Ramp Up Pressure for the Homelessness Prevention & Housing Benefit
Decision-makers in Ottawa are considering our proposal to support Canadian families on the verge of homelessness. Now, we need to ramp up the pressure.
As the cost of living skyrockets, too many people are at risk of losing their homes — or already have. And the situation is only getting worse as the prospect of finding an affordable place to live becomes even harder to reach.
That means right now, someone you know could be on the verge of homelessness because their income no longer covers their cost of housing.
The fastest, most effective way to slow this wave of homelessness is by implementing a targeted housing benefit to help move people who are already experiencing homelessness into housing and stop those at risk of becoming homeless from losing their homes. Continuing to build affordable housing remains important, but we must meet this urgent crisis now.
The Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness has proposed a Homelessness Prevention and Housing Benefit to the federal government that would help hundreds of thousands of Canadians, and more than 2,300 people have already sent messages to the government asking them to put this plan into place. But to get this benefit approved, we’ll need the power of opposition parties pushing for this, too.
Will you send an email to Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre and NDP leader Jagmeet Singh asking them to sign on to this proposed benefit, helping hundreds of thousands of Canadians keep or find a home? Their support could make the difference between your friends and neighbours keeping their homes, or being put out in the cold.
Send a message to opposition party leaders now, asking them to support the Homelessness Prevention and Housing Benefit.
Dear Mr Poilievre and Mr Aitchison,
I am joining the call to implement a new Homelessness Prevention and Housing Benefit proposed by the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness (CAEH), and I’m asking for your support to make it happen.
This new benefit would help move 50,000 people experiencing homelessness into housing, and provide rental relief for up to 385,000 households in deepest housing need, currently at risk of homelessness.
In the past, you’ve spoken out about the affordability crisis in Canada and the government’s responsibility to support families in need. You said “we need to restore the hope of home ownership” in Canada. This policy will put those words into action, giving almost half of a million Canadians the dignity and safety of staying -- or returning to be -- housed.
Read the full policy proposal here: https://caeh.ca/hphb-proposal
The vast majority of Canadians at risk of losing their homes simply cannot pay the high cost of rent. According to CMHC research, three-quarters of households in core housing need have suitable and adequate housing — they simply can’t afford to keep it. And 85% of unhoused people are experiencing homelessness because of poverty and the secure income it takes to find a place to live.
It’s true, we need to address the problem of homelessness at its core with longer term solutions. But we also need action right now to prevent the imminent tragedy of hundreds of thousands of Canadian families left out in the cold. Rent support is the only immediate, cost-effective and targeted option.
The proposed Housing benefit builds on approaches proven to prevent homelessness, and the success of pandemic supports. During the pandemic, government supports reduced core housing need in Canada by at least 200,000 households. In the United States, the Biden Administration has kept eviction numbers at pre-pandemic levels using rent support programs similar to this CAEH proposal.
Homelessness already costs Canadian taxpayers more than $7 billion per year – this will only grow as the affordability crisis continues. It will be far more expensive for municipal, provincial and federal governments to cope with rising homelessness and to try to reduce homelessness after the fact.
As Leader of the Official Opposition and Conservative Housing Critic, you have power to push the Liberal government on this important issue and help nearly half a million Canadians stay in their homes or come off the street with a leg up in finding an affordable place to live.
I’m asking you to live up to your commitment to removing the barriers preventing Canadians from having a safer, more affordable life by publicly supporting CAEH’s policy proposal right away.
Thank you,
[Your name will go here]
Dear Mr Singh and Ms Kwan,
I am joining the call to implement a new Homelessness Prevention and Housing Benefit proposed by the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness (CAEH), and I’m asking for your support to make it happen.
This new benefit would help move 50,000 people experiencing homelessness into housing, and provide rental relief for up to 385,000 households in deepest housing need, currently at risk of homelessness.
Just last year, successfully pushed the Liberals to deliver a one-time boost to the Canada Housing Benefit. This proposal builds on that work and will take it one big step forward, by making it a longer-term benefit that will help hardworking people on the brink of losing their homes and support those experiencing homelessness get into more permanent accommodation.
Read the full policy proposal here: https://caeh.ca/hphb-proposal
The vast majority of Canadians at risk of becoming unhoused simply cannot pay the high cost of rent. According to CMHC research, three-quarters of households in core housing need have suitable and adequate housing — they just don’t have the reliable income they need to keep it. And 85% of unhoused people are experiencing homelessness because of poverty. Without a steady income that can reliably cover expenses, it’s nearly impossible to secure a place to live.
It’s true, we need to address the problem of homelessness at its core with longer term solutions. But we also need action right now to prevent the imminent tragedy of hundreds of thousands of Canadian families left out in the cold. Rent support is the only immediate, cost-effective and targeted option.
The proposed Housing benefit builds on approaches proven to prevent homelessness, and the success of pandemic supports like CERB. During the pandemic, the CERB program reduced core housing need in Canada by at least 200,000 households. In the United States, the Biden Administration has kept eviction numbers at pre-pandemic levels using rent support programs similar to this CAEH proposal.
Homelessness already costs Canadian taxpayers more than $7 billion per year – this will only grow as the affordability crisis continues. It will be far more expensive for municipal, provincial and federal governments to cope with rising homelessness and to try to reduce homelessness after the fact.
As the NDP leader and housing critic, you have power to push the Liberal government on this important issue and help nearly half a million Canadians stay in their homes, or come off the street and find an affordable place to live.
Please live up to your commitment to making life fairer and more affordable for Canadians by publicly supporting CAEH’s policy proposal right away.
Thank you,
[Your name will go here]