Posts Tagged ‘Housing crisis’

Housing affordability: rethinking single-family homes

November 26th, 2021 by Safia Lakhani

While the idea of co-buying has gained popularity in the past five years, there continues to be some trepidation about taking the leap to co-purchase property. This is because our existing systems are not structured to accommodate the model.

Given the housing crisis in Toronto, its surrounding cities, and in some places across the country, we need to consider fundamentally changing how we trade single-family homes.

There is no shortage of articles on Toronto’s housing crisis. Indeed, this catch-all term seems to encompass the lack of affordable rental housing, to the steadily increasing rates of homelessness, to the sky-rocketing price of property in the GTA. There is reason for all the discussion: as of October 2021, the average cost of a single-family home in Toronto is up to $1.16 million, a whopping 19.3 per cent more than it was in 2020, a rate of increase approximately four times that of the average income. Despite a promising national housing strategy that purports to incentivize first time home buyers and increase the stock of affordable rentals, one wonders how we — and other cities struggling to keep up with the demand for housing – can adapt current legal infrastructure to allow more people to access home ownership. Continue reading “Housing affordability: rethinking single-family homes”

Another election, the same housing crisis

August 27th, 2021 by Celia Chandler

As another federal campaign begins, it’s time for me to dust off my previous rabble.ca article about the state of housing in Canada, update the dates, increase the numbers, and press “send.”

Continue reading “Another election, the same housing crisis”

BC court orders overhoused co-op members to move. Implications for Ontario?

July 25th, 2019 by Celia Chandler

This article was first published on rabble.ca

At Iler Campbell we hear all the time from housing providers about the issue of overhousing and underhousing — that is, situations where people are renting units that are bigger than they need (overhousing) and people whose space needs are not met (underhousing).

Underhousing is not surprising — we are experiencing a housing crisis in Canada so having people living in cramped quarters seems an obvious outcome.

Perhaps less obvious is the reverse. Case by case, though, we understand how overhousing happens: in many cases, people moved into their now‑too‑large units years ago when they were living with spouses and children. They’ve celebrated family milestones within the walls; they’ve welcomed newborns into their lives there; they’ve marked their children’s heights on the kitchen wall; they’ve lost loved ones there; they’ve buried pets in the backyard; they’ve invested their sweat and money into improving their homes — in short, they are connected to the living space. Their need for space may be diminished but their need for this particular space has not.

Continue reading “BC court orders overhoused co-op members to move. Implications for Ontario?”

What’s next in housing? Getting ready for the 2015 election

July 2nd, 2015 by Safia Lakhani

This post was first published on rabble.ca

Toronto’s housing crisis is well documented: the skyrocketing and prohibitive cost of rent, the lack of funding for repairs to community housing structures, and the growing wait list for affordable housing are just a few of the issues that have received media attention in the past year.

The facts are equally grim across the country: one in four Canadians spends more than 30 per cent of their income on housing, and an estimated 733,275 low-income Canadians are in extreme housing need, spending more than 50 per cent of their income on housing. Over 235,000 Canadians experience homelessness every year, and some 365,000 households are at risk of rent increases or eviction as a result of the end of operating agreements.

Continue reading “What’s next in housing? Getting ready for the 2015 election”