The Ontario Human Rights Commission has released a report, Right at home: Report on the consultation on human rights and rental housing in Ontario (in PDF) that focuses on housing as a human right, and sets out a framework for collective action to identify, remove and prevent discrimination in rental housing. You can read more about the report on the Wellesley Institute blog, "Powerful historic report links housing rights to housing action" and read a number of backgrounders on the Ontario Human Rights Commission site.

Thanks to lobbying by anti-poverty advocates and activists, the Ontario government has invested $5 million dollars into rent banks to help renters who are facing eviction stay in their homes ("Families in need get help with rent"). A Rent Bank gives a short term loan or grant to eligible renters who are facing eviction. The Ontario Rent Bank Network has more information about the program.

On May 3rd, people around BC, from Prince George to Vancouver Island will be STANDing for housing. STANDs for Housing started in Vancouver over the closing of social housing in the Little Mountain neighbourhood of Vancouver. The Stands have spread around the province to reflect the growing crisis of homelessness and lack of affordable housing. For more information see the Community Advocates for Little Mountain (CALM) website.

PIVOT Legal Society, the Carnegie Community Action Project, and the Impact of the Olympics on Community Coalition have launched a complaint to the UN about the living conditions of residents in Vancouver's single room occupancy hotels. The formal complaint letter, facts of the complaint and supporting documentation is on the no place like home website.

Activists stood on various street corners in different areas of Vancouver to protest the provincial and federal governments' lack of initiative toward housing and homelessness. Watch a video about the Stand for Housing on HomelessNation, and find out more about future events to protest the lack of affordable housing on the websites of the City Wide Housing Coalition, the Save Low Income Housing Coalition, and the Lower Mainland Network for Affordable Housing.

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities has called for a national action plan to end homelessness and deliver affordable housing. Read more in a CBC article, "$3.35B needed each year for housing strategy, cities say".

The Toronto Disaster Relief Committee (TDRC) and the Canadian Peace Alliance (CPA) have launched a Housing Not War campaign to demand that funding the federal government has directed towards war and militarism go instead towards housing and a "1% solution." TDRC says that if an additional 1% of the federal budget was allocated towards social housing, it would bring spending up to $4 billion per year. You can sign the Housing not War Declaration online.

The City of Toronto released a draft 10-year housing strategy called Housing Opportunities Toronto (HOT) on which outlines a plan is to create 209,000 new and renovated affordable homes over the next decade. The Wellesley Institute has a in-depth "Backgrounder on Toronto's 10 Year Housing Strategy" (in PDF). Read the original draft plan and press release on the City of Toronto's Housing Opportunities Toronto (HOT) site.

In follow up to his recent visit to Canada, the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing, Miloon Kothari, has released a press release that calls for Canada to take immediate action to tackle the national housing crisis (see press release below). Read an interview between the Tyee and Miloon Kothari "UN Observer: 'Massive Crisis' in Vancouver." and an article on Streams of Justice, "Games should benefit homeless: UN envoy," and on David Eby's blog, "UN Rapporteur demands 3200 Olympic units."

UNITED NATIONS EXPERT ON ADEQUATE HOUSING CALLS FOR IMMEDIATE ATTENTION TO TACKLE NATIONAL HOUSING CRISIS IN CANADA

The Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, Miloon Kothari, issued the following statement today:

Geneva, 1 November 2007: From 9 to 22 October 2007, the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, Mr. Miloon Kothari, conducted a mission to Canada to examine the status of realization of the right to adequate housing, particularly focusing on homelessness, women and their right to adequate housing, Aboriginal populations' adequate housing and affordability and speculation of land and property including the possible impact of the 2010 Olympic Games on the right to adequate housing in Vancouver.

During the course of the mission, the Special Rapporteur visited urban and rural areas, including Montréal, Kahnawake territories, Edmonton, Little Buffalo and Lubicon, Vancouver, Musqueam territories, Toronto and Ottawa. In these locations, the Special Rapporteur met with high-ranking officials, representatives of various Government agencies, community-based housing and homelessness service providers, housing agencies, representatives of Aboriginal peoples and civil society organizations. He also heard testimonies from many women, men, youth and children across the country that were homeless or living in adequate and insecure housing, and participated in large public forums and hearings. On the last day of his mission, the Special Rapporteur shared his preliminary observations with the Canadian authorities.

General observations

During his mission, the Special Rapporteur heard testimonies and received voluminous reports from independent bodies, about the persistence of homelessness, substandard and inadequate housing and living conditions, an aging housing stock in both the public and private sectors, grossly inadequate housing and civic services, including potable water, conditions for Aboriginal people's on and off reserves, health concerns, inadequate heating systems, and high energy costs.

