This Housing Network of Ontario report consolidates recommendations made by many hundreds of Ontarians who participated in almost 40 community meetings and consultations focussed on developing an affordable housing strategy, held from June to November 2009. The meetings included government-led consultations, convened by Minister Jim Watson and/or MPPs from ridings across the province. Meetings also included community-led forums with MPPs invited to participate, and public town hall meetings.
The main messages that emerged from these consultations included:
- Ontarians need a comprehensive, fully-funded long-term affordable housing strategy with bold targets.
- Housing insecurity, homelessness and poverty are inseparably linked.
- People with lived experience of housing insecurity and housing related poverty should be at the centre of any housing strategy.
The consultation participants also identified a number of policy areas that must be addressed in the province’s long-term affordable housing strategy:
- Housing affordability for low-income Ontarians: Decent, adequate and appropriate housing is unaffordable for many Ontarians. Measures must be adopted to close the gap between housing costs and low incomes.
- Supply and adequacy of affordable housing: The number of affordable housing units must be increased, and ongoing funding is needed for new buildings, maintenance and repair.
- Supports and programs for Ontarians to maintain and access affordable housing: Some people need supports to fairly and equitably access and maintain affordable housing, including supportive housing, eviction prevention and housing retention programs.
- Reform of social housing and residential tenancy legislation: Existing legislation that governs social and private market housing needs to be reformed to better protect tenants and provide for flexibility for social housing providers.
- Equity for historically disadvantaged communities: Some groups in Ontario face higher levels of poverty and housing insecurity, and the strategy should include targeted measures to ensure equitably beneficial outcomes are achieved.
- Coordination and cooperation: A long-term affordable housing strategy that is part of the poverty reduction effort must include cooperation between different Ministries and levels of government in order to succeed.
- Measuring success: We need measures and targets to ensure that all Ontarians in need are able to equitably access adequate affordable housing.
