NDP calls on Ford to implement Homes Ontario following expert reports showing a greater need for non-market housing options

OTTAWA – Ontario NDP Shadow Minister for Housing, Catherine McKenney (Ottawa Centre) is echoing the calls for more non-market housing options following a report from the United Way of Greater Toronto and Co-operative Housing Federation laying out the blueprint to transform Ontario’s housing landscape and address the growing crisis.

“The scale of housing we need to address Ontario’s growing housing shortage can only be done with bold, ambitious programs like our Homes Ontario plan that will get the government back to building the homes people can afford,” said McKenney.

“United Way and CHF have laid out the blueprint – we need more housing options, more affordable homes, and more investments into non-profit housing, co-op homes, and other non-market solutions.

“Ontario is falling behind other provinces when it comes to housing; people are struggling to find a home they can afford and more people are at risk of losing their homes. We know that the private sector alone cannot get us out of this mess and the status quo is not working—something needs to change. We need to invest in solutions that rapidly increase the supply of affordable non-market homes so Ontarians can finally get ahead.”

Background:

• The Ontario NDP has been pushing for the government to adopt Homes Ontario, a public agency that would get the government back to building affordable homes, by providing grants, low-cost financing, public land and other resources to build permanently affordable public, non-profit and co-op homes
• The Ford government and the Ontario Liberals have repeatedly voted against Homes Ontario and blocked progress on bold, ambitious housing policies to address Ontario’s housing crisis
• The Built for Good report’s findings call for solutions like Homes Ontario, with a dramatic increase in co-op and non-profit housing through $62.6 billion in investment and subsidies by 2030.
• The report identifies a need over the next decade for:
• 805,000 deeply affordable units for households with low incomes, including
• 255,000 newly constructed non-profit and co-operative units,
• 145,000 moderately affordable units for households with moderate incomes, including at least 12,000 for Indigenous households.
• The report mentions that about 225,000 more housing units need to be acquired, repaired and maintained to prevent the further loss of affordable units.