Chris Glover MPP, Spadina–Fort York

TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO:

WHEREAS the Government of Ontario is hosting a provincial-municipal housing summit on December 16th to collaborate with municipalities on addressing the housing affordability crisis;

WHEREAS in 2018 the Ontario government reduced the housing budget by $161 million/year;

WHEREAS rapidly rising housing costs are making housing unaffordable for many with half of Ontario renters pay more than 30% of their income on rent, and where a fifth of renters pay more than 50%;

WHEREAS in March 2021, the Government voted down a motion to build 30,000 supportive homes and 69,000 affordable homes, as recommended by the Canadian Mental Health Association and the Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association;

WHEREAS the Auditor General recently reported that “Ontario does not have an overarching strategy to prevent and reduce homelessness”;

WHEREAS the average monthly cost of a shelter bed in the covid-19 pandemic is $6,000, while the average cost of a supportive housing unit is $2,000 per month;

THEREFORE, we the undersigned petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to take action on the homelessness crisis by:

• Meeting City of Toronto requests for:
  
  • $48 million annually to provide support services for 2,000 supportive homes
    $1.14 billion annually in provincial and federal funding over the next nine years to meet the target of creating 18,000 supportive homes by 2030;
• Protecting those at-risk of homelessness by reinstating rent control on all units, and ending the practice of “renovictions”
• And helping those currently experiencing homelessness by expanding the housing-first model, allowing co-op housing to thrive, resuming the homelessness census, and restoring the goal of ending homelessness in Ontario by 2025.