In its most recent periodic review of Canada's compliance with the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights characterized the state of homelessness and inadequate housing as a "national emergency."1

The Special Rapporteur confirms the deep and devastating impact of this national crisis on the lives of women, youth, children and men, including a large number of deaths2. The Special Rapporteur also noted as a cause of this national crisis the lack of a properly funded national poverty reduction strategy.

Homelessness

Homelessness is one of the most visible and most severe signs of the lack of respect for the right to adequate housing, which is even more shocking to see in a developed and wealthy country as Canada. The Special Rapporteur was disappointed that the Government of Canada could not provide reliable statistics on the number of homeless in the country. While the National Homelessness Secretariat has suggested that there might be 150,000 homeless people, experts and academic institutions have suggested that the actual number of homeless people may be at least double that amount.

The large number of people in Canada living in poverty, the growing number of food banks, and studies show that the number of people that cannot afford housing or sustain their rent is increasing, resulting in an increase number of homeless. One major cause of growing homelessness is the high cost of rents and the overall decline in renter household incomes in recent years. In addition to the high number of people who are homeless the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation also notes that 1.5 million Canadian households are officially classified as being in 'housing core need' which outs them at great risk of homelessness.

Affordability

The increase of housing prices and the lack of affordability is growing in all sectors of the population. The Special Rapporteur observed how due to the shortage of social housing stock, the original target population has changed and programs are distorted, needing to meet the necessities of a growing and more diverse population than originally assessed.

Canada lacks a national poverty reduction strategy, and only a handful of provinces have implemented provincial poverty reduction plans.

Grossly inadequate social assistance rates are trapping many of the lowest-income Canadian households into chronic poverty and inadequate housing. The Federal Government made major cuts to social spending, and cancelled the Canada Assistance Plan in 1995 (CAP provided a framework of national standards for income assistance) and virtually every province has allowed income assistance levels to drop to extremely low levels since then.

Women's right to adequate housing

The lack of adequate and secure housing particularly impacts women who are disproportionally affected by the homelessness, the issue of affordability, violence and discrimination in the private housing rental market. During the visit, the Special Rapporteur heard dozens of testimonies of women including on the insufficiency of social assistance entitlements that do not match the cost of housing and other living expenses or about children being taken away from their mothers because they were living in inadequate housing, an issue that particularly affects Aboriginal women3.

Amongst the many forms of violence that aboriginal women suffer, studies show that they endure three times higher rate of spousal violence than non-Aboriginal. In this context, the lack of protection law for women living on a reserve, or the impossibility to file complaints to the Canadian Human Rights Commission constitutes one of the greatest barriers to the enjoyment the right to housing and a life free of violence. Another major barrier that needs to be overcome at the earliest is the family and matrimonial real property laws on reserves. Overcrowding houses, accommodating up to 3 generations in some regions, is one of the major causes for abuse, violence and homelessness. Women and young girls off reserve are experiencing violence in a daily basis.

Aboriginal peoples right to adequate housing

Throughout his mission, the Special Rapporteur was disturbed to see the devastating impact of the paternalism that marks federal and provincial government, legislations, policies and budgetary allocation for Aboriginal people on and off reserve. These policies have seriously compromised the right to self determination that Aboriginal people enjoy under the original treaties and the International human rights instruments and deeply affected their housing and living conditions4.

Overcrowded and inadequate housing conditions, as well as difficulties to access basic services, including water and sanitation, are major problems for Aboriginal peoples5. For instance, during his visit to the Lubicon Lake Nation, the Special Rapporteur could witness how families still live without access to potable water and sanitation and appalling living conditions. He also noted the destructive impact of oil extraction activities that continues to lead to the loss of lands and the asphyxiation of livelihoods and traditional practices.

Preparation of the Olympics in Vancouver

In his mandate, the Special Rapporteur has looked at the negative impact on housing in cities that host mega-events, such as the Olympics, the FIFA World Cup, and the Commonwealth Games. These impacts include forced evictions for construction of infrastructures, city beautification and speculation of land and property and measures to remove homeless people from cities prior to and during the event. In Vancouver, the Special Rapporteur also looked into the potential impact of 2010 Olympic Games on the right to housing of low income people.

Vancouver has been an innovative city, incorporating in their bid the Inner-City Inclusive Commitment Statement, developed by a representatives from a variety of inner-city community organizations and government agencies, which seek amongst its main objectives to address issues related to housing, civil liberties and public safety, health and social services, environment, transportation, accessible and affordable Games. The bid also included a sustainability plan aiming at guaranteeing that the social, economic and environmental impacts and opportunities of the event produce lasting benefits, locally and globally.

