Non-market housing as a solution to the housing crisis.
Public investment in non-market housing is essential to restore the health of our housing system and ensure that everyone in Canada has access to affordable, accessible, adequate housing.
But today, social housing represents just 3.5% of Canada’s total housing stock, or 655,000 homes—far less than other OECD countries like the Netherlands (at nearly 35%).
Fewer than 5% of the units built by the federal government’s +$82-billion dollar National Housing Strategy so far would be affordable to those with the lowest incomes, according to research commissioned by the National Housing Council.
The purpose of this discussion was to:
• hold governments to account for the commitments made to growing the non-market housing sector under the National Housing Strategy and to set up the sector for success;
• Examine human rights- and evidence-based policy solutions; and,
• Contribute to the Federal Housing Advocate’s ongoing advocacy efforts and recommendations to Parliament and relevant government officials, including at Housing on the Hill Day.
This National Right to Housing Day event began with an introduction from moderator Alex Nelson, a Community Engagement & Research Specialist at the National Right to Housing Network. Next, Elder Syex̱wáliya, a Knowledge Carrier and Elder Advisor from Squamish Nation offered opening words to set the tone and start the event in a good way.
The guest speaker was Dr. Carolyn Whitzman, a housing rights advocate, researcher, and adjunct professor at the University of Ottawa. Dr. Whitzman set the stage with a quick snapshot of her latest research on housing needs under a rights-based approach, commissioned by the Office of the Federal Housing Advocate.
Then, a panel of housing experts from across the sector discussed specific ways that governments can effectively scale up non-market housing that is permanently affordable, to advance the right to adequate housing and meet Canada’s affordable housing needs.
This What We Heard Report is intended to provide advice in line with human rights standards to contribute to policy conversations on scaling up non-market housing.
It is hoped that this report can be used as a tool to engage directly with more non-market experts on how governments can support Canada’s non-market sector for long-term success. That includes efforts to:
• scale up non-market housing to match the level of other OEDC countries and begin to meet the needs of people in Canada;
• maintain the physical assets as well as general capacity; and,
• open pathways through changes in legislation and policy to allow the sector to further scale up without always relying on government financial support to do so.
These efforts to scale up non-market housing must be prioritized at all levels of government, with strong leadership provided by the federal Minister of Housing, Infrastructure, and Communities. This should include substantial federal funding for provinces and territories to urgently prioritize and develop nonmarket housing suitable for their jurisdictions.
Government investments through the National Housing Strategy need to prioritize non-market housing so it represents at least 20% of the rental housing stock in Canada.
• The non-market housing sector also needs to be supported through government investments to ensure the proper management of their properties and governance of their organizations and grow the capacity for housing development and business acumen of the sector.
• Legislative change needs to create mechanisms to allow the non-market providers to leverage their assets worth billions of dollars to get the capital to build and acquire more properties.
• Community land trusts need to be recognized as important vehicles to secure public land for development on behalf of the non-market providers.
• There is a need for all levels of government to uphold their human rights obligations, including the human right to adequate housing as defined in international and domestic law. Our discussion highlighted the urgent need for inclusive, rights-based solutions that address the diverse and pressing housing needs across Canada.
• While deeply rooted shifts are needed to create community-held, public, and non-market housing, as others highlighted in the chat, all seven elements of adequate housing must be respected to realize the human right to housing. There is still so much work to be done.
• But it is up to us to hold decision-makers accountable. Business as usual will not support the progressive realization of the human right to housing.