Coming in from the Cold: Canada’s National Housing Strategy, Homelessness, and the Right to Housing in a Transnational Perspective

Abstract

Canada’s National Housing Strategy (NHS) commits the government to eliminating chronic homelessness and promises that realizing the right to housing is a key objective. In this article, we explore how the Canadian government could realize the right to housing in the context of eliminating chronic homelessness. We argue that it is helpful to look at how other jurisdictions have successfully reduced homelessness. In this article we examine Finland and Scotland’s approaches because they offer certain similarities in how homelessness is addressed, yet they also differ, most crucially in how they understand the right to housing. We argue that both of these jurisdictions offer important lessons for Canada to draw on as it seeks to reduce long-term homelessness.

Leveraging culturally-relevant urban social housing to address Indigenous youth homelessness and transitions out of government care

“…Nevertheless, policy shifts may also require radical transformations through intersecting housing, social assistance, criminal justice, and healthcare systems. The sentiments within federal child protection reform also hold true for Canada's NHS, which has received its share of criticism and presented challenges to fully realizing social housing as a right (DesBaillets & Hamill, 2022;Paradis, 2018;Schwan & Ali, 2021). Referencing social housing, however, Walker (2008) states that urban Indigenous-inclusive citizenship and self-determination in housing will not remedy Indigenous housing need without the common pursuit toward affordable and adequate housing for all Canadians.…”

Affordable Housing – Challenges and Constraints for Local Governance in Canada

“…Furthermore, affordable housing policies rely on market practices, socioeconomic circumstances, political will, policy jurisdiction, operational capacity, and the role of the upper tiers of government (Raynor & Whitzman, 2021;Turk, 2019). Canadian municipalities have their unique challenges due to socioeconomic and geographical circumstances, a complex hierarchy of decision-making, changing priorities, and the local government's incapacity to act (DesBaillets & Hamill, 2022;Guha & Chakrabarti, 2019;UCLG, 2018;UNDP-WBG, 2016). Consequently, local governments adopt a convenient path by choosing a system facilitation role influenced their objectives and process groups (City of Surrey, 2016;OECD, 2016).…”

“…Although NHS has shown signs of moving away from the private sector, reducing investment in social housing and failing to fulfill the promises made by NHS, make it challenging to solve the housing crisis (DesBaillets & Hamill, 2022). Furthermore, it is argued that it is difficult for the Canada National Housing Strategy to adopt a cohesive approach due to a lack of harmony between provincial and local governments (DesBaillets & Hamill, 2022). However, Canada's geographic, social, and economic diversity makes it challenging to find a one-size-fits-all approach.…”

“…Although, provinces and territories can develop their programs under the federal financial steams. However, uncertainty still exists due to unresolved matters between the federal, provincial, and local governments, lack of coordination with the other market actors, and, most importantly, the absence of political will to take a firm hand on the housing crisis (DesBaillets & Hamill, 2022).…”