Build Canada Homes Signals Strong Federal Leadership on Housing and Affordability Crisis

Strategic Insights -

The federal government's Build Canada Homes initiative has been welcomed by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) as a clear commitment to working in partnership with municipalities, provinces, and territories to address the housing and affordability crisis. This announcement marks a strong signal of leadership on the issue, and FCM commends the federal government for including supportive and transitional housing for Canadians experiencing homelessness. Municipal leadership is crucial to the success of any national housing strategy, and FCM is committed to working with all governments to make the federal goal of building 500,000 homes per year a reality.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Build Canada Homes initiative signals strong federal leadership on the housing and affordability crisis, with a clear commitment to partnering with municipalities, provinces, and territories.
  • FCM commends the federal government for including supportive and transitional housing for Canadians experiencing homelessness in the initiative.
  • Municipal leadership is crucial to the success of any national housing strategy, and FCM is committed to working with all governments to make the federal goal of building 500,000 homes per year a reality.
  • FCM has put forward a set of recommendations to help Build Canada Homes succeed, including speeding up the process, establishing continuity and stability, pairing housing investments with infrastructure funding, building capacity to deliver housing, and facilitating funding for repairs and conversions.
  • The initiative has the potential to kickstart Canada's modular housing sector, delivering high-quality, permanent housing faster and more affordably, while supporting Canadian manufacturing and construction jobs.
  • FCM will continue to advocate for a collaborative approach to address the housing and homelessness crisis, with a focus on delivering deeply affordable housing at scale, supported by the infrastructure and tools communities need to succeed.

Statistics:

  • The federal government aims to build 500,000 homes per year.
  • 20% of Canadians (4.2 million people) are spender-income renters.
  • $20,000 is the average amount of assisted housing benefit provided to low-income households.
  • 32% of Indigenous children live in overcrowded homes.
  • 14% of Indigenous youth live in emergency shelters.

Sources:

  • "Build Canada Homes signals strong federal leadership, united approach to tackle Canada's housing and affordability crisis", Federation of Canadian Municipalities, September 15 [https://fcm.ca/en/news-media/news-release/build-canada-homes-signals-strong-federal-leadership-united-approach-tackle-Canada-housing-affordability-crisis]