{"id":845837,"date":"2025-05-04T20:12:20","date_gmt":"2025-05-05T01:12:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/04\/modern-living-rebooting-the-affordable-housing-cause\/"},"modified":"2025-05-04T20:12:20","modified_gmt":"2025-05-05T01:12:20","slug":"modern-living-rebooting-the-affordable-housing-cause","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/04\/modern-living-rebooting-the-affordable-housing-cause\/","title":{"rendered":"Modern living: Rebooting the affordable housing cause"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<figure data-aqa=\"featured-image\"><picture><source media=\"(min-width: 1200px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/ottawacitizen\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1-whitz.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;w=564&#038;h=423&#038;type=webp&#038;sig=gPTZb0Vrd8fbsqOXhHpcLw, \nhttps:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/ottawacitizen\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1-whitz.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;w=1128&#038;h=846&#038;type=webp&#038;sig=HcIm2BMVeFeZ8u3Xv0v8zQ 2x\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1200px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/ottawacitizen\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1-whitz.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;w=564&#038;h=423&#038;type=jpg&#038;sig=2tKd-mTxAdlnlr0NdCEGLA, \nhttps:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/ottawacitizen\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1-whitz.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;w=1128&#038;h=846&#038;type=jpg&#038;sig=1cw_3zAzluixR7-7lNu7IQ 2x\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/ottawacitizen\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1-whitz.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;w=472&#038;h=354&#038;type=webp&#038;sig=hzw6qdT1nH3aUo4kRSKhvQ, \nhttps:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/ottawacitizen\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1-whitz.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;w=944&#038;h=708&#038;type=webp&#038;sig=mR0hzY9FRVRIAp_mH6EXTA 2x\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/ottawacitizen\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1-whitz.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;w=472&#038;h=354&#038;type=jpg&#038;sig=AMumcLxOgCYkajsNMVokIg, \nhttps:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/ottawacitizen\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1-whitz.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;w=944&#038;h=708&#038;type=jpg&#038;sig=ypuBaLmee_EsLgw7EVPkwQ 2x\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/ottawacitizen\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1-whitz.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;w=288&#038;h=216&#038;type=webp&#038;sig=7hZkcV11DB9_DwLktrQSNQ, \nhttps:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/ottawacitizen\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1-whitz.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;w=576&#038;h=432&#038;type=webp&#038;sig=Ld1DPPqxR9E4qcTQzyUydA 2x\" type=\"image\/webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Carolyn Whitzman\" src=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/ottawacitizen\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1-whitz.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;w=288&#038;h=216&#038;sig=3i3RSR9bkiDTzSksGFTbXw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/ottawacitizen\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1-whitz.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;w=288&#038;h=216&#038;sig=3i3RSR9bkiDTzSksGFTbXw,\n                    https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/ottawacitizen\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1-whitz.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;w=576&#038;h=432&#038;sig=jbG1UOlrnMrkt7N6Cq50aw 2x\" height=\"750\" width=\"1000\"><\/picture><figcaption><span>Author Carolyn Whitzman gives kudos to several Ottawa organizations for their efforts to create affordable housing. \u201cWe\u2019re lucky. We have one of the best public housing authorities in Canada, Ottawa Community Housing,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/span> <span>Photo by Supplied<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<section>\n<p>Article content<\/p>\n<p><span>If you\u2019re looking for a quick fix to Canada\u2019s shortage of affordable homes, Carolyn Whitzman has sobering news for you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section data-aqa=\"identity-sign-in\" data-async id=\"article-block\">\n<header>\n<div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Ottawa Citizen\" height=\"37\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/18.5.2\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-oc-new.svg\" width=\"280\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY<\/p>\n<p>Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Exclusive articles from Elizabeth Payne, David Pugliese, Andrew Duffy, Bruce Deachman and others. Plus, food reviews and event listings in the weekly newsletter, Ottawa, Out of Office.<\/li>\n<li>Unlimited online access to Ottawa Citizen and 15 news sites with one account.<\/li>\n<li>Ottawa Citizen ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.<\/li>\n<li>Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.<\/li>\n<li>Support local journalism.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n<p>Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Exclusive articles from Elizabeth Payne, David Pugliese, Andrew Duffy, Bruce Deachman and others. Plus, food reviews and event listings in the weekly newsletter, Ottawa, Out of Office.<\/li>\n<li>Unlimited online access to Ottawa Citizen and 15 news sites with one account.<\/li>\n<li>Ottawa Citizen ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.