Wanted: An Affordable Home

photo credit: fadedgenes via Flickr

More progress needed to help households in housing need

TORONTO, September 15, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - Authors of a newly released report on housing issues are calling on provincial candidates to focus on creating affordable homes for more than 152,000 households on community housing wait lists across Ontario.

The 2011 edition of Where's Home?, authored by the Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association (ONPHA) and the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada Ontario Region (CHF Canada Ontario Region), analyzes 22 separate housing markets and highlights the need for more affordable rental housing across the Province.

This year's report shows that it is increasingly difficult for low and modest income people in Ontario to find safe, affordable rental housing options that are appropriate for their families. This daily reality is highlighted by data that indicates overall vacancy rates across the province continue to tighten - dropping to 2.9% between 2009 and 2010.

"Vacancy rates are tightening up and rental demand is expanding," says Sharad Kerur, ONPHA's Executive Director. "An aging population, increased levels of immigration and future economic conditions will all play a role in determining rental housing needs in the years ahead - and it will be up to local communities and senior governments to help meet those needs."

"This year's findings clearly demonstrate that the gap between homeowners and tenants' incomes is growing ever wider and many Ontarians of low and modest means are struggling to find a home that they can afford," said Harvey Cooper, Manager of Government Relations at CHF Canada Ontario Region. "I worry about families being forced to choose between paying for the necessities of life, putting food on the table and paying the rent."

In addition to inadequate supply, high energy costs are compounding affordability problems for low and moderate income renter households - making it even harder for them to make ends meet.

While this year's report brings attention to a number of troubling trends, there are bright spots that show progress can be made if communities have access to innovative ideas, government support, and sufficient levels of funding.

"While the number of new rental units being produced is not nearly enough to meet the growing demand, recent initiatives - particularly the Canada-Ontario Affordable Housing Program (AHP) - have helped create more affordable and supportive housing for those in need," said Kerur. "Since 2005, over 8,500 of these units were created by non-profit and, to a lesser extent, co-operative housing organizations - showing that with government funding and support, communities can create more affordable homes."

In order to meet increasing rental housing demand, over 10,000 new rental units would need to be built each and every year for the next ten years. While the need is big, so is the commitment of the organizations that make up the membership of ONPHA and CHF Canada Ontario Region.

"We know that housing is a fundamental building block of people's lives," says Cooper. "Our members want to see senior governments take a balanced approach to the creation of more affordable housing for people across the income spectrum. By combining permanently affordable co-op and non-profit housing, private sector rental, renovation programs for existing housing stock and financial tools like rent supplements to fill vacant units, we can move people off housing waiting lists and into affordable homes."

"Where's Home?" can be found at www.onpha.on.ca or www.chfcanada.coop.

Social Housing Wait List Numbers on the Rise

Economy may be recovering, but housing numbers show thousands still struggling

TORONTO, June 6, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - The number of households on social housing waiting lists across Ontario has jumped nearly 18% to 152,077 over the last two years, according to a report released today by the Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association (ONPHA).

The findings of ONPHA's 2011 Report on Waiting List Statistics for Ontario shows that the number of households waiting for social housing continues to grow despite the modest economic recovery in Ontario. As of January, 152,077 households were on waiting lists for financially assisted housing in Ontario - a 7.4% increase since 2010 and an almost 18% jump (22,824 households) from the 129,253 seniors, singles and families on waiting lists in 2009.

"Despite discussion of economic recovery, it is clear that many households are struggling to find a stable home they can afford," said Sharad Kerur, ONPHA's Executive Director. "While employment numbers may be improving, many Ontarians are living through an uneasy economic recovery characterized by reduced work hours, lost jobs or new jobs at lower wages."

Many workers undergoing employment transitions need immediate housing assistance, but find that they will likely wait years to be housed. Discouraged by lengthy waiting times, in some cases up to 15 years, many households in need walk away without applying.

"In reality, the actual number of people requiring assistance is even higher than these statistics suggest," said Kerur. "Over 260,000 households spend more than half of their income on housing and virtually all of them would be eligible for financially assisted housing - the numbers we see on waiting lists are really just the tip of the iceberg."

The 2011 report found that waiting list applications in all three groups studied - seniors, non-senior singles and families - have increased. In particular, the number of seniors in need is rising quickly, with active applications in this group up 10% since last year. As Ontario's population ages, more and more seniors will require access to community-based housing, making it a significant long-term issue that will need to be addressed if the province is going to meet the needs of aging parents and grandparents.

"Housing is the foundation of inclusive communities, strong economies and healthy families," says Kerur. "The provincial Long-Term Affordable Housing Strategy provides a starting point, but the on-going needs of an aging population and a changing workforce will require lasting and consistent funding for new affordable housing development. Our members and other concerned citizens will be calling on candidates of all political stripes to articulate their vision for Ontario's affordable housing infrastructure in the months ahead."

For over 20 years, ONPHA has been the voice of non-profit housing in Ontario. Our 760 member organizations operate more than 160,000 non-profit housing units and provide housing for approximately 400,000 people such as the elderly, low-income families with children, the working poor, victims of violence and abuse, people living with developmental disabilities, mental illness, HIV/AIDS or addictions and the formerly homeless/hard-to-house.

ONPHA's members include municipal and private non-profits of all sizes, with all types of funding. A copy of the report can be found at: www.onpha.on.ca