This has been a season of elections for people in the Greater Toronto Area, with both a provincial election campaign and now a federal campaign, all under the shadow of an unpredictable, threatening American neighbour. The party whose leader is able to gain the confidence of the House of Commons to govern will significantly shape Canada’s social, economic and political future. That future must centre on ensuring this country is a place where all residents have the resources and opportunities they need to be healthier and more resilient.
We now face an uncertain, precarious future. But it is important to remember that this is nothing new for many. Many living in Canada need change that addresses the structural issues that prevent health equity. Low income, Indigenous, racialized, 2SLGBTQ+ and those unhoused or inadequately housed need Canada to do better. They need a society and government that ensures no one lives sicker or dies younger because they lack the conditions they need for health. We need action that makes sure health is a birthright.
Long before even the threat of tariffs, Canada was facing the impacts of the mounting cost of living, an aging population, health system pressures, worsening mental health and well-being, and climate change. There were and are significant and worsening inequalities in exposure to the social factors that impact health. Income, poverty, employment, food security and housing (among others) vary depending on who you are and where you live.
During April, Wellesley Institute is providing recommendations on issues we know Canada’s political leaders must address. We began with a look at what parties should do to progress towards ensuring everyone in Canada has what they need to thrive – to live a healthy, engaged life.
Below, we look at housing.
Housing
Housing is an essential social determinant of health and is closely linked to poverty and poor health outcomes. Everyone should have access to healthy housing, which we define as being affordable (costing no more than 30 per cent of income), adequate to their needs, and healthy.
We face a triple crisis in housing – attainability (people cannot afford the home they want), affordability (people cannot afford their rent or mortgage), and homelessness.
Many experts, advocates and parties now seek to address attainability. Some have begun to think about affordability (though often with inadequate emphasis on affordability for those on the lowest incomes). But despite it having the largest impact on health and lives, inadequate effort has gone towards ending chronic homelessness and ensuring long-term affordable and healthy housing for all.
The winner of the federal election must lay out their plan for ending chronic homelessness within 10 years. While this a promise that has been committed to previously by all levels of government, we have fallen very far from that goal, with homelessness and chronic homelessness continuing to increase year over year. We need a strategy with concrete measures and targets, including for equity-deserving groups, that will be used to lift people out of homelessness forever.
Supportive housing units provide critical on-site supports that help many individuals achieve housing stability. Right now, the demand for these units far outpaces the supply. Rough estimates point to Ontario alone needing at least 40,000 units. This could be higher however, due to a lack of data and measurement.
Parties must show the public how they will lead on this multi-generational challenge and coordinate with other levels of government and sectors to achieve healthy housing for all. To start, they should:
- Lead the provinces, territories and municipalities on the creation of a clear, public, 10-year plan to end chronic homelessness. Include sub-targets for populations most in need, such as 2SLGBTQ+, Indigenous, racialized, and those in need of support for mental health and addictions.
- Fully fund an Indigenous-led strategy to end Indigenous homelessness.
- Commit to providing the capital funding needed for the development of enough supportive housing units for everyone who needs one in every community across Canada.
- Prevent homelessness by building affordable housing, providing rent supports, ensuring affordable housing is not transformed into market units, and expanding income security.
- Ensure the federal government has a coordinated strategy that addresses not only attainability but affordability and homelessness, including publicly available data on who benefits and who is left out from all three.
Homelessness is a scourge that devastates health, but it is a problem with known, evidence-based solutions. Canada’s next government must prove we can come together across the country and end homelessness for good. We can live in a country that we know has made healthy housing a reality.