Reflections from Crumbly Acres: National Housing Day

Housing issues in Muskoka, Ontario, and Canada

The Canada-Ontario Affordable Housing Program has resulted in 36 new affordable rental housing units being built in Muskoka in the last 3 years, and 80 more are on their way by March 2011. However, many are for seniors and singles, and therefore do not meet the needs of all households who need affordable housing in Muskoka
In 2007 the United Nation’s Special Rapporteur on adequate housing, Miloon Kothari, declared Canada to be in the midst of a housing crisis.
Canada Mortgage and Housing (CMHC) states that one-in-four Canadian renter households are living in housing that is: unaffordable and/or inadequate. (YWCA, 2009)
Long waiting lists for subsidized units, access restricted by discrimination and affordability, are key barriers to housing access. (YWCA, 2009)
Adequate, affordable and accessible housing is a safety issue… it is part of protecting women from the cycle of violence. (YWCA 2009)
In the 12 months between April 1, 2007 and March 31, 2008 – 101, 000 women and children – entered shelters in Canada – 75% were fleeing abuse.
Homeless women shelter in abandoned vehicles, frigid alleys, with a one in five chance of being sexually assaulted. (Sistering, 2008)

David Hulchanski has written “ having no place to live means being excluded from all that is associated with having a home, a neighbourhood and a set of established community networks… It means being exiled from the mainstream of day-to-day life. Without a physical place to call “home” in the social, psychological and emotional sense, the hour-to-hour struggle for physical survival replaces all other activities.” (Hulchanski, 2003)

National Housing Day is November 22, 2009

Tony Clement , MP for Parry Sound Muskoka: Clement.T@parl.gc.ca

Norm Miller, MPP for Parry Sound-Muskoka: norm.millerco@pc.ola.org