Housing Crisis in Toronto is Threatening Activism
The solution to unaffordable housing and how it will benefit the state of activism.
Activism has come a long way concerning the right to assemble, and organizations that set up platforms for specific causes. Unfortunately, in recent years the housing market has shifted drastically. Skyrocketing housing prices have made it impossible for affordable housing to be accessible. Unaffordable housing has created a threat to activism in the city of Toronto due to other expenses that go along with it. To explain this if an individual is struggling to afford their rent, they would most likely not spend extra money on transportation to a rally. As well if they are able to afford their rent it most likely is not within the community where activism often occurs; Downtown Toronto.
I believe a person would much rather use their time to work to be able to afford their house than participate in activism within their city. As the issue of affordable housing grows in Toronto and surrounding communities, different solutions have started to emerge. Though the housing crisis has become a cause on its own within the Toronto community, the threat it poses to other groups of activists within Toronto is not widely discussed. Due to this threat, I have found credible solutions in which are in discussion, for example; multi/inter-generational housing, and new implications on government policies regarding Bill C-97; which contains the “National Housing Strategy Act” and the federal right to housing legislation.
Credible solutions have been discussed to further assist people with an unaffordable living. An article written by Fatima Syed discusses the topic of multi-generational living. What this means is households consisting of more than two generations living together. Multi-generational housing was common and first arrived mid 20th century with bigger families immigrating to Canada. This lifestyle made it affordable to live and as one generation passes, the house is still in good use by the next generation. Due to the development of Canadian culture, multi-generational living has become less prevalent. The practice became less common as Canada developed and housing was affordable (Syed, 2019). What this means is with the development of Canada as a country it was common to see new families live under the same roof due to being new to the country and unable to afford multiple homes.
With the cultural norm developing and moving out at 18 and never coming back to live with your immediate family, multi-generational living has been less of a positive solution but the last resource. With that said in order to assist affordable housing in the ‘generation of independence’ (wanting to be independent to fit into society norm.) inter-generational living has started to emerge.
With society’s rise in mental illness, meaning mental illness has become more evident with the pressure society has created in order to fit into the system, inter-generational living not only benefits the older generation but the future ones to come. Inter-generational living partners students with spare bedrooms, offering an opportunity for the older generation who encounter isolation, depression, and issues of safety for them to be around someone of the younger generations. (Syed, 2019). This has created the newer generations to save from struggling to barely afford rent during the increase in the housing market and also plays on the idea of a multi-generational housing lifestyle
In another article by Canadian business, it claims buyers interested in buying houses should be more informed especially with the rise in home prices in 2019. Stating multiple realtors have predicted a rise in home prices by 1.7 percent in 2019 (Cowan 2019). With prices continuing to rise it makes it nearly impossible for newer generations to purchase a home and/or afford rent in a community that is accessible to them and their future career. This solution helps new generations to be able to afford housing in Toronto, and with using an old solution with a newer perspective that better suits the development of society.
This allows individuals to save up while living with another to be able to afford a down-payment on a home in the future but as well to wait out until interest rates start to stable and/or decrease.
With the new legislation passed; Bill C-97, many have already come up with recommendations and strategies in order to maintain this new law. Bill C-97 contains the “National Housing Strategy Act” and the federal right to housing legislation. This legislation creates new accountability aspects that will monitor the implementation of the right to housing. In further years the legislation will assist in measuring fully and publicly report indicators related to the National Housing Strategy. Keeping the federal government on the right track of accessible housing (Right to Housing is Now Law in Canada…). This new bill is not constitutionally protected and that it is federal legislation meaning that provincial, territorial, Indigenous or municipal have no jurisdiction. It makes it illegal for other than the federal government to input recommendations (Right to Housing is Now Law in Canada…).
However, other governments are allowed to assist in options for enhancing strategies. This new legislation has made it possible to start fixing the housing crisis. Holding the ones accountable for unaffordable housing creates the opportunity for change. As these government policies begin implicating the lifestyles of citizens, recommendations in order to benefit the community have risen into the discussion. For example, overall fundamentally changing federal funding or programs that make housing strategies more accessible to those in most need.
What I mean is creating more community housing in areas that benefit the community. Being able to afford housing is a fundamental right. Advocating for unaffordable housing takes away from other causes, and if it can slowly start to become accessible then it leaves room for other causes. Continuing to change and altering the strategies based on the development of society will benefit the communities drastically in the future. Changes to these government policies will allow activism to be possible for everyone, eliminating the threat that unaffordable housing creates for activism in Toronto.
To conclude, I believe the threat to activism is unaffordable housing which has the potential to change. With multiple credible solutions, such as; multi-generational lifestyle, which is households consisting of more than two generations living together, inter-generational lifestyle meaning partnering the younger generation with spare bedrooms, offering an opportunity for the older generation to assist living to the newer generation to save up for future homes, and changes to Bill C-97 which contains the “National Housing Strategy Act” and the federal right to housing legislation allowing the community access to available housing within the reasonable price of communities income.
Activism itself has become less accessible due to unable to afford housing within the community and/or not being able to take time off making money to attend rallies or other activism initiatives.With probable solutions the threat towards activism can be handled and strategically eliminated.