The Special Rapporteur is of the view that the resources generated by such an event should be used to improve adverse housing situation in Vancouver. The Special Rapporteur met with the CEO of VANOC who expressed his commitment to ensure that the games would contribute to improve housing conditions of the poor in Vancouver as a positive legacy.

Good practices

Canada has a long and proud history of housing successes, and has been known around the world for its innovative housing solutions especially for its non-aboriginal population. During this mission, the Special Rapporteur visited and received information about a number of programmes, laws and policies addressed at housing that are good practices, including Centers and shelters accommodating homeless people, women fleeing from violence, aboriginal women, HIV-AIDS positive people, children with disabilities, and people suffering from drug addictions. All of these Centers were fully or partially funded by the various programmes of the State.

But the funding support is irregular, groups are often required to rely on voluntary contributions and voluntary labour, and the process of sustaining non-government organizations is occupying a greater amount of time and resources.

Preliminary recommendations

At the end of his mission, the Special Rapporteur made a number of preliminary recommendations to the Canadian authorities including the following:

The Federal Government needs to commit stable and long-term funding and programmes to realize a comprehensive national housing strategy, and to co-ordinate actions among the provinces and territories, to meet Canada's housing rights obligations. The Special Rapporteur also noted that Canada needs to once again embark on a large scale building of social housing units across the country.

As part of a comprehensive national housing strategy, particular funding should be directed to groups that have been forced to the margins, including women, Aboriginal people, elders, youth, members of racialized communities, immigrants and groups with special needs. There should be a national adoption of the housing continuum concept including a plan to make available various forms of housing including transitional and supportive housing.

The Government and Parliament of Canada, along with the provinces and municipalities, are urged to take immediate steps to comply with concluding observations from United Nations treaty bodies including the Committee on Economic Social and Cultural Rights. Economic, social and cultural rights should be fully recognized in all relevant government legislation and should be fully justifiable including monitoring, implementing, investigative and accountability mechanisms.

The Federal Government needs a comprehensive and properly-funded poverty reduction strategy based on its human rights obligation. Complementary plans should be implemented in the provinces and territories that are linked to a comprehensive national housing strategy.

The Federal Government should commit the funding and resources to ensure all households have access to potable water and proper sanitation consistent with the recognition of water as a human rights and recommendations for State policies as detailed in General Comment Number 15 of the CESCR.

Canada should implement measures to address urgent, short term and long term needs of women in the country. Immediate implementation at all levels of the government of the recommendations from the United Nations treaty bodies on these specific measures, would eliminate the various barriers that women face both in urban and rural context in their daily life.

The Federal Government needs to commit funding and resources for a targeted national Aboriginal housing strategy – both on- and off-reserve – that ensures that Aboriginal housing and services are under Aboriginal control.

In line with treaty body recommendations, the Special Rapporteur calls for a moratorium on all oil and extractive activities in the Lubicon region until a settlement is reached with Lubicon Lake Nation. The Federal Government should resume negotiation with the Lubicon Lake consistent to the Human Rights Law instruments including the Declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples.

Vancouver Olympic officials, and the relevant city authorities, need to continue to implement specific targets and strategies on housing and homelessness, and to commit funding and other resources to support these targets, including the construction of 3,200 units of affordable housing6. The social development plan of the Vancouver Games should be developed and implemented in public, so that the progress of Vancouver officials can be effectively monitored. The Special Rapporteur would recommend the formation of an independent monitoring body to assist VANOC in complying with its commitments to improve the housing rights situation in the region where the Olympics will take place.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Notes

1. Concluding observations of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Canada (E/C.12/CAN/CO/4, E/C.12/CAN/CO/5), para. 62.
2. As far back as 1999, the United Nations Human Rights Committee after reviewing Canada's State report expressed concern that "... homelessness has led to serious health problems and even to death. The Committee recommends that the State Party takes positives measures to address this serious problem ...."
3. These testimonies matched other testimonies received by the Special Rapporteur in other occasions. See for instance the Women and Housing reports of the Special Rapporteur available at: http://www.ohchr.org/english/issues/housing/women.htm.
4. The United Nations Human Rights Committee review in 2006 referred to this phenomenon of having the potential to lead to "… extinguishment of inherent aboriginal rights …."
5. Report on the Mission to Canada of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous peoples. E/CN.4/2005/88/Add.3.
6. See http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/commsvcs/housing/pdf/icihousingtablemar0....

