There are no ‘silver bullet’ solutions to a crisis that has left both renters and owners struggling. Only a comprehensive package of bold policies can ensure all Australians are securely housed.
Canadian universities host thousands of international students, many of whom come from India. While all these students need housing, many face discrimination in the rental market.
Cities across Canada are rapidly losing affordable housing. Provincial and federal governments aren’t helping, so it’s up to cities to start taking action themselves.
The housing crisis coupled with climate change could see more people living in the kinds of shanty towns and tent cities seen around the time of the Great Depression.
In order for Canada to overcome the housing affordability crisis, individuals, families, the real estate industry and government all need to work together.
The pandemic has seen more and more full-time employees working fully remotely – and seeking out cheaper, warmer places in which to do so. Property price hikes show the impact on local communities.
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.
Gentrification is often used to describe the economic impacts of urban development. However, racialized communities in particular disproportionately feel its detrimental impacts.
Rent assistance can ease rental stress, but it won’t help low-income earners find secure and affordable housing when it’s in such short supply, nor stop disadvantage being concentrated in some areas.
Brisbane rents are up nearly 50% more than the national average and homelessness in Queensland is increasing at the fastest rate in the country. The state can take several steps to turn things around.
Australia is very ‘light touch’ when it comes to regulating Airbnb. The current housing crisis demands a new approach, informed by overseas success stories.
Since the 1980s, Australia’s housing market has become a ‘closed shop’ that expands the wealth of existing home owners and investors. Alison Pennington traces the changes – and suggests another way.
As Australians struggle to find affordable housing, there have been hostile responses to reports of a sudden influx of international students from China. It’s time for a reality check.
In a housing crisis, publicly owned land should never be sold to private developers and should instead be used to build the kind of housing the market is unwilling and unable to build.
Since foreign owners only represent a tiny segment of the housing market, it’s unlikely that Canada’s new ban on foreign homebuyers will make homes more affordable for Canadians.