Minister Robertson: Commit to the Expansion of Social Housing in the Renewed National Housing Strategy!
The National Housing Strategy will expire in 2027. This ten year plan failed to improve housing outcomes for those in greatest need by underinvesting in the expansion and maintenance of social housing. A new strategy is currently being developed. This is our time to demand that the Government of Canada re-establish its commitment to social housing.
Canada has a history of building and sustaining social housing. The most significant investments were made between 1950 and 1985. These homes were protected from being used for speculation or to generate wealth. It was not until the 1980s where federal cuts to social housing and social services occurred that homelessness emerged as a social problem. The theory that the private sector would supply housing to meet all needs has clearly failed.
The expansion of social housing does not have to be a relic of the past. We can rise up together and call on the Government of Canada to go back to what works in keeping low-income renters housed. Social housing is an essential part of a comprehensive housing plan, yet governments continue to avoid investing in what is needed. Let’s move forward by mobilizing for non-market housing that is actually affordable to those in greatest need.
We are calling on the federal government to:
- Create a minimum of 50,000 net new accessible rent-geared-to-income social housing units each year for 10 years, starting now. These units should be targeted for those experiencing core housing need and homelessness and have rents permanently set at no more than 30% of household income or social assistance housing allowances.
- Invest in the acquisition, construction, operation, and maintenance of new and existing public, non-profit, and cooperative-owned housing that meets the unique and varied requirements of people experiencing core housing need and homelessness.