About Hub Solutions
We’re research, design, and communications experts. We support agencies, communities, and policymakers to improve their capacity to prevent and end homelessness.
Hub Solutions is the social enterprise of the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness.
Income generated from our fee-for-service work is reinvested into the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness to support research, innovation, policy recommendations, and knowledge mobilization.
Meet our team of researchers and communications experts.
Leadership
Co-founder and Vice-President
Allyson Marsolais
Allyson is the Executive Vice President with the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness (previously the Canadian Homelessness Research Network) and VP and Co-Founder of Hub Solutions. Allyson has a Master’s degree in Critical Disability Studies from York University and almost 20 years experience working in the social justice field. Currently, Allyson is excited about further developing Hub Solutions, and is working towards a professional designation as a Project Management Professional (PMP). When she’s not working to make research matter and end homelessness, Allyson is probably telling her children: “No, please, don’t do that!” Or “No, please, put that down!” Or “No, please, don’t hit your sibling!” for the millionth time!
Research
Research and Evaluation Coordinator
Anika Shama
Anika received a master’s degree in Applied Psychology from Memorial University of Newfoundland where she received intense theoretical and practical training in research design, statistical analysis, and program evaluation. She utilized both quantitative and qualitative research methods and data analysis in the evaluation of different knowledge transfer programs. In the recent past, she partnered with Eastern Health of Newfoundland and Labrador where she completed an evaluation of a knowledge exchange program that focused on using harm reduction techniques as means to respond to opioid dependency. She brings four years of experience in designing and implementing intervention programs in the fields of education and gender equality.
Personal: In her free time, Anika likes to go shopping for kitchen supplies and she likes to get lost in a new city.
Communication
Sr. Digital Project Coordinator
Chris Durand
Chris is a Digital Project Coordinator for the COH. He holds a BA in Foreign Languages and International Marketing from the University of Aix-Marseille and the University of Bordeaux. He also holds a MBA in Digital Strategy Management from Ecole Supérieure de Commerce et d’Economie Numérique in Bordeaux, France. After graduation, he started a Web and Graphic Design company that mainly works with nonprofits in France. Life brought him in Canada, where he found the opportunity to work in a fascinating and meaningful position, here at the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness.
Communication
Communications Coordinator
Emma Amon
Emma Amon is a Communications Coordinator at the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness. She holds a BA in Media Production from Ryerson University and an MA in Public Service from the University of Waterloo. She has experience in graphic design, video production, and writing for diverse audiences. Emma is passionate about storytelling and is thrilled to be working in a role where she is able to tell stories through a variety of mediums.
Research
Systems Planning Coordinator
Chris Durand
Erika Morton attended McMaster University where she completed her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and her Bachelor of Social Work which sparked her interest in community development and prevention-based approaches to social issues. Her work in child and youth programming inspired her to follow a career pathway that would result in building the capacity of young people to achieve their optimal wellbeing. She worked at the Social Planning and Research Council of Hamilton where she provided collaboration support with community partners and youth with lived experience of homelessness who are working together to end youth homelessness. In her role as a Systems Planning Coordinator, she is keen to transfer the skills and knowledge that she has developed towards ending homelessness in Canada. In her downtime, Erika is likely to be found being amused by her cats.
Research
Research & Evaluation Manager
Ijeoma Iwuora
Ijeoma Iwuora is a seasoned international development practitioner with over a decade of experience implementing donor-funded programs, managing grants, and conducting research. She is a member of the Canadian Evaluation Society and holds a Master’s degree in Public Health from The University of Manchester, UK. Her research experience spans multiple disciplines and continents, including childhood obesity in the UK and global health and development in Africa.
Ijeoma has worked in various capacities within the international development sector, supporting the design and implementation of monitoring and evaluation frameworks on subjects related to, diversity, equity, and inclusion, incorporating gender into implementation research, HIV/AIDS, healthcare financing, governance, and health systems. She has significant experience in leading qualitative research and supporting large household demographic and nutrition surveys.
Passionate about social justice, Ijeoma strongly believes in the use of research and data to address health and social problems. She sees this as a pathway to helping countries and communities achieve sustainable development goals.
