Budget 2024 is a foundation to build on, but accountability is key

The Budget 2024 and Canada's Housing Plan establish a foundation to build on. They are a step forward towards recognizing and solving the housing and homelessness crisis we are in.

The budget and the housing plan include targeted programs and new money across the board on some key systemic issues – like non-market housing, financialization, and encampments. I am encouraged to see they include several initiatives that I and other advocates have been recommending for the past two years.

These housing measures include:

Non-market housing: Greater federal investment in non-market housing is a historic move in the right direction. However, this work is not over. We need a short-term plan to double Canada’s non-market housing supply from 3.5% to 7%, and cooperation over the long term to bring that number up to 20%.

Financialization: A non-market acquisition fund is welcome news. Helping non-market groups buy, repair, and operate existing affordable properties will help to slow the financialization of housing.

Encampments: Funding for local and human-rights based approaches to support encampment residents is a positive step. There is still a need for the provinces and territories to come forward to cost-match this funding, and a national plan on how to allocate the funds. This needs to involve Indigenous governments, municipalities, and people with lived experience and their advocates at the table.

While these measures are welcome, there are gaps in the budget and the housing plan that must be corrected, such as:

The funding proportions are unbalanced. The majority share of funding for housing supply is going to the private market and to demand-side measures to support homeownership. These measures are not effective at creating permanently affordable and adequate housing.

We need a long-term vision for housing that goes beyond just a budget cycle. Ending structural housing and homelessness issues requires meaningful engagement with the most affected groups to come up with long-term solutions. More sustainable and predictable funding is needed for:

• The unique Indigenous housing needs for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit
• Measures to prevent homelessness and support people experiencing it
• The severe shortage of accessible housing for people with disabilities and seniors
• A long-term strategy for housing for asylum claimants
• Human rights-based approaches to systemic housing issues

Cooperation: The housing and homelessness crisis is a national issue. What is needed now is political will at all levels to see these commitments through and make positive progress. We need cooperation from the provincial and territorial governments. We need this funding to be rolled out in a timely way, so that it reaches people and communities quickly.

Accountability: Finally, with billions of dollars going out the door, it is critical that there is transparency and accountability for this spending. There must be independent oversight that is based in human rights. This monitoring must ensure that public funds spent on housing are reaching the most low-income and disadvantaged groups, and including their needs and perspectives.

The National Housing Strategy Act recognizes housing as a fundamental human right in Canada and creates important accountability tools to uphold it. These are not mere words. They impart obligations to make sure it is upheld. Government spending on housing must get us closer to the goal of fulfilling the human right to housing for everyone in Canada.

In the coming year, my priority will be to hold the government accountable so that this funding makes measurable progress towards a safe, affordable, and adequate place to call home for everyone in Canada.

This funding must make a true, lasting difference to end inadequate housing and homelessness for every person across the country.

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