[CAH] Wellesley update: New housing data, rental #s due tomorrow, Finance Committee calls for homeless / housing action

[Darcy Harvey]

Hello Members,

Here is a very important update from our colleague and supporter Michael Shapcott from the Wellesley Institute in Toronto. New housing numbers from CMHC and important recommendations about affordable housing and the continuation of SCPI from the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance.

-Darcy
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Michael Shapcott 
To: nhhn-can at povnet.org ; hhno-on at povnet.org 
Sent: Wednesday, December 13, 2006 12:12 PM
Subject: [nhhn-can] Wellesley update: New housing data, rental #s due tomorrow, Finance Committee calls for homeless / housing action


Wellesley update: New housing data, rental #s due tomorrow, 

Finance Committee calls for homeless / housing action

 

A wealth of new national, provincial and municipal housing information was released by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation on Monday (you can download a copy from the news releases section of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation web site; there are also extensive data tables for national, provincial and municipal numbers, plus other useful on-line tools).

 

Equally useful numbers are expected tomorrow (December 14) with the release of the annual rental market numbers for Canada, provinces and municipalities.

 

I'll be preparing a more detailed backgrounder, but here are a couple of quick snippets:

 

-         Canada's rental vacancy rate was a painfully low 2.8% in 2005 (the lowest in all but three of the past 14 years), which indicates a critical need for new rental supply;

 

-         The average market rent for a typical, two-bedroom apartment in Canada rose faster than the rate of inflation from 1992 to 2005; even though median incomes for renter households actually declined, in constant dollars, from 1990 to 2004, which indicates a critical need for new affordability measures,

 

Also this week, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance released its recommendations after pre-budget consultations across Canada. 

 

The committee has accepted the key messages from housing and homelessness advocates (that the federal homelessness and housing rehab programs should be extended and that the federal, provincial and territorial governments need to develop a national housing strategy) in their recommendations. 

 

While there is no guarantee that committee recommendations will make their way into the next federal budget (expected in February), there is a higher probability given the current minority Parliament. 

 

There is also a fairly extensive commentary section on housing.

 

* * * << snip >>

 

"In the Committee's view, housing insecurity - which we interpret to mean housing that is not appropriate and/or not affordable - can jeopardize the health, education and social development of Canadians. It also limits their productivity in society. We believe that greater efforts are needed with respect to affordable housing, both generally and particularly with respect to the housing deficiencies experienced by Aboriginal Canadians and low-income families. From this perspective, the Committee recommends that:

 

RECOMMENDATION 13

The federal government, on a priority basis, extend the Supporting Communities Partnership Initiative and the Residential Rehabilitation Assistance Program.

 

Moreover, the government should - in conjunction with the provincial/territorial governments - develop a national housing strategy and, on a priority basis, take action in order to ensure that the housing needs of Aboriginal Canadians and low-income families are met.

 

* * *

 

- Michael

 

* * * 

 



 

Blueprint to End Homelessness in Toronto

 

* * *

 

Michael Shapcott, Senior Fellow - Public Policy

The Wellesley Institute, 45 Charles Street East, #101,

Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M4Y 1S2

Tel. - 416-972-1010, x231 // Cell - 416-605-8316

michael at wellesleyinstitute.com

www.wellesleyinstitute.com

 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: /pipermail/members_cahhalifax.org/attachments/20061213/a6738495/attachment.html 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image001.gif
Type: image/gif
Size: 4861 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : /pipermail/members_cahhalifax.org/attachments/20061213/a6738495/attachment.gif