Last week, CHRA made a submission to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (HUMA) on Federal Housing Investments.
It is not a coincidence that our economic productivity is dropping as our housing crisis is worsening, nor is it a coincidence that productivity is declining as the share of non-market community housing is also dropping.
This means that to restore affordability and end the current housing crisis we need to more than double the percentage share of the housing stock that is non-market community housing. To do this, CHRA estimates that 24% of all new units built today must be community housing. We need long-term and sustainable commitments that span across governments to ensure clear pathways for new development. To this end, CHRA is recommending that HUMA endorse the following:
1. Stable financing and funding for the development and preservation of affordable housing.
2. Secure and predictable pre-development funding.
3. Growing and strengthening the non-market community housing sector.
4. Support the collection of data on new housing construction resulting from federal investments.