Every day, across the country, the UWC Movement is fighting the housing crisis threatening the health and well-being of individuals and undermining our economy. On National Housing Day, United Way Centraide Canada applauds the work of local leaders finding innovative ways to develop affordable housing. We welcome the Federal Government’s investment in Build Canada Homes to expand the supply of affordable housing and our national network of local experts is ready to scale proven approaches to end the housing crisis.

The crisis stems from decades of underinvestment in affordable and middle-income housing, leading to insufficient housing stock.  Concurrently, people across Canada are dealing with the lowest level of rental vacancies in over 20 years at 1.9%. Swelling prices mean that buying or renting takes up a greater share of income, and 1 in 5 renters is now spending more than 50% of their income on housing. With rising inflation and cost of living, the dream of secure, affordable housing remains out of reach for too many. According to data from the 211 service, Canada’s primary source of information for government and community-based services, housing and shelter has been the top need identified in 211 contacts over the past few years. Not only is the need increasing year after year (22% increase in 2023 and another 18% increase in 2024), but it has also been the top unmet need. The main reasons for housing and shelter needs being unmet includes no resources found to meet needs, ineligible for services and long waiting lists. Emergency shelter stays are longer, and the number of deaths related to homelessness is rising. While housing stock cannot keep up with the growing demand, people are being left behind.

Housing is a right, not a commodity. The facts are concerning, but local action to stem the crisis provides hope. United Way Centraide (UWC) delivers vital support and community navigation to assist people with immediate housing needs, while leading innovative projects that create options to help people find their way home.

In 2024, UWC invested over $38 million in housing and shelter across the country, including $20 million in housing-related programs and $10 million in emergency and transitional shelters. Over 379,000 people experiencing or at risk of homelessness have accessed support through UWC’s investments.

Across the country, UWCs are tackling the housing crisis through a myriad of locally designed initiatives:

• United Way Maritimes established an Affordable Housing Division focused on the systemic roots of housing insecurity while quickly bringing affordable homeownership to rural communities.
• Centraide of Greater Montreal is working with various partners to implement solutions and prevention strategies that address the housing crisis, including selling their under-utilized parking lot to build affordable student rentals.
• United Way Greater Toronto, University Health Network (UHN), the City of Toronto and Fred Victor have established a Social Medicine Housing Initiative that responds to urgent and complex housing needs.
• United Way Perth Huron founded United Housing, the region’s first non-profit housing entity dedicated to creating and sustaining mixed-income rental units.
• United Ways in Ontario have come together to publish Built for Good: Delivering the Housing Ontario Needs, a delivery-ready plan addressing the housing crisis in Ontario which can be adapted to other communities.
• United Way Saskatoon and Saskatoon Crisis Intervention Service, have been operating Journey Home, a radical housing program that provides housing with no strings attached.

Through community housing bonds, shared equity homeownership, social medicine and owned-and-operated affordable housing models, UWC has been working on helping people exit homelessness. This innovation builds on decades of work, including offering emergency shelters and wraparound supports for the chronically homeless, for youth and for people escaping violence. We are developing solutions adapted to the crisis that help make it possible for people to find and maintain stability.

The Federal Government’s new Build Communities Strong Fund offers opportunities to work together, and as a trusted government partner, UWC is ready to collaborate as we have done in the past, delivering pandemic response and recovery funding to the sector.

Too many people are suffering and dying as they experience the impacts of this crisis. Ending homelessness is complex but it is possible, and it benefits everyone. Lower rates of homelessness correlate with greater economic prosperity and reduce strain on emergency and social services. As people in Canada face cost of living challenges affecting their ability to access safe and stable housing, UWC will continue to support community health and well-being. Canada must prioritize the most vulnerable groups and those in greatest need of housing while we work toward housing as a human right for all.  Everyone in Canada deserves a safe place to call home.