Housing Canadians
As the cost of living leaves many homeless, should the government declare a national housing emergency?
It finally came to the park down the street from us. First one tent went up. Then another. And then several tents formed a small makeshift city – the latest in a series of homeless encampments that have gone up in parks and other underutilized spaces in our community. With them come litter, unsanitary conditions, and disgruntled neighbours now afraid to use the lands set aside for the public.
Sadly, these tent encampments are not peculiar to Hamilton but are found throughout the country, as cities grapple with a rise in homelessness, exacerbated by the pandemic, inflation, rising housing costs, “renovictions,” and such personal issues as addiction and poor mental health. What can be done?
Unfortunately, the structures of our political system discourage a coordinated approach to the issue. Try calling the office of a local MP or MPP, and you will likely be told that the problem is not in their riding and you should seek help elsewhere. Our federal division of powers further aggravates the issue. The territorial fragmentation of political representation inadvertently facilitates buck-passing, with no one willing to assume responsibility for finding a solution to a problem that transcends boundaries.
The crisis is not limited to people on the margins of society. How will our young people get started in life if they are faced with average home prices of between half a million and a million dollars? If the Bank of Canada raises interest rates, this only pushes housing further out of reach as mortgages become more expensive. But if the Bank lowers interest rates, inflation could worsen, with housing costs increasing accordingly.
What if the government of Canada were to declare a national housing emergency? There is precedent. In the 1940s, as the country was fighting the Second World War, the federal government began building Victory Homes for workers in the defence industries and eventually for returning veterans. These were largely prefabricated buildings that could be assembled quickly according to a few standardized designs. This enabled supply to keep up with demand, thereby keeping costs low and affordable.
Global News reported in December that the Liberal government was considering something similar for the future. This could help ordinary Canadians who find themselves increasingly shut out of the housing market.
But what of those with mental health and addiction issues? There are specialized groups to lend a hand. One of these is Indwell, whose work I highlight in my forthcoming book, Citizenship Without Illusions. Indwell supplies supportive housing for those with special needs, enabling them to live independently with appropriate assistance. Our governments do support such groups financially, but there is always more that could be done to diminish the homelessness epidemic. A coordinated housing policy may not eliminate the tent cities altogether from our communities, but it may help to diminish their numbers.
