Send our letter to the Minister of Housing!
Please join us in sending a letter to the federal Minister of Housing and Prime Minister. The Social Housing and Human Rights Coalition is urging them to act on our call for a minimum of 50,000 net new rent-geared-to-income social housing units annually for 10 years, starting now.
The people who set policy priority items for this country need to know that the housing woes for the most vulnerable Canadians won’t be solved in the private sector. This approach has been tried since the federal government began to devolve responsibility to the provinces in the early 1990s. Since then, the number of people living in poor housing conditions or with no housing at all has grown. 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.
SHHR is urging the Minister of Housing and Prime Minister to take immediate action to achieve the following targets:
- Create a minimum of 50,000 net new 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.
This should be achieved in part by:
I. Redirecting $15B for market housing from the Apartment Construction Loan Program toward the Rapid Housing Initiative to create non-market social housing with rents set at less than 30% of household income.
II. Moving the full $1.5B Rental Protection Fund commitment into the current fiscal year and targeting the Fund exclusively to non-market housing providers to produce housing with rents set at less than 30% of household income.
III. Setting aside public land and buildings for non-market housing providers to produce housing with rents set at less than 30% of household income.
IV. Partnering with other levels of government so that all social housing programs include ongoing operating subsidies that ensure rents are permanently set at less than 30% of household income and targeted for low-income renters.