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A need for non-market housing .
Social Housing
All levels of government share an obligation to prioritize those most in need…
Why This Matters:
Housing is recognized as a human right, both in the UN Declaration of Human Rights since 1948 and in the Government of Canada’s National Housing Strategy Act since 2019. All levels of government share an obligation to prioritize those most in need in our progressive realization of the right to adequate housing. This is true whether or not they choose to acknowledge housing as a right.
While affordability can be addressed to a certain extent within market housing, there will also be a need for non-market housing (i.e. government run or subsidized housing) in order to progressively realize this right to housing for very low-income households. There is also a need for supported housing for households who struggle to stay sustainably housed.
Our whole community benefits when everyone has a safe, affordable, hopeful place to call home. Currently, the wait time to access social housing in Simcoe County is 10+ years.
For context, the 2021 Census counts 5,491,201 private private dwellings occupied by usual residents in Ontario.
12% of that, staying with the Ontario figure, equals 658,944 households who spend more than 30% of their income on shelter.
With an average of 2.6 people per household in Ontario this figure represents roughly 1,713,255 people, easily enough to be the 2nd largest city in Ontario. (Ottawa, currently the 2nd largest city, has a population of 1,068,821.)
Data: CMHC / Statistics Canada
Did You Know…?
- In the January 2022 Simcoe County Homeless Enumeration, 722 people were counted as unhoused. This is the highest count since Simcoe County began enumerations in 2016.
- 71% of those counted were single adults, compared to the general population of Simcoe County which is approx. 18% single adults. Most of them are on OW or ODSP. This means that they have $390-497 each month to spend on housing. The market does not create housing for this population. 70% are classified as chronically homeless, which indicates they may need wraparound supports to recover from their homelessness and/or to stay sustainably housed.
- Increasingly, working families with incomes above the poverty-line are becoming homeless, because they are unable to find an affordable place to rent or buy, as home costs have increased at a significantly higher rate than salaries:
The information shown in this table is from the Growth Forecasts and Land Needs Assessment, prepared by Hemson Consulting Ltd. for the County of Simcoe on March 31, 2022 and included in the County’s 2022 Municipal Comprehensive Review.
What You Can Do As A Municipal Leader.
- Support the ongoing partnership and participation of nonprofits in the housing market, including acquisition of multi-unit residential buildings by nonprofits.
- At the County level, increase rent supplements, rent-geared-to-income units, and review the Housing Retention Fund with input from those who have used the fund and those who have been denied, to ensure it is working as it should.
- Increase collaboration and investment in transitional and supportive housing for people at-risk of or experiencing homelessness.
- Increase investment in repair and renewal of naturally occurring existing affordable housing.
Local organizations that can help.
CONTACT Community Services
Redwood Park Communities
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