The Community Housing Action Committee extends its congratulations to our new members of Parliament on their election Monday, Oct. 19, and for achieving a majority government. As many have pointed out, the new government faces many challenges.
Indeed, there are many in Canada who now hope for long-needed improvements in the ways we look after our most vulnerable citizens – especially the provision of housing that people can afford.
The Community Housing Action Committee has for some 10 years provided important affordable housing information and advocacy to our local MLAs, municipal councils, social and city planners, as well as to residents in our North Shore communities.
CHAC is comprised of about 15 community members – including many volunteers – who are well-informed. We are dedicated to supporting the housing goals of the three municipalities and their official community plans. We frequently appear before our councils to support community development and promote improvements to housing opportunities for seniors, persons with disabilities, our youth, those who are homeless and in need of transitional housing.
Sadly, it is no secret that there are many thousands of Canadians who are poorly housed, homeless, or at imminent risk of facing life on the street or in shelters – an intolerable situation for a nation such as ours, as we are certain you agree.
Further, the severe reduction in rental housing availability, combined with stagnating or declining incomes, benefit reductions and other economic changes, mean increasing numbers of Canadians are spending a growing percentage of their income on housing. Today, there are an estimated 380,000 households living in severe housing need - which is defined as living in poverty, and spending more than 50 per cent of their household income on rental housing.
And, one-half of seniors who rent, now live in housing that swallows up more than a third of their before tax income - representing some 229,205 households.
Here, in your three North Shore municipalities, this national housing crisis is sadly only too evident. Four distinct population groups are most at risk: young adults, people who work on the North Shore, people who want to age here, in our communities, and those who are homeless and at risk.
As we know, rents are increasing, vacancies grow fewer, waiting lists are longer, and shelters are full. Now it is common to see adults and children at food banks. Local governments are addressing the housing crisis on the ground, exploring solutions and delivering programs where they can, but we need the federal government to again play a major role in addressing housing. As a result of housing policy changes over the past three decades, Canada’s housing system is more reliant on the private sector than any other western nation, including the United States.
Humphrey Carver, an architect, community planner and key official at CMHC between 1948 and 1967, defined the ultimate objective of national housing policy back in the 1930s as “the provision of a decent dwelling for every Canadian” and the ultimate test of the effectiveness of our housing policy as “the condition of the worst housed families in our communities.” Now, in 2015, the ultimate housing problem in Canada and here on the
North Shore itself, is the seriously inadequate supply of decent, low rent housing - despite the apparent “rise of the permanent renter”. In the recent Canadian Rental Housing Index both West Vancouver’s and the City of North Vancouver’s overall rental rating is “critical”, while the District of North Vancouver’s overall rating is “severe.”
Simply put: we need more affordable housing on the North Shore. Much more.
There is a great need for social housing but those households most in need lack the income to generate effective market demand. Public policy decisions since the mid-1980s have exacerbated the problem and have failed to respond to several harmful trends. Now, as Canada contemplates an influx of refugees we wonder just where we will find appropriate, not-to-mention affordable, housing for these needy people.
We look forward to working with our new federal government to deliver on its campaign promise and invest again in a new affordable national housing program for Canadians.
Don Peters is chairman of the Community Housing Action Committee.
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