About 20 to 40 years ago, there was a commitment by the government to build some subsidized housing units every year, with rent geared to income.
Housing was for seniors, families, singles and people with disabilities. Both federal and provincial commitments were made. That housing was subsidized for 40 to 60 years to ensure that there was a supply of truly affordable housing for the long term for people with either very low or fixed incomes. These units provided a valuable part of the social safety net and we didn’t see very many people living on the street.
Unfortunately, over the past 20 years, the people who would benefit most from secure, affordable housing but are not yet “street homeless” have been ignored. I believe that this neglect has either directly or indirectly given rise to the current state of homelessness across the country.
People who live on a fixed or low income need to have housing that does not cost them more than 30 per cent of their gross income. Nanaimo Affordable Housing recently acquired an existing seniors housing complex that was no longer subsidized. Even at a flat rate of $500 per month per unit (market rates are between $800 and $1,400 for similar units in Nanaimo), 25 per cent of the tenants were paying more than 50 per cent of their monthly income for rent.
Does the lack of long-term affordable housing have a direct impact on the current homelessness crisis? Absolutely. When people are unable to afford safe and secure housing, they soon have little option other than to become homeless.
Maybe that means sleeping in their car or RV, maybe that means sleeping in their parents’ basement or garage, maybe that means “couch surfing” with friends, maybe that means sleeping in a tent in a park, maybe that means sleeping on a doorstep. I also suggest that when a person ends up homeless, with almost no options available to find an affordable place to live, a spiral can begin that can lead to loss of hope, substance use and abuse, and despair.
Over the past few years, we have seen hundreds, even thousands of new units developed for street-homeless individuals, but the number of people living on the street is still increasing. This is directly a result of ignoring the ongoing desperate housing needs of people who are just poor.
Can the new provincial government make a difference? Absolutely.
Start funding long-term subsidized-housing units again, with long-term commitments to ensure stability for the tenants. Extend current housing agreements to prolong the life and affordability of existing subsidized-housing stock, much of which will lose subsidy over the next 10 to 15 years.
Change the funding formula for all of the unsubsidized, mixed-income complexes approved by the previous government (completion dates 2018-2020) to rent-geared-to-income projects so that people can be securely housed at a level that their fixed income allows or for 30 per cent of their working income.
If strategies such as these are implemented, we should truly start to see a dramatic reduction in the street-homeless population. If we don’t get started soon, the numbers of homeless seniors, families, singles and people with disabilities will continue to increase.
Jim Spinelli, executive director of Nanaimo Affordable Housing, has worked in the affordable-housing sector for 21 years.
