Canadians rank affordable housing as the third most important issue facing Canada today, behind inflation and healthcare. In The Habitat for Humanity Canada Affordable Housing Survey, almost all Canadians (96 per cent) said their cost of living has increased this past year and four-in-five Canadians (78 per cent) are worried about having to spend less on food, savings, transportation costs, and/or debt payments to continue to afford their current housing.
“This survey underscores how deeply concerned Canadians are about their housing situations and futures as affordable housing becomes increasingly out of reach,” says Julia Deans, President and CEO of Habitat for Humanity Canada. “To address these growing concerns and make affordable housing and homeownership a reality for all Canadians, we need an all-in approach from non-profits, businesses, individuals and all levels of government.”
Some key findings show that 40 per cent of Canadians are concerned about paying their mortgage or rent over the next 12 months. Gen Zs (51 per cent) and Millennials (52 per cent) more than twice as likely to be concerned about this issue compared to Boomers (23 per cent).
Almost three-in-ten Canadians (28 per cent) cannot currently afford a down payment of any amount towards a home, while 27 per cent are feeling pessimistic about whether much can be done to deal with Canada’s housing problems. A negative outlook figures higher among Millennials.
Lack of housing supply seen as greatest contributor to affordability crisis
Nine-in-ten Canadians believe that there is a shortage of affordable housing in Canada and four-in-ten see lack of supply as one of the greatest contributors to making housing less affordable, ahead of foreign buyers (40 per cent), and investment firms buying homes (36 per cent).
NIMBY and discrimination: additional barriers to affordable housing
Half of Canadians feel that NIMBY sentiment is one of the main barriers to making affordable housing available in neighbourhoods, yet 71 per cent of Canadians agreed with the statement that ‘people worry about the impact of affordable housing on their property values and neighbourhood’.
One-in-ten Canadians (11 per cent) have experienced racism, sexism, and/or other discrimination during their pursuit of housing, with BIPOC Canadians being more than twice as likely as non-BIPOC Canadians to have experienced discrimination (18 per cent vs. 8 per cent).
Canadians want an affordable place to call home
Three-quarters of Canadians (75 per cent) believe that more affordable housing could solve social issues. Despite the growing concerns and barriers to homeownership, the majority of Canadians (87 per cent) agreed that owning a home can create more stability in one’s life.
Furthermore, 60 per cent of Canadians surveyed agreed that homeownership can improve educational opportunities for themselves and their families and 73 per cent agreed that homeownership can strengthen ties to their community.
“In our work, we see firsthand how access to stable housing transforms futures and fosters resiliency across generations,” says Deans. “We must act now, and we must act together towards addressing the systemic barriers and creating sustainable solutions to achieve affordable housing for all.”
To read more of the survey, visit: https://habitat.ca/en/news/housingsurvey
Photo by Oleksandr Pidvalnyi
