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Articles on Unaffordable housing

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during a visit to an apartment complex under construction in Hamilton, Ont., on July 31, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Peter Power

Housing is a direct federal responsibility, contrary to what Trudeau said. Here’s how his government can do better.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s comments about housing not being the primary responsibility of the federal government miss the mark.
One in five young adults live in unaffordable housing and spend 30 per cent or more of their pre-tax income on housing costs. (Shutterstock)

Canadian young adults who live alone are more likely to struggle with unaffordable housing, study finds

Young adults are among the groups most adversely affected by the housing crisis. Foreign-born young adults, in particular, are disproportionately more likely to live in unaffordable housing.
Housing policy-makers should pay attention not only to how much housing is available and how often rental units turn over, but to residential stability and the quality of life that homes and neighbourhoods provide. (Shutterstock)

More housing supply isn’t a cure-all for the housing crisis

Unaffordability is only one type of housing vulnerability that has taken its toll on British Columbians during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Multiple generations living under one roof is becoming increasingly common. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston

Multigenerational living: A strategy to cope with unaffordable housing?

Our study reveals that the housing affordability crisis is having a pervasive impact on Canadian society. It is imposing constraints that alter the structure and composition of Canadian families.
A new study on Canada’s affordability crisis has found that visible minorities have less access to affordable housing than whites in Canada. (Shutterstock)

Ethno-racial minorities in Canada have less access to affordable housing than white people

Ensuring visible minorities have equitable access to affordable housing is an important step in fulfilling the National Housing Strategy’s goal to make affordable housing available to all Canadians.
A for sale sign outside a home indicates that it has sold for over the asking price, in Ottawa, in March 2021. House prices and rents have become increasingly more unaffordable in Ontario over the past few years. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Ontario must commit to affordable housing for all, not attainable housing

Canada’s current economic growth model is currently dependent on the conversion of housing from a human right into a financial investment tool, leading to an ever-worsening housing crisis.
This shed has been illegally converted into housing. Two prams and three mattresses are visible. Informal Accommodation and Vulnerable Households, author provided courtesy of Fairfield City Council

Informal and illegal housing on the rise as our cities fail to offer affordable places to live

With Australian city rents too high for low-income earners, increasing numbers are forced to share houses or rooms or to live in options like ‘beds in sheds’ and other illegal dwellings.
Housing affordability becomes less of a concern in the years after buying a house, especially for people who bought a decade or more ago. Paul Miller/AAP

Head start for home owners makes a big difference for housing stress

Affordability is a problem across Sydney for prospective home buyers. But if they are able to become owners, new research shows affordability becomes much less of a problem over five to ten years.
If you want to separate investor demand for property assets from demand for affordable housing, rent is a better indicator than property prices. James Ross/AAP

Rents, not prices, are best to assess housing supply and demand

Property prices have soared in the past decade, but much more modest increases in rent, with the exception of Sydney, suggest less of an imbalance of supply and demand for housing as a place to live.

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