The Conservatives refused to respond, but the other four major political parties in Canada’s 2011 federal election – the Liberals, the Bloc Quebecois, the New Democratic Party and the Green Party – all provided detailed answers to housing questions posed by the independent Red Tent Campaign. The Wellesley Institute’s Precarious Housing in Canada 2010 notes […]
Housing
Feds, Ontario re-announce, yet again, 2008 housing funding
The Ontario and federal governments announced a combined investment of $481 million in affordable housing funding on November 8. This is not a new investment, but the re-announcement of funding that was first promised in September of 2008. Here are some background notes from the Wellesley Institute to help you understand the latest housing news. […]
Continue ReadingFeds, Ontario re-announce, yet again, 2008 housing funding
Toronto’s affordable housing wait list continues to set stunning new records
Toronto’s affordable housing wait list continues to set stunning new records month after month. The list stands at an all-time high of 83,681 households in March – up a staggering 7% in the past year. The March number beat the previous record set in February, and that beat the previous record set in January. The wait list […]
Continue ReadingToronto’s affordable housing wait list continues to set stunning new records
Good news for TCHC tenants and all of Toronto: Refinancing deal yields big gains
Toronto City Council’s Executive Committee will consider a detailed financing plan at its March 20, 2013, meeting to generate $94 million in funding as part of a long-term strategy to restore financial stability to Toronto Community Housing Corporation. The plan would inject much-needed dollars into long-overdue capital repairs. The financing plan is good news for […]
Continue ReadingGood news for TCHC tenants and all of Toronto: Refinancing deal yields big gains
Ontario Government: Improve SROI With Strategic Investments In Innovation, Housing And Health
The Wellesley Institute calls on the Ontario government to take a multi-sectoral 10-year approach to maximizing its social return on investment. In a 15-minute presentation to the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs of the Ontario Legislature (see the official Committee transcript) on Monday, February 1, Rick Blickstead outlined three major recommendations for strategic investment. […]
Continue ReadingOntario Government: Improve SROI With Strategic Investments In Innovation, Housing And Health Download PublicationInvesting In Equity And Innovation: Ensuring A Healthy Future
Tracking the impact of cuts to housing and homelessness supports
Ontario recently eliminated the Community Start-Up and Maintenance Benefit (CSUMB). The CSUMB helped people receiving social assistance to pay for large or unexpected housing-related costs, supporting them to become and remain housed. As of January 1, 2013, the CSUMB ended and 50 percent of its funding was passed to municipalities as part of a consolidation […]
Continue ReadingTracking the impact of cuts to housing and homelessness supports
Counting down to the end of the Community Start-Up and Maintenance Benefit: there’s still time for Ontario to avoid a crisis
We’re now less than two weeks away from the Government of Ontario terminating the Community Start-Up and Maintenance Benefit (CSUMB) and an impending and avoidable housing and homelessness crisis. The CSUMB helps people receiving social assistance to pay for large or unexpected housing-related costs, supporting them to become and remain housed. As of January 1st, this […]
Great holiday news as Ontario steps up with transitional funding for housing and homelessness supports
The Ontario government announced today that it would provide transitional funding of $42 million in 2013-14 for municipalities to develop and implement their consolidated housing and homelessness plans, which will set out how each muncipality addresses their local housing needs. The Wellesley Institute and community groups from across the province have been calling on the government to […]
Ontario’s holiday gift to Toronto restores some of housing and homeless funding that was cut
Toronto will get a $12.3 million holiday gift from the province – partial repayment, for one year only, of $21 million in housing and homelessness funding cutsthat took effect on January 1st. The Ontario government rushed out its announcement of $42 million in transitional housing and homelessness funds to municipalities in the middle of the holiday season, just […]
Cut to housing benefits will affect the health of the homeless, women, children, and people with disabilities
In the 2012 Ontario budget, the government announced that it was eliminating the Community Start-Up and Maintenance Benefit (CSUMB). The CSUMB helps people receiving social assistance to pay for large or unexpected housing-related costs, supporting them to become and remain housed. As of January 1, 2013, the CSUMB will end and 50 percent of its […]