The Spectator’s View: Social housing crisis needs better partners

Thespec.com
Aug. 18, 2015
By Howard Elliott

When it comes to providing an adequate stock of decent, affordable social housing, the City of Hamilton is in a nearly untenable position.

The number of people waiting for social housing in this city is more than 5,700. The waiting time can easily be five years. Why so many and so long? In part because Hamilton has more than its share of poverty, including the institutionalized and geographically-intensive kind. But beyond that, our city is no different than other heavily urban jurisdictions, all of which struggle to one degree or another with adequate social housing.

Why? Because senior governments have abdicated their responsibility over time to be part of a social housing solution. According to the State of Homelessness Report released in 2015, funding has been reduced by 46 per cent in the past 25 years. Has the need decreased? No. Has the private sector stepped in to make up for the shortfall? No.

Instead, cities like Hamilton have had to step up where others have stepped back. Cities which already absorb downloaded social service costs. Cities with finite, smaller tax bases that lack the flexibility the province and feds enjoy. But the situation is not sustainable. Consider some of the factors at play with Hamilton Housing, the public housing arm of the city.

The housing agency has about $24 million worth of capital needs each year. That's for maintenance, repair, bedbug control and other costs of running 7,000 units across the city. But it has only $8.5 million. That means that units are sitting empty due to a lack of funds to make them habitable at a time when thousands of potential clients are waiting, sometimes for years.

Why does this matter so much? Hopefully, because we recognize the need for basic human dignity, a prerequisite of which is having a decent roof over your head. But if not for that reason, consider the "pay now or pay more later" factor. The lack of safe, affordable, secure housing is a determinant of health. Its absence increases the risk of serious health and social conditions. The lack of it jeopardizes the healthy development of kids and families. It has been proven time and again that secure housing translates into less expensive intervention and support when compared to the lack of that housing which typically means more expensive forms of support, often including hospitalization and chronic health issues.

What needs to happen? Hamilton Housing is considering selling some prime real estate in the hopes of getting incremental revenue to allow new housing in less expensive areas. That's smart but requires a sense of urgency not presently apparent. And the province and feds need to come back to the table so all levels of government can work together on this critical community issue, in Hamilton and across Canada.