From the 1960s to 1970s, both the federal and provincial governments were heavily involved in financing the construction and operation of non-market housing. This is housing for people on low incomes who simply can’t afford the rents charged by private landlords. The federal government had multiple programs to help non-profit, co-op, and social housing providers build and operate tens of thousands of new units every year, decade after decade.
By the late 1970s, a new suite of programs was introduced that led to the construction of half a million homes by the early 1980s. This led to more non-market housing as well as affordable housing built and managed by private developers.
For various reasons, governments started cutting back on these programs in the early 1990s. By the late 1990s, programs to support non-market housing had effectively disappeared. Instead, governments relied on the private sector to supply affordable rental housing for those in greatest need. To increase the likelihood of this happening, they changed laws and tax policies to reduce construction costs and provide rent subsidies for tenants.
What’s clear is that this approach hasn’t worked. Private developers have not created enough rental units that are affordable to low-income Ontarians because it just isn’t financially viable. As a result, almost none have been built over the past few decades. That’s why so many people are living without an address and why too many people are spending too much of their income on housing.
The good news is there are plenty of successful examples of how to supply non-market housing. We just have to look to our own past and to the dozens of countries across the world where governments continue to fund its construction and operation. As these examples show, a massive public investment is the only answer.
In Ontario, that means investing the money to build at least 60,000 non-market units every year for at least 10 years.
Governments also have other tools available to get shovels in the ground for non-market housing. These include leasing government lands (e.g., surplus properties, school properties) to non-profit housing providers for one dollar a year.
And governments need to work with Indigenous communities and housing providers to ensure housing for and by Indigenous Peoples is built and maintained.
Finally, investing heavily in non-market housing is the best solution to ensuring every Ontarian has a place they can call home. In the meantime, we must help homeless Ontarians right now by following the short-term recommendations made by housing advocates and experts.
Immediately develop and fully fund a 10-year program to maintain existing non-market units and create at least 60,000 non-market affordable housing units every year in Ontario.
Work with municipalities and community housing developers and providers to increase their capacity to get shovels in the ground and then manage the new units as they are completed.
Lease surplus federal and provincial lands to municipal and community developers to build and operate non-market housing for one dollar per year.
Work with Indigenous housing organizations to develop and fully fund for-Indigenous, by-Indigenous culturally appropriate supportive homes each year.
Provide the support housing experts and homeless advocates have identified as necessary to get Ontarians experiencing homelessness into housing as quickly as possible.
Change planning laws, rules, and fees to prioritize non-market housing construction in towns and cities.
