New report on Canada's fraying social safety net underscores need for new
affordable housing

OTTAWA, March 24 /CNW Telbec/ - The Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada (CHF Canada) is urging federal, provincial and territorial governments to act on the findings of a new report issued today by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) on Canada's fraying social safety net. The new report highlights the need for a long-term funding plan for affordable housing in Canada's major urban municipalities.

Mending Canada's Social Safety Net: The role of municipal governments identifies affordable community housing development as key to addressing the needs of the 1.5 million Canadian households paying more than they can afford for suitable, adequate and affordable housing. This is the same data highlighted in The Dunning Report: Dimensions of Core Housing Need in Canada, a report released by CHF Canada in 2009.

"These findings call attention to the need for a national plan with measurable outcomes to tackle the shortage of affordable housing stock and long housing waiting lists in Canada's major cities and urban regions," said CHF Canada executive director Nicholas Gazzard.

"There is an opportunity here for this federal government to build on the housing investments it has made since first elected in 2006," said Gazzard. "Canada's housing co-ops recognize the government's decision to renew federal housing and homelessness programs in September 2008 and the additional housing funding announcements in the 2009 federal budget.

"What we need to see now are results on the ground that address Canada's affordable housing deficit. A national accountability framework and a long-term funding plan will add to the availability of affordable housing and reduce the number of Canadian households in housing need," Gazzard said.

CHF Canada is the national voice of the Canadian co-operative housing movement. Its members include nearly 900 non-profit housing co-operatives and other organizations across Canada. More than a quarter of a million Canadians live in housing co-ops, in every province and territory.

For further information: Nicholas Gazzard, Executive Director, [phone] x230, or [phone] (cell), [email protected]; Scott Jackson, Program Manager, National Communications, 1-877-533-2667 ext. 122, [email protected]