Ending poverty: The first steps

At last, Canada stands with other developed nations with its new National Housing Strategy.

But while this historic step forward by the federal government represents what many activists have sought for decades, is it time to rejoice?

Will the $40 billion promised over 10 years amend nearly a quarter of a century of federal inactivity on public housing?

And will the national strategy provide for the more than half a million Canadians in need of affordable housing?

Since the 1990s, federal involvement in housing has been limited to piecemeal approaches aimed at homelessness or affordable housing.

Canada’s overall record on reducing poverty and homelessness, along with affordable housing (both subsidized and market), has drawn international scorn. And the problem continues to grow.

Perhaps the National Housing Strategy can finally help rectify this situation.

In Canada, on any given night, 30,000 people have no place to call home.

And a stunning 3.1 million Canadians have low incomes.

In addition, the national incidence of child poverty remains prevalent, with Manitoba topping the list at 27.5 per cent of children in poverty compared with 17.4 per cent nationally.

An estimated 1.7 million households are in core housing need and expend significant resources on shelter costs (the majority being low-income renters). Perhaps not surprisingly, over half of households in core need are in Ontario and British Columbia, where housing prices remain stratospheric and the dream of comfortably owning a home has faded over the last decade.

So how will the new federal housing strategy help?

The $40 billion goes toward a set of initiatives aimed at lifting more than half a million people out of housing need over 10 years. This will be done by building affordable housing and providing support for rent subsidies while continuing to combat homelessness.

Most critical to the plan is building 100,000 units of new housing and repairing an estimated 300,000 units. Some 385,000 existing units of social housing will also be eligible for subsidy and support.

Much more has yet to unfold on the partnerships among provinces, cities and community organizations that are central to both delivery and financial contributions.

One of the most innovative inclusions in the release of the strategy was the strong role of persons with lived experience. They are to play a fundamental role in providing insight, knowledge and guidance on the strategy’s development and implementation. This represents an important and respectful step forward. So what needs to happen now? First the strategy must align with other federal initiatives aimed at reducing poverty, addressing mental health and homelessness, and delivering affordable housing.

An incredibly important task will be to address the root causes of homelessness and poverty, and balance this with the need to build a range of housing types. Additionally, providing the right set of supports for vulnerable persons to remain in housing will moderate the revolving door of homelessness.

The National Housing Strategy packs a wallop with its $40-billion investment but the devil is in the details.

We need to get working, making sure the investment is used wisely and addresses the core problems behind our affordable housing and homelessness crises.

The announcement of the National Housing Strategy marks a good day for Canada. But let’s not celebrate too long — we have much work to do.