The National Housing Accord: A Multi-Sector Approach to Ending Canada’s Rental Housing Crisis

Citizens for Cambridge supports the National Housing Accord. Rents have been increasing rapidly in many parts of the country, caused by a lack of accessible, climate-friendly, affordable and market-rate purpose-built rental units to house a growing population.

The poorest Canadians are suffering the most – newcomers, refugees, single parents, seniors, students – and the situation is worsening.

Restoring affordability will require the tripling of home building over the next nine years. The scale of this challenge is too big for government alone, with the costs to address this problem estimated to be in the trillions of dollars.

The National Housing Accord plan will channel billions of dollars in private investment into purpose-built rental construction, provide resources to the non-profit and co-operative housing sector to increase non-profit housing, remove bottlenecks that are slowing down construction and immediately support those who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless with expanded housing benefits.

If implemented, the National Housing Accord plan will drive significant economic growth, improve productivity, create jobs, put Canada on the road to ending homelessness by dramatically reducing housing need, meet our obligations to newcomers and refugees, and support the federal government’s commitment to realizing the right to housing for everyone in Canada.

For full details about the 10 recommendations of the National Housing Accord, please visit here.

Affordable Housing

Citizens for Cambridge is focused on promoting the development of more affordable housing for our community.

Affordable Housing generally refers to housing for low-to-moderate-income households priced below the average market rent or selling price for comparable housing in a specific geographic area.

Currently, there are over 7,000 people on waiting lists for housing in Waterloo Region. Aggressive action by our community and all levels of government is essential.

Out of concern with the impact of homelessness, mental health and addictions on our city’s cores, we studied and consulted with experts, agencies, institutions and governments - concluding that housing first with health supports is an essential path to remedy problems tarnishing our community.

This Right to Adequate Housing Report outlines the facts behind these issues and a practical and achievable roadmap to resolution. Finland and our own city of Lethbridge have demonstrated it is possible. We all deserve a community in which every citizen is able to flourish.

Supportive Housing

Citizens for Cambridge strongly endorses Indwell supportive housing solutions for our community. Indwell is a non-profit with a strong track record developing and managing supportive housing properties in Ontario.

Supportive Housing is generally operated by non-profit agencies and staff and are composed of individuals trained in social work or psychiatric rehabilitation.

In supportive housing, housing and support are linked, with staff members providing various levels of support within the residences.

With the goal of bringing more supportive housing to Cambridge, we are actively engaged with Indwell and the City of Cambridge, the Region of Waterloo as well as private organizations. Check out this overview of Indwell’s planned supportive project in Preston.

With all of us pulling together, we can make this happen!

Addiction, Treatment, Mental Health

Citizens for Cambridge supports the City Council decision to launch a Consumption Treatment Site at 150 Main Street in Galt. Based on nearby results in Kitchener and Guelph, we believe this plan will help save lives and benefit both our citizens-in-need AND the Galt downtown.

Citizens for Cambridge also endorses Safer Supply. Safer supply approaches are evidence-informed interventions, consisting of the provision of safer doses of opioid medication by primary care providers as an alternative to contaminated sources of ‘street’ drugs, which are increasingly unpredictable and toxic.

Citizens for Cambridge supports the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council's endorsement of legalization of all drugs with strict regulation as the best way to reduce harm to individuals and communities.

Decriminalizing possession of small quantities of illicit drugs is a progressive step our country and our community need to take. Instead of criminal charges police would help connect individuals with community addiction resources.

New approaches are needed to tackle the ever growing issues around addiction, treatment and mental health.

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