Need for housing in Ontario at all-time high

In a report released this morning, the Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association stated that the number of people needing affordable housing grew 4% in a one-year period.

There are now nearly 130,000 households in Ontario waiting for affordable housing.

“The number of low income seniors, families and singles seeking social housing continues to increase,” said Sharad Kerur, ONPHA’s Executive Director. “There simply is not enough community‐based affordable housing being built to meet the massive need.”

The research does not include the need for affordable housing for First Nations peoples on reserves. In 2005, the Government of Canada announced they would spend $295 million over a five year period to increase the number of homes for First Nations peoples, including 4,400 fully-subsidized units and 2,000 market rent units. In April this year, the government announced a further $270 million of on-reserve funding to address housing issues. Inadequate housing has been fingered as one of the key factors behind the swine flu outbreak on a reserve in Northern Manitoba, where the outbreak has been particularly hard-hitting. While the waiting period for affordable housing varies depending on where a person lives, the average wait is four years time, the ONPHA reports. Earlier this year the ONPHA reported that

“One –in –five Ontario tenant households are still spending more than half of their income on housing,” said ONPHA Executive Director, Sharad Kerur. “Many of these households are one pay cheque away from losing their homes. I am really worried that as the economy

moves deeper into recession, more and more households will be forced to choose between paying the rent and other necessities.”

The Government of Ontario announced on June 3 that it is beginning public consultations as it prepared to develop a new long-term affordable housing strategy for Ontario. Activists say that affordable housing is a key issue in the fight against poverty. According to the Executive Director of ONPHA, Sharad Kerur,

"Ontario has never had a comprehensive provincial housing plan – we’ve been waiting for decades for this commitment."

The need for affordable housing in Canada has been making the news for many years. Just one year ago, the Wellesley Institute reported that the housing crisis is "moving up the income scale."