Why National Housing Day Should Matter to All of Us
Today, on National Housing Day, as every day, I woke up in a home that isn’t a source of stress. I started the day rested. I will go through the entire day without spending a minute worrying about losing my home. I won’t stand in a grocery line agonizing over whether I need to put some items back so that I can afford to pay my rent or mortgage.
Within minutes’ walk of my home, a growing number of adults started their day in a tent encampment that wasn’t there last year. Elsewhere, three sisters repeated the daily ritual of fighting for space to get dressed in their tiny bedroom in the apartment their family can barely afford. In a downtown ER, a mother will fret over missing another day of work, while waiting with her toddler whose health is worsening due to the mold in their damp basement apartment. A frenzied teenager will arrive at school with incomplete homework because he spent the last three nights trying to help his mom find another rental after learning they were being renovicted. Again.
According to our survey, in the GTA, 61% of people worry about sacrificing basic needs like food, clothing and education to afford rent or mortgage payments. City of Toronto figures from this past spring estimated 11,000 homeless people and encampments in 72 parks. No surprise given the average wait time for a subsidized 2-bedroom unit in the City of Toronto currently sits at 13 years. Meanwhile, the household income required to buy a home in Toronto is now $215k plus a hefty downpayment.
It’s easy to throw up one’s hands and accept this as the new normal. For those of us who have the privilege of a secure, comfortable home, it’s tempting to conclude that the housing crisis doesn’t affect us — even as we see its impacts on our children, our communities and our workplaces. With the problem now so pervasive, however, we can no longer afford to stand on the sidelines.
Especially today. National Housing Day.
So, what does getting off the sidelines look like?
Become better informed. Take action to influence governments on the policy and tax changes that can help address housing supply and affordability. In the GTA, the “Do Something” campaign recently launched by the Building Industry and Land Development Association is a great resource. There are many other examples.
Equally important: give to housing charities. Most people don’t. More should. Especially people who have benefited from the strong economic growth of the last two decades and who live every day with the privilege of a home that works for them and their families.
There are many agile and innovative housing charities in communities across Canada that have the skills and capacity to do more. They just need more support.
Habitat for Humanity is one of them. We help lower and modest-income families unlock the benefit of homeownership by providing an affordable mortgage and helping families get the home they need now when their children can benefit the most. We may not solve the entire housing crisis, but we permanently solve the housing crisis for individual families. Parents spend less time in the ER, worry less, miss fewer workdays and gain ground in their careers. Children and young people have the time and space to thrive. Families build equity for a brighter future. In turn, a positive ripple effect is unleashed that repeats over the generations and across communities.
Tonight, as another National Day ends, I’ll finish my day in a home that is a refuge and a source of strength. So will several thousand individuals and families helped by Habitat for Humanity and other housing charities in communities across Canada.
Let’s resolve to make that kind of day possible for many more of our fellow citizens in the year to come.