Yesterday, BC Housing Minister Rick Coleman announced the non-profit organizations that will be running the ten single-room occupancy hotels that the province bought last spring (Read the News Release, and a CBC article, "Non-profit agencies to run low-income hotels for B.C.". Advocates are criticizing the amount of money the province is willing to put into staffing the hotels and the fact that the province is funding temporary housing rather then building permanent housing (Read David's Eby's blog). Meanwhile, the Tyee reports that there are more homeless people living outside of the Downtown Eastside and in the suburbs - "Homeless in Suburbia".

Yesterday, Miloon Kothari, the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing of the United Nations Human Rights Council presented his preliminary findings on adequate housing in Canada. Mr. Kothari visited five Canadian cities and several Aboriginal communities where he met with government officials, advocates, non-profit organizations, and homeless and under-housed people. Read some of his recommendations on the Wellesley Institute Blog, "UN to Canada: Take action on housing, homelessness!" While in Vancouver, the Carnegie Centre Action Project asked the UN to intervene on behalf of homeless people in the Downtown Eastside. Read more in an article in the Tyee, "Downtown Eastside Seeks Foreign Aid." See the UN's preliminary findings attached (in DOC).

After a number of previous rallies demanding social housing, the Citywide Housing Coalition and members of Victoria's anti-poverty community went on a treasure hunt for the Province's missing $250 million Housing Endowment Fund. Last week the premier announced $41 million for housing but advocates were not impressed that the majority of the money would be used for shelters and not permanent housing (see CBC article, 'New funding to 'break cycle of homelessness' in B.C.: premier')

Homeless Action Week was kicked off this weekend when the Anti-Poverty Committee attempted to squat an empty building in the Downtown Eastside but were arrested while entering the building. They held a loud rally and march for affordable housing on Sunday. Meanwhile a group of homeless activisits have erected a tent city on a city-owned lot that is zoned for social housing. The Streams of Justice blog has photos and news about the tent city. This week the The United Nations’ Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing, Miloon Kothari, will be hosting a public hearing and press conference in Vancouver, see more on David Eby's blog.

As Miloon Kothari, the United Nations’ Special Rapporteur on the Right to adequate Housing, does his fact-finding mission to Canada from October 9 to 22, the Wellesley Institute has released a backgrounder on housing and homelessness with some national numbers. Read the attached, Ten Things you should know about housing in Canada (Short version in PDF) and (Long version in PDF).

As the Olympics approaches, the need for the government to tackle homelessness becomes greater and greater. The current housing boom, driven by the market, neglects low income people, who do not provide profitable clients for developers. While there is still much to be done, a group of developers produced a report giving 24 recommendations to end homelessness by 2010. To find out more read the article in The Tyee.

In July, women in the Downtown Eastside challenged Vancouver City council members to a House Swap. In a letter, the Power to Women group challenged the councillors to live for eight weeks off $610 a month in a hotel and on the street with no extra support. So far none of the city councillors have taken up the challenge. An article on The Dominion news site, "Downtown Eastside Women Ask Politicians for Housing Swap," goes into more detail about the conditions poor women are facing in Vancouver.

Last week, Rich Coleman, the BC Minister for Housing, announced in a Vancouver Sun article ("B.C. targets homeless with Riverview Project") that he planned to turn the old psychiatric institution, Riverview, into a massive real estate development that mixed a large number of market housing with some social housing for poor and mentally ill people. Anti-poverty and mental health advocates and Coquitlam city politicians are opposed to any type of of market housing on the site (See Vancouver Sun articles - "Coquitlam 'appalled' by Riverview housing proposal," "Riverview housing plan sparks political backlash," and the CBC article - Coquitlam mayor opposes massive Riverview redevelopment".) They want the site used for social housing and for the care of those suffering from mental illness.

Ten years ago, the provincial government began shutting Riverview down as part of the process of de-institutionalizing mental health patients. The idea was that patients would receive treatment in their communities but many people who left institutions like Riverview ended up homeless, vulnerable to drug addictions and without treatment. Mental health consumers, advocates and others have been pushing the provincial government to fund more treatment for the mentally ill. Last week a group of nurses from Riverview demonstrated outside the Health Minister's office to protest deteriorating medical standards due to three years of government cutbacks. For more on Riverview and Rich Coleman's plan see the Tyee article, "Coleman's Gambit" and the following press release from the Carnegie Community Action Project:

News release
For immediate release
July 27, 2007

Riverview plans more about developer profits than housing homeless

"The provincial government's plan for a massive housing development on Riverview land in Coquitlam is more about helping developers make profits than about housing the homeless", says Jean Swanson of the Carnegie Community Action Project.

