[homeles_ot-l] Replacement Bill for a National Housing Strategy presented in Parliament

[Lynne Browne]

Hello everyone,

 

A replacement Bill for a National Housing Strategy was presented in Parliament this morning! 

 

On behalf of the Alliance to End Homelessness I spoke with François Roy at the press conference held afterwards by NDP Housing Critic Marie-Claude Morin who introduced the legislation and Andrew Cash, deputy NDP Housing Critic. François spoke on behalf of Logemen'occupe de l'Outaouais and Front d'action populaire en réaménagement urbain (FRAPRU).

 

Many long-time affordable housing allies came to the press conference, including Michael Shapcott, Director (Wellesley Institute); Rob Rainer (Canada Without Poverty); Kenn Hale (ACTO-Advocacy Centre for Tenants in Ontario); Bruce Porter (Social Rights Advocacy Centre); Leilani Farha, The Centre for Equality Rights in Accommodation-CERA); Simon Lewchuk (Citizens for Public Justice); Charlie Hill (National Aboriginal Housing Association); and Jody Ciufo, Catherine Boucher and Dallas Alderson (CHRA).

 

Now our task will be to convince local Conservative MPs in communities across the country to vote to pass the Bill on its first reading so all parties can continue working on the strategy. More about this once the replacement bill is assigned a number. The Alliance's press release on today is below.

 

Lynne

 

Lynne Browne

Executive Director, Alliance to End Homelessness 

lbrowne at ysb.on.ca <mailto:lbrowne at ysb.on.ca> 

613-241-7913 ext. 205, 

147 Besserer St., Ottawa, ON K1N 6A7

www.endhomelessnessottawa.ca <https://mail.ysb.on.ca/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.endhomelessnessottawa.ca> 

ATEH on FACEBOOK HERE <https://mail.ysb.on.ca/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.facebook.com/home.php?%23!/pages/Alliance-to-End-Homelessness-Ottawa/136029386442398?v=wall%26ref=ts>  & TWITTER HERE @endhomelessOTT <https://mail.ysb.on.ca/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=https://twitter.com/endhomelessOTT> 

 

February 16, 2012, For Immediate Release

"The Alliance to End Homelessness in Ottawa is very pleased to see a replacement Bill to establish a National Housing Strategy brought back to Parliament today," said Lynne Browne, executive director of the Alliance, which has worked to end homelessness in the city since 1995.  Browne was speaking at a media conference on Parliament Hill this morning following MP Marie-Claude Morin's presentation of the Bill in the House of Commons. Housing organizations and stakeholders from across Canada have long supported such a strategy.

"The Alliance endorses the NDP's Bill for a National Housing Strategy that will ensure that Canadians have secure, adequate, accessible and affordable housing," she said. "As a non-partisan organization we encourage current governments to recognize that homeless people - women and men, youth, families and seniors - and the working poor and other vulnerable, marginalized groups have the basic human right to have a safe, stable and affordable home." 

Browne noted that opposition parties supported the previous Bill as it made its way to a third reading recognizing that homelessness in one of the richest countries in the world is unacceptable, that it can be solved - when all stakeholders work through a National Housing Strategy.

"Here in the nation's capital, over 7,000 people stayed in an emergency shelter in 2010, including 1,400 children. This outrageous number does not include the thousands living in poverty, working full time but unable to afford rent," said Browne. "Nationally, a very conservative estimate for the number of homeless people is 225,000. Add to that approximately one and a half million other households living in poverty and unable to afford a place to live that is adequate, suitable, and affordable. Adequate housing is fundamental to reducing Canadian poverty."

The Alliance does not accept the argument that Canadians will be required to pay more taxes to see this legislation through as governments can "Commit and Prioritize" within current budgets to invest more in affordable housing. 

Browne pointed out that the new Bill can make the right to appropriate housing a reality for marginalized and vulnerable groups - a right that Canada has committed to through international treaties.  It can take a human rights approach to governance by bringing all stakeholders to the table in a meaningful way. It can mandate the setting of timelines and targets to end homelessness and include mechanisms to hold governments accountable to their commitments to housing. 

Once a National Housing Strategy is in place, the Alliance would hope to see an amount equal to 1% of the GDP go to federal investments in affordable housing as suggested by the Wellesley Institute. It wants protection of Canada's 600,000 units of existing social housing and a reinvestment of funds from expiring social housing operating agreements. Creating better affordable housing outcomes is slow work, so the Alliance will want to see strengthened the federal Homelessness Partnering Strategy. 

For information:

Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa, Lynne Browne: 613-241-7913, ext. 205

Media enquiries at the Office of MP Marie-Claude Morin, Tel: (613) 996-4586, Cel: (613) 295-0731

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