Certainly a focused investment on deeply affordable supportive housing is critical for meeting the housing needs of those who are at risk of homelessness, are experiencing homelessness or are precariously housed.
To put into context the full scale of housing need at the lower end of the housing spectrum, CMHC and other experts estimate that Canada needs about 3.5 million to four million additional homes overall to restore affordability, but what's critical is the mix of that supply. Multiple studies and policy bodies, including the National Housing Council, agree that the private market alone can't meet the affordability needs of all Canadian households. Between one-quarter and one-half of new supply needs to be non-market, co-op, not-for-profit community housing and supportive housing so that rents are linked to incomes and protected over the long term. That would translate to the need for approximately one million new non-market homes at least, nationwide, over the next decade.
Without building at that scale, we may add supply, but we won't restore affordability for all.