As Canadians whose faith calls us to engage with the poor and homeless, we ask that the government maintain space for us to participate in the discussion and implementation of the housing strategy.
In a recent submission to the finance committee on the budget, we recommended that the government, in cooperation with the provinces, territories, and indigenous communities, establish a national housing strategy with clear targets and timelines aimed at ensuring that every resident of Canada has access to housing that is safe, healthy, dignified, and truly affordable. This bill reflects those concepts and it is an important opportunity to provide a framework within which governments can work together to address the housing needs of a range of communities.
In 2006, at the StreetLevel conference in Ottawa, we introduced a document called the “Ottawa Manifesto”. The first point says the, under “We all need homes, not just housing”:
A home is more than just four walls and a roof. It’s a whole life situation that means being welcomed into a safe, secure and dignified place to live; healthy, nurturing relationships; the opportunity for education, meaningful work for reasonable pay; and to worship, dream and play in vibrant community. Housing initiatives need to take these values into account, and aim at creating far more than “affordable” space.