Research
Director of Research and Evaluation
John Ecker
John Ecker, PhD is the Director of Research and Evaluation at the COH. In this role, he has been fortunate to collaborate with with a number of community partners on their research and evaluation activities. He attained his Ph.D. in Community Psychology from the University of Ottawa where he received advanced training in qualitative and quantitative analyses, as well as program evaluation theory and practice. His research interests are varied and include homelessness, housing, Housing First, community integration, and LGBTQ2S studies. In his spare time, John is an avid tennis player/fan and has a love of pop culture.
Communication
Instructional Design Specialist
Karen Bosworth
Karen Bosworth is the Instructional Designer & Content Developer for the Homelessness Learning Hub where she develops training and curates collections of learning resources for the housing and homelessness sector. Karen is driven to produce engaging and effective learning experiences that people will actually enjoy. She specializes in developing online training that is learner-centred and practical. Her key strengths include engaging scholars and practitioners in collaborative design, creating engaging and interactive lessons with stories and scenarios and working with trainers to transform in-person events to online learning.
Communication
Communications Coordinator
Promise Busulwa
Promise Busulwa holds a BSc Honors in Psychology from York University. She has experience in both communications and research for social services and channels her passion for social equity and knowledge translation into her role as a Communications Coordinator. In her downtime, Promise can be found exploring artistic attractions in Toronto.
Communication
Graphic Designer
Sarah Anne Charlebois
Sarah Anne holds a BA from the York/Sheridan Program in Design (BDes honours). Working in both traditional and digital media, Sarah Anne is passionate about knowledge mobilization through the breakdown of data and research to easily digestible content in order to build connections and foster comprehension. Sarah Anne’s personal philosophy that education is the key to empathy integrates neatly into her everyday role as a graphic designer for the COH. She would like you to know that the Greenland shark is her favorite shark.
Communication
Sr. Director of Communications
Stephanie Vasko
Steph Vasko (she/her) is the Senior Director of Communications at the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness (COH). She leads the team responsible for designing the COH’s publications and communications materials, which range from reports and books to infographics and videos, that help advance our mandate to enhance the impact of research on policy and practice. Since 2009, Steph has been working with the COH’s Homeless Hub website, a key vehicle of knowledge mobilization and the world’s largest library of homelessness research. She also manages communications and design-driven projects for clients of COH’s social enterprise, Hub Solutions.
With a background in communications, web and graphic design, Steph designed several of COH’s seminal reports and led the redesign of the current Homeless Hub website. She’s skilled in both the aesthetic (interface design, user-experience design) and technical (programming, content management systems) aspects of website development.
Steph graduated from McMaster University’s multimedia and communications program in 2007. In this time, she has been involved in website development and communications management at a variety of organizations in Canada and Switzerland, from non-profits to non-governmental organizations in consultation with the United Nations.
When not thinking about all things design, Steph can be found exploring Toronto with her kids.
Research
Research and Evaluation Coordinator
Yasmine Abu-Ayyash
Yasmine (Yes-meen) is a research analyst and knowledge mobilization specialist. She has worked on equity-focused research in the non-profit sector. She brings four years of experience in integrating Gender Based Analysis Plus (GBA+) into research design and policy evaluation. She has provided training to researchers and government partners on gender analytics to assess how gender impacts organizational practices and policies. She previously worked in the settlement sector where she produced knowledge products on issues relating to homelessness and mental health. Her guiding principle is to make research data and findings accessible in plain language writing. She received her master’s in Gender Studies from SOAS, University of London and her Research Analyst postgraduate certificate from Humber.
Meet some of our clients and partners
“Hub Solutions has provided us with critical information to better meet the needs of men experiencing homelessness. Having good information is so impactful in making real change happen as we work to prevent and end homelessness in York Region.”
“Working with Hub Solutions was an absolute JOY! The team are skilled innovators who are collaborative (and patient) beyond words.”
“The evaluation conducted by Hub Solutions has helped The Home Depot Canada Foundation ensure we are able to make a meaningful impact in our work to prevent and end youth homelessness.”
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