The Minister in charge of housing, Rich Coleman, a former developer, suggests that 1100 units of social housing will be among over 7000 units, mostly condos, to be built on the site. "It could take 5 or ten years or more before even one unit gets built," said Swanson. If it takes ten years for the project to open, that's 110 units per year for homeless and poor people. That might meet the need in Coquitlam, but Vancouver needs 800 units of new social housing per year according to the city."

About 2000 people in Vancouver are homeless now, according to city officials, with a possible 3000 by the time of the Olympics.

"Coleman should be using the governments $4.1 billion surplus and the $250 million he has parked in a housing endowment fund to build hundreds of units of social housing now," said Swanson.

--30—

Contact: Jean Swanson 604 729-2380

A joint draft response (in PDF) released today by the City of Vancouver's Housing Centre recommends that council and other levels of government immediately endorse the recommendations set out in Report of the Inner-City Inclusive Housing Table (in PDF). In March 2007 the Housing Table recommended that the partners involved in the Olympic Games provide affordable housing, protect rental housing and prevent displacement and evictions. Housing activists and some city councillors are concerned whether all levels of government have the time, money or commitment to realize the housing recommendations. Read more in a CBC article, "Olympic housing report triggers alarm." The Carnegie Community Action Project has some more points to consider:

• read Monte Paulson's Tyee series, 2010: More Homeless than Athletes? for updated analysis on exactly how much the Province has done so far for social housing - much less than they claim
• it will cost only $640 million to build 3200 units of housing
• lots of surplus money available - $250 million endowment fund set aside by Province in last budget to create interest for social housing - spend it on a downpayment for 3200 units now
• Province will have $3 B surplus this year according to Canadian Centre Policy Alternatives call on city councilors to form a giant lobby, to be leaders in bringing the senior levels of gov't on board
• The City should not be parroting the Province's excuses
• Re building social housing at the Olympic Village. This is where the city could make a comittment to ensure that low income people actually benefit from this housing. Use the property endowment fund.
• Increase social assistance (p. 14): Here the city is basically endorsing the ICI recommendations. But then it goes on in the Partners report to basically endorse the province's pr about how great they have already been with increases. This is inconsistent. The city should be lobbying more strongly for increases.

On Sunday June 3rd, hundreds of women, trans people and their allies marched through the streets of Toronto to a vacant building. Four Women Against Poverty Collective members had already entered the building, claiming it for affordable housing for women by women. The marchers erected a tent city outside the building but after a few hours the police forced the women away from the building. The Women Against Poverty Collective demands:

• We call on Mayor Miller and City Council to force developers to create safe affordable housing when they: ask for zoning variances, don’t pay their taxes, or allow their buildings to fall apart.

• We call on Premier McGuinty to immediately raise social assistance rates by 40% and to develop a coherent, well-funded province–wide housing policy that has timelines, clear number of units to be built, and accountability components included.

• We call on Prime Minister Harper to develop a coherent, well-funded Canada–wide housing policy and program, and to devote 1% of the federal budget to affordable housing.

The BC Government has announced that the province plans to build 996 affordable housing units. The province is purchasing ten Single Room Occupancy Hotels in Vancouver and one in Victoria, as well as building three supportive housing on sites owned by the city of Vancouver, and converting four buildings in Victoria and Burnaby to supportive housing. Some advocates are concerned that "supportive housing" means that tenants will not be covered under the Residential Tenancy Act, as well the purchase of the hotels does not create new housing, only stabilizes existing housing units. For more information:

• BC government press release - "Province to Protect 996 Affordable Housing Units,"
• A CBC story - "$80M pledged to target homelessness in B.C"
• A story in the Tyee - "Province Snaps Up Poverty Hotels"
• Downtown Eastside Womens' Centre - Power to Women Group - "Women Respond to Government Announcement"

In the last couple of months Vancouver has seen a lot of protest against the social and financial costs related to the Olympic Games (see No2010 and 2010Watch). Last week the PIVOT Legal Society and the Save Low Income Housing Coalition won a case against the owner a hotel in the Downtown Eastside who tried to illegally evict residents to house Olympic workers (Two small victories for housing campaign). A report issued by the Housing Table for the City of Vancouver -
Report of the Inner-City Inclusive Housing Table (in PDF) - calls for the protection of rental stock, a guarantee that people are not made homeless as a result of the Games, nor are they involuntarily displaced, evicted or facing unreasonable rent increases as a result of the Games.