Housing and the Pandemic

For a while now, housing has been a hot topic throughout most major cities and urbanized areas across Canada. As housing prices continue to climb and wages remain steady, hearing people say “I’m never going to be able to live in the city” has become quite a common phrase.

Within the contexts of the pandemic, this has undoubtedly gotten worse. As it is those who were already struggling to get by financially before COVID-19 are now in even more precarious situations, this brings to question how we look at housing.

Utilizing housing as a form of financial investment is a strategy that is fairly common practice. While considerable returns can be made from such investments, housing is much more than an opportunity for economic gain. Investments aside, many would likely agree that being able to afford housing is a basic necessity — regardless of what stage you are in life. Yet, more and more, it seems as though the financial benefits of investing in housing has seemed to consume all the spotlight.

After watching the Push documentary, one of the immediate realizations I had was that since the filming took place prior to the pandemic, those featured in the documentary are likely to be even worse off. Like many other prominent issues, the issue of affordable housing has been accentuated throughout the pandemic. A significant change is required to make a difference, and when it comes to housing, the root of this change is grounded in recognizing housing as a human right.

This is not to say that governments need to squash the housing market or prevent its growth. But consideration should be paid towards implementing policy mechanisms that address the implications related to the social inequality of unaffordable housing. What of those who cannot simply just “stay home” and have to work the front lines of a minimum wage job. Even more so, what about those who don’t have a home…

While implications like these are broad and complex, as governments at all levels grapple with the pandemic's effects, it’s up to policymakers to determine whether to allow these inequalities to continue. If this global crisis isn’t proof enough to show the value of addressing these challenges, then what is?