46% people rent in Toronto, and many are spending closer to 70% of their income on rent!
National Housing Day – Monday November 22, 2021
As homelessness is highlighted and increasing during COVID-19, rents continue to sky-rocket and housing affordability is far from being affordable in major cities across the world. The homelessness advocacy group Toronto Disaster Relief Committee (TDRC) in 1998 and historically many organizations since, in Canada, are advocating for housing as a human right. This day is marked to celebrate and continue the work.
Housing is not just a cornerstone to health and well-being, but it is a pillar to community, access to services, stability and importantly, so that all other daily living and activities can be met. From having resources to provide for healthy food, child care, transportation, leisure and education, among others. Some of the issues include, the stresses of precarious housing, being displaced, wrongful evictions and renovictions, the cost of living increasing faster than wages. In a capitalist world where housing has become a commodity, can we achieve housing affordability for all?
Housing Affordability in South Etobicoke and Toronto
19% of both racialized and non-racialized individuals in South Etobicoke’s ward, Toronto, spend 50% or more of income on shelter costs in 2016 (Social Planning Toronto, 2020). In only 3% of Canadian neighborhoods can an individual earning minimum wage, working full-time hours afford to rent an average two-bedroom apartment (Macdonald, 2019). In Etobicoke Lakeshore, 46.4% of residents spend more than 30% of their income on shelter (City of Toronto, 2019), by the Federal definition of ‘affordable housing’ you should be spending less than 30%.
Why can’t we afford to live in our cities?
In the award winning film, PUSH, “[explores] why we cannot allow ourselves to live in our own cities. The high cost of housing and global investment funds, push people to poverty, stripped of a fundamental right. The determination of activist Leilani Farha to denounce this situation reveals the perversity behind the speculation. It is time to recognise that this is not a natural and inevitable development. You can change.” RSVP for the film viewing below.
Be sure to follow the hashtag #NationalHousingDay on Twitter. Alternatively, can check out one Housing Advocacy Organizations directory to get involved today!
