Good afternoon, Mr. Chair. Thank you for the invitation to appear. By the way, congratulations on your election as chair.
For those of you unfamiliar with the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association, CHRA is the voice of the affordable housing sector in Canada. Our members range from large and small social housing providers, all 13 provincial and territorial housing departments, municipalities, housing organizations, and supportive individuals.
During last year’s election campaign, members of this committee may have heard of and even participated in, our Housing For All campaign, where CHRA and supporters from across the country made an impassioned plea for greater federal investment in social housing. We were very pleased to see that our messages did not fall on deaf ears, and that as demonstrated by the deliverables contained in the Prime Minister’s ministerial mandate letters, the current federal government has made investing in social housing a top budgetary priority.
To be clear, Mr. Chair, the needs are great. Over 235,000 Canadians will experience homelessness at some point this year. One in four Canadian families cannot afford the housing they are currently in. In the past 25 years, federal investment in affordable housing has decreased by 46%. Most current social housing stock is 40, 50, 60, and in some cases, even 100 years old, and there has not been the investment necessary to renovate that existing stock. We are now at the point where the federal operating agreements are already expiring. Over 800 agreements have already expired, and by 2040, the federal investment in social housing is set to reach zero, putting over 300,000 households at risk of eviction.
Consequently, there is an immediate need for federal leadership in the renewal of social housing.
Within a well-thought-out, long-term strategic framework, it is clear that investment in social housing contributes to reaching government policy objectives in several related areas, including meeting the challenges faced by off-reserve aboriginal peoples, stimulating the economy, reducing poverty and greenhouse gases, and helping with the settlement of refugees.
Two weeks ago, a coalition of seven national and provincial housing associations released a paper identifying our recommendations for the three areas of focus for new federal investment. These three areas include: first, retrofit and rehabilitate existing social housing assets that currently provide safe and affordable homes to over 600,000 households in Canada; second, commit to building 100,000 new social and affordable homes to reduce core housing needs and homelessness; third, support innovation in social housing by allowing such things as refinancing of housing provider mortgages, expanding the homelessness partnering strategy, and encouraging social entrepreneurship. By using this new federal funding to invest in these key areas, the federal government would go a long way toward addressing the deficiencies that have built up in the sector.
In addition to these three areas of focus, I’d add just three policy principles that CHRA feels should guide policy-making when investing in social housing.
Firstly, although the federal government should establish key principles and guidelines, funding decisions have to be made at the local level. Social housing policy is not a one-way street. Investment has to take local needs into account.
Second, we’ve heard a lot of talk from the Minister of Finance about funding for “social infrastructure” under which housing is generally included. The catch is this term has come to mean many things to many people. We’re concerned that if the federal government does not provide dedicated housing funding for social infrastructure within the broader envelope, funding will be split so many ways that its impact on social housing may be negligible. We’re therefore looking for a commitment to dedicated social housing funding in the budget.
Last, a long-term housing investment framework must be developed in a collaborative fashion. Social housing is a big tent. A long-term policy framework must be developed with the participation of all stakeholders at the table. This is where our association, CHRA, is ready and willing to work with the federal government in playing a bit of a convenor role across the breadth of the social housing sector so that we can develop a collaborative, sector-wide, long-term policy approach.
We hope this committee will support this need for a multi-stakeholder forum to flesh out a responsible, effective, long-term housing policy.
Mr. Chair, social housing policy in Canada is at a crossroads. By working together and investing judiciously and comprehensively, we can make a positive difference in the lives of millions of Canadians who depend on social housing.
Once again, thank you for this opportunity to testify before you today.