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National Housing Policy

Supporting A National Housing Policy

Alliance to End Homelessness Report Card on Homelessness January-December 2012.  Raise Your Voice campaign.   Make yourself heard on this issue.

Bill C-400 defeated 2013 02 27 by a vote of 153-129.  Conservatives continue to cut Social Housing programs. Link to information sheet with various points of view and studies.  New budget does renew some money for housing.

Action to support Bill C-400 - A National Housing Policy – vote to take place February 27, 2013 (see actual text of bill)

CUSJ works with partners: Dignity for All, (great list of resources) Citizens For Public Justice, The Wellesley InstituteCanada Without Poverty, and the Canadian Unitarian Council  to get Bill C-400 passed.  Watch here for Action events you can support.  We expect a vote in February.  This is the time for quick action.  If the vote is delayed, as some hope it will be, we will have time to organize MP visits.

Unitarians Across Canada are writing letters.   Latest sample.  Congregations can endorse this campaign too!  

Backgrounder for Letters or MP Visits.  English version  version français  MP Talking Points

Petitions to sign  Present 25 signatures or more to your MP to read in the house.

All the issues Unitarians care about -health, education, dignity and worth of people, environment, community involvement - are affected by the inability of people to access safe affordable supportive housing. The United Nations has told us that housing is a human right and that Canada has a housing crisis. We need to pull together municipally, provincially, and federally, driven by a National Housing Policy if we want to meet this need in our society.

The Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development presented a comprehensive report to the 40th parliament in November 2010 that gives us a roadmap for the development of a National Housing Policy. The Report is called: Federal Poverty Reduction Plan: Working in Partnerships Towards Reducing Poverty In Canada. For the full report

CUSJ Endorses Bill C-400

CUSJ Letter to Prime Minister Harper 2012 11 16 — Support Bill C-400 for a National Housing Policy

Key Quotes From Federal Poverty Reduction Plan

CMHC Report Highlighting the State of Canada’s Housing (Most recent data 2010)

The annual Housing Observer report examines the state of Canada’s housing from a variety of perspectives, combining national coverage with provincial/territorial and metropolitan detail. The report discusses influences on housing demand, current market developments, housing finance, housing affordability, and other topics.  Affordable rental housing for low income people continues in low supply.

What can We Do?  Letter Writing Campaign

 

What Unitarians Are Doing

 

Background Information /Readings

If you want to know more about poverty and housing issues in Canada, the following are links to a series of excellent reports from different vantage points.

1. Federal Poverty Reduction Plan: Working in Partnerships Towards Reducing Poverty In Canada.
Report of the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons With Disabilities. Candice Hoeppner, MP and Chair. November 2010, presented to the 40th parliament, 3rd session.

http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?DocId=4770921&Mode=1&Parl=40&Ses=3&Language=E

CHAPTER 1: POVERTY IN CANADA
1.6 Poverty, Housing and Homelessness

CHAPTER 4: ASSISTING CHILDREN, FAMILIES AND VULNERABLE POPULATIONS
e. Other Initiatives
Housing
4.4 Poverty among Aboriginal People
Housing Programs

CHAPTER 5: HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS INITIATIVES
5.1 A Place to Call Home
5.2 Federal Housing Programs
a. Homelessness Partnering Strategy
b. Affordable Housing Initiative
c. Affordable Housing Sector
d. Homeowner Residential Rehabilitation and Assistance Program
e. Recent Funding Announcements

2. Canadian Policy Research Network: Housing is Good Social Policy
http://www.cprn.org/doc.cfm?doc=1131&l=en

3. A National Housing Policy inclusive of Women. The National Working Group on Women and Housing in Canada (NWG)
http://www.equalityrights.org/when/resources_pdfs/platform-e.pdf

4. Housing Again: Toward a National Housing Strategy for Canada: FCM Working Paper (2000)
http://action.web.ca/home/housing/resources.shtml?x=67139&AA_EX_Session=2a5d8f9eb468284ac652ba0bbda813b2

5. Canada needs a national housing strategy that engages key partners.
http://www.google.ca/#hl=en&source=hp&biw=1020&bih=565&q=national+housing+policy+canada&rlz=1W1GFRC_en&aq=0&aqi=g10&aql=&oq=National+Housing+Policy+&fp=6b017fb58983a335

6. Justnews V14#2 Housing Policy

http://cusj.org/wp-content/uploads/Justnews-Vol.-14-No.-2.pdf

{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }

promotional products perth April 16, 2013 at 2:48 pm

Hello there! This blog post couldn’t be written much better! Going through this post reminds me of my previous roommate! He constantly kept preaching about this. I will send this article to him. Pretty sure he will have a good read. Thank you for sharing!

Reply

Marlene Koehler November 26, 2012 at 9:54 pm

Here is the URL for the Bill – let’s include it on the CUSJ Housing site also: http://www.parl.gc.ca/LegisInfo/BillDetails.aspx?Language=E&Mode=1&billId=5353445 .

Perhaps we could also post the petition.

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