OUR ACTION PLAN
FOR THE ONTARIO GOVERNMENT
Ontario is facing a housing crisis. Right now in our province, over 200,000 households are waiting as long as 12 years for deeply affordable community housing, and over 735,000 Ontario households cannot access a home that they can afford, that does not need major repairs, or is not overcrowded.
Making the problem worse, over the last 10 years roughly 12,000 households in need lost funding support from the provincial government. As a result, more families and vulnerable Ontarians are facing housing insecurity and the possibility of homelessness.
Ontario’s government needs to take immediate action on deeply affordable housing.
The FIVE POLICIES that our provincial government needs to implement:
BUILD
REINVEST
IMPLEMENT
COMMIT
PLEDGE
BUILD
BUILD AND ACQUIRE 99,000 HOMES
- Build and acquire 99,000 homes which are deeply affordable non-profit, co-op, and supportive housing over the next 10 years, as part of a broader supply-based approach to solving the housing crisis.
- Create an Affordable Housing Trust from a portion of the Land Transfer Tax Revenue to be used in partnership with non-profits and co-ops to generate a new supply of permanently affordable housing.
- Partner with non-profits and co-ops to develop permanently affordable housing on government surplus land.
- Prioritize investments in homes for people experiencing, or who are at greatest risk of experiencing homelessness, and/or are brought forward by Black- and Indigenous-led organizations and other groups disproportionately experiencing housing need.
REINVEST
REINVEST IN EXISTING COMMUNITY HOUSING
- Reinvest in existing community housing by supporting needed repairs and renewal, and ongoing funding for rental assistance.
- Work with all partners to protect community housing and ensure that the right financial support is in place for current and future generations.
- For the over 650 co-ops and non-profits entering Ontario’s new Service Agreement framework, the province must ensure that the outcomes of the agreements support the renewal of these communities and their long-term viability.
- Develop a new capital repair program to protect Ontario’s existing stock of 260,000 community housing homes. Repairing these units is far more cost effective than replacing them.
IMPLEMENT
IMPLEMENT AN URBAN, RURAL AND NORTHERN INDIGENOUS HOUSING STRATEGY
- Implement an urban, rural and northern Indigenous housing strategy for Ontario with dedicated investments through an Indigenous-led approach.
- Of the 99,000 new co-op and non-profit homes that are needed, build at least 22,000 new Indigenous-owned and operated homes in urban, northern and rural areas within the next 10 years.
- Ensure that the strategy and housing created is led through a For Indigenous, By Indigenous approach.
- Provide long-term operating funding for culturally-relevant wrap-around services and supports.
COMMIT
COMMIT TO PREVENTING AND ELIMINATING HOMELESSNESS
- Create a strategy to end chronic homelessness with clear and measurable targets and timelines, and matching investment that includes both emergency and long-term solutions.
- Of the 99,000 new co-op and non-profit homes, create at least 30,000 supportive housing homes over the next 10 years, complete with long-term operating funding for wrap-around supports to reduce chronic homelessness across Ontario.
- Expand rental assistance and enhance other income support programs to keep people housed and prevent pathways into homelessness.
- Ensure systems are integrated so that people are not discharged from health care facilities and other institutions into homelessness.
PLEDGE
PLEDGE TO MAKE RENTING A SECURE AND VIABLE OPTION
- Introduce measures to preserve affordable private market rental housing. These measures should include, but are not limited to, providing funding to allow co-ops, non-profits, and municipalities to purchase existing affordable private market rental housing so that it remains affordable in perpetuity.
- Explore the development of a provincial framework for the progressive realization of the right to housing.
- Ensure sufficient capacity at the Landlord and Tenant Board so that cases can be heard quickly, and are easily accessible. This will support greater access to justice.
BUILD AND ACQUIRE 99,000 HOMES
- Build and acquire 99,000 homes which are deeply affordable non-profit, co-op, and supportive housing over the next 10 years, as part of a broader supply-based approach to solving the housing crisis.
- Create an Affordable Housing Trust from a portion of the Land Transfer Tax Revenue to be used in partnership with non-profits and co-ops to generate a new supply of permanently affordable housing.
- Partner with non-profits and co-ops to develop permanently affordable housing on government surplus land.
- Prioritize investments in homes for people experiencing, or who are at greatest risk of experiencing homelessness, and/or are brought forward by Black- and Indigenous-led organizations and other groups disproportionately experiencing housing need.
REINVEST IN EXISTING COMMUNITY HOUSING
- Reinvest in existing community housing by supporting needed repairs and renewal, and ongoing funding for rental assistance.
- Work with all partners to protect community housing and ensure that the right financial support is in place for current and future generations.
- For the over 650 co-ops and non-profits entering Ontario’s new Service Agreement framework, the province must ensure that the outcomes of the agreements support the renewal of these communities and their long-term viability.
- Develop a new capital repair program to protect Ontario’s existing stock of 260,000 community housing homes. Repairing these units is far more cost effective than replacing them.
IMPLEMENT AN URBAN, RURAL AND NORTHERN INDIGENOUS HOUSING STRATEGY
- Implement an urban, rural and northern Indigenous housing strategy for Ontario with dedicated investments through an Indigenous-led approach.
- Of the 99,000 new co-op and non-profit homes that are needed, build at least 22,000 new Indigenous-owned and operated homes in urban, northern and rural areas within the next 10 years.
- Ensure that the strategy and housing created is led through a For Indigenous, By Indigenous approach.
- Provide long-term operating funding for culturally-relevant wrap-around services and supports.
COMMIT TO PREVENTING AND ELIMINATING HOMELESSNESS
- Create a strategy to end chronic homelessness with clear and measurable targets and timelines, and matching investment that includes both emergency and long-term solutions.
- Of the 99,000 new co-op and non-profit homes, create at least 30,000 supportive housing homes over the next 10 years, complete with long-term operating funding for wrap-around supports to reduce chronic homelessness across Ontario.
- Expand rental assistance and enhance other income support programs to keep people housed and prevent pathways into homelessness.
- Ensure systems are integrated so that people are not discharged from health care facilities and other institutions into homelessness.
PLEDGE TO MAKE RENTING A SECURE AND VIABLE OPTION
- Introduce measures to preserve affordable private market rental housing. These measures should include, but are not limited to, providing funding to allow co-ops, non-profits, and municipalities to purchase existing affordable private market rental housing so that it remains affordable in perpetuity.
- Explore the development of a provincial framework for the progressive realization of the right to housing.
- Ensure sufficient capacity at the Landlord and Tenant Board so that cases can be heard quickly, and are easily accessible. This will support greater access to justice.
To read the full document, please click HERE.