Report: 4 Million Canadians Live In Homes In State Of Disrepair

November 6, 2009 5:01 p.m. EST

Ottawa, Ontario (AHN) - A report released Thursday by the Cooperative Housing Federation of Canada said about four million Canadians live in homes that are in a state of disrepair, too small for the number of family members or costs the dwellers almost one-third of their pre-tax income.

The three are conditions for a Canadian to be considered living in core housing need. The report said almost 13 percent of Canadian households experience one or more of the three conditions. For almost half a decade, the percentage of Canadians in such living conditions has not changed, according to CHF Canada.

What is worse is that the federation forecasts the percentage may grow at a faster pace in the next 24 months. CHF Canada Executive Director Nicholas Gazzard warned in a statement, "With the current economic crisis and rising levels of unemployment, the housing need situation will be significantly worse in the future unless governments act now."

To stop the rise or reverse the trend, Gazzard recommended that federal housing investments must be directed to creating new affordable housing, including non-profit housing cooperatives.

He added that many of Canada's 630,000 units of social housing will have their funding agreements with Ottawa end in the next few years. Gazzard said, "By simply maintaining housing assistance programs at today's levels, the federal government can continue to provide affordable housing for low-income Canadians."