CRECS was founded by professors Tim Aubry and Robert Flynn as the Community Services Research Unit (CSRU).
[1] The CSRU aimed to provide a point of contact between University of Ottawa faculty and students with community organizations, with the intention of collaborating on research projects that would develop and further success in health and social services.
[1] They worked in several areas, including child welfare, homelessness, community mental health, and developmental disabilities.
The Centre continued to grow with the addition of new collaborators and researchers, including Professors Brad Cousins, Doug Angus and Marie Drolet.
Visibility for the Centre continually increases with initiatives such as regular noon hour colloquiums and creating a web-based video series.