Report Suggests Adding Annual $46 per Canadian to Housing Budget

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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A new research report has claimed that an extra $46 spent on affordable housing per Canadian a year would dramatically reduce homelessness. The report, published by researchers from York University and the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness, alleged that existing intervention programs can do very little for those finding a way off the streets or out of shelters since they can’t afford their own place to live.

Earlier on Wednesday, the researchers also published annual State of Homelessness in Canada. The director of the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness at York and one of the lead authors of the study, Stephen Gaetz, alleged that in light of an expected budget surplus in sight, it’s time to return to the days when federal cash was directly spent on building those places. He mentioned that “it’s time to have a conversation — what are we going to do with that surplus?” Furthermore, Gaetz alleged that “this is one that isn’t going to break the bank. It’s going to help not only end chronic homelessness but it’s going to help many, many, many thousands of Canadians who are at risk of homelessness.”

The study has pointed out that approximately 235,000 Canadians experience homelessness each year at a cost to the economy of $7 billion. The report acknowledged the $2 billion earmarked in federal funding, but said that nationally the numbers aren’t moving down. It said the main reason behind it is a 46-per-cent decrease in federal investment in affordable housing over the last 25 years.