Wellesley Institute’s submission in advance of the provincial budget
Wellesley Institute works in research and policy to improve health and health equity through action on the social determinants of health.
We urge the government of Ontario to deliberately address and report upon many of the social determinants of health that are so costly in terms of illness, death, and our economy, including in particular income security, good jobs, and mental health and well-being.
This budget should demonstrate how government is ensuring that more people can thrive, meaning that people have the resources they need to meet their physical, mental and social health needs.
The government has initiated some actions that align with thriving, including implementing the Low-Income Workers Tax Credit and establishing an advisory panel to advise on the viability, design and implementation of a program that would provide portable benefits to the many workers that do not have employer-provided comprehensive health benefits. The budget should reflect that these actions are further expanded and implemented so that more Ontarians can thrive.
We hope in particular that the government will deliver on housing, and specifically homelessness, in the upcoming budget.
As this government has recognized through its commitment to setting targets for municipalities on new housing supply, among other measures, the province is the level of government best positioned to lead on ending chronic homelessness. The province also has the most significant constitutional responsibilities around homelessness, including for health, property and over the municipalities themselves.
This budget should outline the government’s strategy to end chronic homelessness. The province must demonstrate to the people of Ontario how provincial action and funding will house at least one-third of what the homeless population will be in 10 years without intervention.
The province should set and meet annual targets for reducing chronic homelessness each year to eliminate it within a decade. These targets should be monitored and made public and should include specific sub-targets that address structurally disadvantaged groups including low-income, Black, Indigenous and other racialized communities, newcomers and persons living with disabilities. These groups are disproportionately impacted by chronic homelessness and unaffordable and unhealthy housing.
The first method the province should undertake to meet those targets is to fund supportive housing. Wellesley Institute helped lead the Supportive Housing Growth Plan for Toronto which demonstrated the need for 18,000 new units by 2030. We have not met those goals and we must do so. Guaranteeing supportive housing funding for every needed unit would free up providers to focus on finding funding for construction. The government should also consider how it can ensure funding for construction and repair, including through creation of a capital fund for non-profits.
Second, the government has identified increasing housing supply as a key area of action, committing to building 1.5 million homes by 2031. However, increasing supply alone is not enough. The housing must support good health, meaning housing must be affordable, meaning that no one is paying more than 30 per cent of their income on housing. Homes must be healthy, meaning safe air quality, water supply, and good repair. The homes must be adequate, meaning enough living space for each person in the household, space to support older adults or other family members in need, and space to work, study and play where needed.
To ensure new supply improves rather than worsens health equity, the province should require municipalities to answer questions around their housing plans including:
- Will any of these new market homes be affordable?
- Will they worsen inequality?
- Will they be healthy?
- And, most importantly, how many of those currently experiencing or on the edge of homelessness will be helped?
Preventing homelessness is far better for health and our economy than alleviating it later. To that end, a third action the province should take immediately is to provide adequate rent supplements to prevent all those on the brink from falling. These supplements must be carefully targeted to ensure they are equitably distributed.
Ontarians can no longer afford to have so many living in homelessness. We urge the province to act now to take a leadership role in coordinating a strategy to end homelessness, and to directly take steps to house at least one-third of the homeless population within 10 years.