify and address housing needs.”
– Erika Sagert, Director, Sector Capacity, BCNPHA
Congratulations, Craig! We’re lucky to have you.
HART continues to produce meaningful, useful work that saves governments and non-profits millions annually. To learn more about our work, sign up for our newsletter, or read our 2025 Impact report.
