WHEREAS every Canadian deserves a home;
WHEREAS provincial jurisdiction over housing has created a fractious system that promotes an environment in which some provinces and cities work hard to combat homelessness and to create affordable housing while others do little or nothing;
WHEREAS there is a correlation between homelessness, mental health and addictions, and homelessness is not limited to large or medium sized communities, it is an issue in all communities across Canada;
WHEREAS tens of thousands of people are homeless and families are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population;
BE IT RESOLVED that a comprehensive national housing strategy be developed that includes social housing, low-income rental housing, co-op housing, and middle- income housing in partnership with other levels of government service providers and business. This national housing strategy should employ federal tax policy to encourage the building and maintaining of long-term affordable rental and co-op housing;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that specific measures be included in the national housing strategy to prevent and address homelessness.
Liberal Party of Canada (British Columbia)
Northern and Western Caucus
Good, but needs safeguards to make sure we’re not building US style gettos in any form of legislation…
Not sure about this. Do you fix the root cause or accept that it is inevitable. Does providing for the presumed inevitable, cost less, answer the question better, than trying to short circuit the problems in life.
We have provided housing, but still have the ongoing problem how to feed and make the person a productive part of society.
Yes, there are people that will need a hand, always. The problems is, there are quite a few that don’t. It’s those people, that make it a hard sell, to the general population, to support this kind of program.
For too long Canada has worked on the reverse principle of solve your issues and then we wiil help you get aplace to live.
It has been proven that in order to get people back on track to being productive members of society you have to provide them with the security of a place to live. Only then can they hope to address their issues. This has failed. Look at the Portland model to see examples of this success.
This is a clear priority. Do we have the resolve to get it done? I hope so.
The resolution is well intentioned but a little muddled. As other commenters said, it would be better to declare clearly for the Housing First model and against Continuum of Care, given the 90% success rate of one and the 25% success rate of the other. This would be a major shift in funding away from capital funding toward programs and professional services, to address chronic homelessness separately from other housing supports. A scattered site approach to social housing and housing supports is also supported by the evidence.
The above resolution makes perfect policy sense and I heartily applaud it. However, it is a big list and needs to be broken down into media byte sizes to create and maintain momentum . There was a tax credit for the creation of rental housing 30-40 years ago that resulted in the building of purpose built rental housing all across Canada. Almost all of the rental housing we see today is a result of this tax credit. Once this tax credit for the market was suspended, virtually all purpose built rental housing construction stopped, as either the rental developments could not pay for themselves or were not competitive enough compared to other “housing product” options for the market.
We need to focus on reinstating the rental housing tax credit to create momentum. It will make the most difference to Canadians all across the country.
Several reasons this is important, besides the fact that we need to address the issue: 1. The Tories are completely vacating the field on Housing and Homelessness. 2. We have something to say that is not the same as the NDP. 3. This is an issue that our candidates and MPs can work on locally, building credibility and support with voluntary organizations, and helping to make a difference. 4. It’s an issue that a significant minority are interested in, and are open to hearing our message.
Importance of the housing policy is hard to overestimate. I totally agree with the resolution and its implied conceptual standing. And I would like to make clear the cause-effect relationship in thhis view and repeatedly underline that the phenomenon of growing homelessness is not a cause but effect of the policy shortcomings accumulated over the last decades. The problem that we need to address is disappearance of the middle class. With no intention to generalize the issue, saying “middle class” I refer to that “middle income” which normally would have allowed to buy a “middle quality” housing unit. We are losing the affordability principle in our real estate market. Because of many artificial (such as market speculative bubbling, or overinvestments from outside) and/or natural (demand trully exceeding supply), we have a reality of those who want but cannot afford buying and those who are proud owners with enormous debt-to-equity ratio and ready to immediately sink with the slightest increase in interest rates.
This week’s news about Aboriginal Housing, or rather the lack thereof makes me think that this issue deserves a very prominent place on the agenda.
Yes, lack of housing and conditions of existing housing in First Nations communities has hit our consciousness at the moment. I hope we can keep this issue in the forefront.
Actually, the Occupy movement has done a great deal to highlight this problem in our urban areas as well. Occupy tent cities across Canada have done a good job of sheltering and feeding and otherwise caring for the homeless and those with mental health issues.
“Canada remains the only country of the G8 nations that does not have a national housing program,” said Lantz. “And this is unacceptable.”
http://www.rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/johnbon/2010/10/protesters-renew-call-federal-housing-strategy
♥
Bill C-304 is the most recent federal legislation that ensures a sufficient national housing strategy. It was last introduced to Parliament in March 2011 by New Democratic Party MP Libby Davies of the East Vancouver riding but got dropped due to the Federal election. It has now been handed over to a NDP woman MP from Quebec.
It awaits Second Reading and Referral to Committee, but has not become law just yet.
Document Based Housing Petition
Print out, get some signatures, send to Libby
http://www.libbydavies.ca/sites/default/files/Davies%20C-304%20Petition.pdf
BILL C-304
An Act to ensure secure, adequate, accessible and affordable housing for Canadians
http://www.socialrights.ca/documents/Bill%20C-304%20Unofficial%20E.pdf
http://www.parl.gc.ca/LegisInfo/BillDetails.aspx?billId=3630084&Language=E&Mode=1
Document Based Housing Petition
Print out, get some signatures, send to Libby
http://www.libbydavies.ca/sites/default/files/Davies%20C-304%20Petition.pdf
A comprehensive uniform national housing strategy (policy)is required. This policy must also address first nation and aboriginal needs.
E. Nyborg
I believe that a National Housing Strategy should be a cornerstone policy of a renewed Liberal vision for Canada. As we look to the future we must ask where is the path that a 21′st century liberal democracy should take to build new freedoms and opportunities? Embedded in the answer to this is a revised social contract, made stronger through a National Housing Strategy that provides for all Canadians the minimum essential security on which they and their families can develop and exploit their abilities. It is also an excellent vehicle to introduce ‘GREEN’ initiatives that will pay dividends for decades to come.
I hope this is also viewed from an aboriginal point of view . Time to end that anachronistic ghetooization !
Well done.
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