Research Findings
As this research continues, there have been numerous articles discussing the key findings from the data.
If you cannot access any of the publications below, please email us and we will share a copy with you, free of charge!
RESEARCH IN THE NEWS
Repeat offenders behind upscale hillside encampment, expert says they’re outliers. Read the article here.
Policing in the Shadow of Canada’s Homelessness and Toxic Drug Crises. Read the article here.
Street-based study in Lethbridge shows private security guards provide compassion and care for people experiencing homelessness. Read the article here.
Drug Dealers are plundering people’s homes into ‘trap houses,’ driving up violence and homelessness in Thunder Bay. Read the article here.
Edmonton took down 9,500 homeless camps last year - 40% more than in 2023. Read the article here.
Canada must recognize anti-homeless attacks as hate crimes. Read the article here.
Experts, Beltline community debate future of Calgary's supervised consumption site. Read the article here.
AHS to take over Red Deer overdose prevention site, turn it into mobile operation. Read the article here.
New study focuses on impacts of Lethbridge's Supervised Consumption Site closure. Read the article here.
Supervised consumption sites reduce drug overdoses and disease transmission — and deserve government support. Read the article here.
Gang violence among threats to safety for Edmonton homeless population, says researcher. Read the article here.
The panel event looking at the way meth is portrayed in the media. Read the article here.
PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS
Maier, K., Urbanik, M. M., & Greene, C. (2024). “You have to be grateful that they have eyes watching over us”: When Security Guards Protect and Serve People Experiencing Homelessness. Social Problems, spae010.
Urbanik, MM., Valasik, M., Maier, K. et al. (2025) “It’s a Trap!”: Exploring the Rise of Gang-Led “Cuckooing” and Its Relationship to Homelessness. Int Criminolhttps://doi.org/10.1007/s43576-025-00167-3
Urbanik, M., Maier, K., Greene, C., & Hunter, K. (2025). “What If I Call Them the Smurfs?” Comparing Marginalized People Who Use Drugs’ Experiences and Interactions with Auxiliary and Sworn Police Officers. The Howard Journal of Crime and Justice. https://doi.org/10.1111/hojo.12614
Geldart, R., Greene, C., Urbanik, M. M., & Maier, K. (2024). ‘They don’t do nothing’: Exploring marginalized people who use drugs’ experiences with and expectations of private security officers. Criminology & Criminal Justice, 17488958241249825. Access it free here.
Urbanik, M. M., Maier, K., Greene, C., & Enkhtugs, B. (2024). “She’s a Flagger, and I’ma Panner”: Exploring the Intricacies of Flagging, Panhandling, and Street Economies. Deviant Behavior, 1-18.
Urbanik, M. M., Maier, K., Tetrault, J. E., & Greene, C. (2024). Hate crime and class vulnerability: A case study of white nationalist violence against unhoused Indigenous people. The British journal of criminology, 64(4), 863-880.
Maier, K., Greene, C., Hunter, K., & Urbanik, M. (2024). ‘The ones in red:’people who use drugs’ experiences of the Janus-faced nature of police volunteerism. Policing and Society, 1-16.
Mokhtari, M., Greene, C., Maier, K., & Urbanik, M. (2025). “They stole all my shit”: a qualitative exploration of By-Law practices and people experiencing homelessness. Socius Sociological Research for a Dynamic World, 11. https://doi.org/10.1177/23780231251347064
Greene, C., Maier, K., & Urbanik, M. M. (2023). “It's just not the same”: Exploring PWUD's perceptions of and experiences with drug policy and SCS services change in a Canadian City. International journal of drug policy, 111, 103934.
Greene, C., Maier, K., & Urbanik, M.-M. (2023, January 25). Supervised consumption sites reduce drug overdoses - and deserve support. Globe & Mail [Toronto, Canada], A6. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A734518451/HRCA?u=anon~d7374cfe&sid=googleScholar&xid=127defdb
Greene, C., Urbanik, M. M., & Geldart, R. (2022). Experiences with compounding surveillance and social control as a barrier to safe consumption service access. SSM-qualitative research in health, 2, 100055. Access it free here.
Urbanik, M. M., Maier, K., & Greene, C. (2022). A qualitative comparison of how people who use drugs’ perceptions and experiences of policing affect supervised consumption services access in two cities. International Journal of Drug Policy, 104, 103671.
Greene, C., & Urbanik, M. (2022). A rejoinder to Brooks et al. “Response to operational and contextual barriers to accessing supervised consumption services in two Canadian cities.” International Journal of Drug Policy, 105, 103718. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2022.103718
Urbanik, M. M., & Greene, C. (2021). Operational and contextual barriers to accessing supervised consumption services in two Canadian cities. International Journal of Drug Policy, 88, 102991.
APPEARANCES
Fentanyl-Driven “Hot Shot” Murders and Implications for Paramedic Practice. 2025 Canadian Paramedicine Research Day [Video]. Watch/Listen here.
Are safe consumption sites worth the money? [Video]. Real Talk Ryan Jespersen. YouTube. Watch/Listen here.
(Interview segment with Carolyn Greene, Marta-Marika Urbanik, & Katharina Maier, 4:00–32:36).
Drugs, crime, and social disorder: Making sense of recent changes in Edmonton’s inner-city. [Video]. Centre for Criminological Research. YouTube. Watch/Listen here.