Precarious employment is a slippery slope that can lead to homelessness. In today’s shifting economic climate, affordable housing is becoming increasingly out of reach for many individuals and young families. An Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences (FSH), Toba Bryant, Ph.D., is passionate about tackling issues with the greatest community impact, including housing and employment. Her collaborative research with colleagues in the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities (FSSH) explores Pathways Into and Out of Homelessness in Durham Region. The aim is to examine the causes of homelessness and find ways to improve housing policies, while drawing parallels between affected communities across the country. She is also collaborating with FHS and FHSS colleagues, Unifor Retirees Local 222 (Oshawa) and United Way Durham Region on a major community quality-of-life study in Oshawa, Ontario, following the automotive hub’s recent downturn. Her research examines the impact of precarious employment including a lack of job security and benefits on quality of life within the community. She intends to drive government and employer policy and program development to improve job stability and address community concerns for impacted families. A social scientist, Dr. Bryant encourages students to examine the role of social determinants in health outcomes and health policy. Author of Health Policy in Canada, and co-editor of Staying Alive: Critical Perspectives on Health, Illness, and Health Care, she has published book chapters and articles on policy change, housing and health, and women’s health; and serves as General Editor of Women’s Health and Urban Life. Growing up in a political family piqued her interest in public policy; and inspired her focus at university. At the University of Toronto (U of T), Dr. Bryant earned her Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Political Science and her Master of Social Work. Early in her career, she worked on urban health research and policy projects in the voluntary sector, before pursuing her Doctorate in Social Work at U of T. Before joining Ontario Tech University in 2012, Dr. Bryant was an Assistant Professor of Health Studies in the Department of Social Sciences at U of T, and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at York University in Toronto. She held post-doctoral fellowships with the Centre for Research on Inner City Health at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, and the Institute for Health Studies at York University.