<\/li>\n<li>Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.<\/li>\n<li>Support local journalism.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>REGISTER \/ SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n<p>Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Access articles from across Canada with one account.<\/li>\n<li>Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.<\/li>\n<li>Enjoy additional articles per month.<\/li>\n<li>Get email updates from your favourite authors.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.<\/p>\n<p>Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Access articles from across Canada with one account<\/li>\n<li>Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments<\/li>\n<li>Enjoy additional articles per month<\/li>\n<li>Get email updates from your favourite authors<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div data-auth-component id=\"auth-screen-form\" aria-live=\"assertive\">\n<h2>Sign In or Create an Account<\/h2>\n<p><span><\/span><span>or<\/span><span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section>\n<p>Article content<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section>\n<p>Article content<\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI think that Canada\u2019s housing crisis is eminently fixable,\u201d says Whitzman, an Ottawa housing and social policy researcher and the author of the 2024 book <i>Home Truths: Fixing Canada\u2019s Housing Crisis<\/i>. \u201cBut the first thing that we have to let go of is the notion that there is one thing, in one term of government, at one level of government, that\u2019s going to magically fix things, because that\u2019s not the way change works.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section>\n<p>Article content<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section>\n<p>Article content<\/p>\n<p><span>Multiple factors over multiple decades have led to the point where, today, less than 2 percent of renters aged 25 to 44 can afford to buy an average-priced house. (In 1971, that figure was 50 percent.) It will take myriad long-term efforts to get us out of this mess, Whitzman says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section>\n<p>Article content<\/p>\n<p><span>So, how did we get here, and what does she think we should do?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section>\n<p>Article content<\/p>\n<p><span><b>The roots of the housing crisis<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section>\n<p>Article content<\/p>\n<p><span>Three main factors underpin the housing crisis, says Whitzman. One, Canada is building fewer houses per year than we were in the mid-1970s, even though our population has almost doubled. Two, since 1980, we\u2019ve constructed much fewer purpose-built rental homes. And three, in the early 1990s, construction of nonmarket housing\u2014which includes public housing, supportive housing, cooperatives and homes built by charities\u2014plummeted. The federal government downloaded responsibility for nonmarket housing to the provinces. Most of them punted the issue to municipalities, which don\u2019t have the budgets to build much of it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section>\n<p>Article content<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section>\n<p>Article content<\/p>\n<p><span>A wide range of other factors have played a role. \u201cSocial assistance rates that don\u2019t provide enough for somebody to rent a room, let alone an apartment, [are] a big part of homelessness,\u201d Whitzman says. Her book notes that the average Canadian assistance recipient can now afford to spend just $420 a month on shelter.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section>\n<p>Article content<\/p>\n<p><span>In addition, she notes, tenant protections in many jurisdictions are weak, making it easy to \u201crenovict\u201d renters and gentrify once-affordable properties.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section>\n<p>Article content<\/p>\n<p><span><b>Some potential solutions<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section>\n<p>Article content<\/p>\n<p><span>Whitzman gives kudos to several Ottawa organizations for their efforts to create affordable housing. \u201cWe\u2019re lucky. We have one of the best public housing authorities in Canada, Ottawa Community Housing,\u201d she says. For example, OCH recently completed a development called the Mikin\u00e0k Community in Wateridge Village (formerly CFB Rockcliffe). Homes in the 271-unit development range from studios to three-bedroom homes, at a range of affordability levels, and include 57 accessible units.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ottawacitizen.com\/life\/modern-living-rebooting-the-affordable-housing-cause\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Author Carolyn Whitzman gives kudos to several Ottawa organizations for their efforts to create affordable housing. \u201cWe\u2019re lucky. We have one of the best public housing authorities in Canada, Ottawa Community Housing,\u201d she says.\u00a0 Photo by Supplied Article content If you\u2019re looking for a quick fix to Canada\u2019s shortage of affordable homes, Carolyn Whitzman has<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":845838,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4173,1796],"tags":[7455,7657],"class_list":{"0":"post-845837","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-modern","8":"category-living","9":"tag-living","10":"tag-modern"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/845837","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=845837"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/845837\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/845838"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=845837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=845837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=845837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}