Press Release
All Canadians need and deserve housing that is safe and affordable.
A home makes Canadians feel more secure, making it easier to raise healthy children, pursue an education, and gain employment.
Local MP Don Rusnak was extremely pleased with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s announcement on Nov. 22 of a 10-year, $40-billion National Housing Strategy that will help reduce homelessness while improving the availability and quality of housing for Canadians in need.
Across Canada, 1.7 million Canadians are in core housing need. To help address this, the strategy has set bold goals, including:
•reducing chronic homelessness by 50 percent;
•removing more than 530,000 households from housing need;
•creating four times as many new housing units as built under federal programs from 2005-15;
•repairing three times as many existing housing units as repaired under federal programs from 2005-15; and
•protecting an additional 385,000 households from losing an affordable place to live.
The National Housing Strategy is meeting the needs of Canadians, including seniors, indigenous peoples, survivors of family violence, people with disabilities, refugees, veterans, and those grappling with homelessness.
It will promote diverse communities and encourage the construction of homes that are sustainable, accessible, mixed-income, mixed-use, and located near transit, work, and public services.
In response to calls from housing advocates, service providers, and feminist leaders, the strategy commits to ensuring that at least 25 percent of funds go to projects for women, girls, and their families.
This strategy-built by and for Canadians-sets a long-term vision for housing in Canada with unprecedented investments and new programs that will deliver real results for Canadians working hard to improve their quality of life.
This strategy will focus on the needs of the most vulnerable through a human rights-based approach to housing.
Within the next year, legislation will be introduced obligating the federal government to maintain a National Housing Strategy and report to Parliament on housing targets and outcomes.
The federal government will work with the provinces and territories to develop a $4-billion Canada Housing Benefit to be launched in 2020 to respond to local housing needs and priorities.
This will be a significant new tool to address challenges of housing affordability in communities across the country.
It will provide an estimated average of $2,500 per year to each household recipient, assisting at least 300,000 families when fully implemented.
The benefit will be delivered directly to households as a portable benefit they can use to help with the costs of housing.
“Canadians have long advocated for a national housing strategy, and I am proud to be part of a government that has listened,” said Rusnak.
“This strategy will mean increased access to affordable housing, and better community planning across our country,” he added.
“I look forward to seeing the positive changes this will bring to housing in our region.”
