1-833-360-3967 | info@centre.support
As announcements of federal Rapid Housing Initiative projects have made headlines almost daily since mid-March, and the housing needs have reached crisis proportions, the “not in my back yard” syndrome in communities where they’re to be implanted could have serious consequences.
Toronto physician Sandy Buchman, a palliative care specialist, will be drawing attention to the importance of social factors on health during a seminar at the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association 2021 Congress. Because poverty, like discrimination or exclusion, has a major influence on people’s wellbeing.
Phoenix Youth Programs has been working with young people in Halifax since 1987 and continues to adjust to new realities, such as the current housing crisis. As part of its Centre-supported Bedrock project, the non-profit group recently initiated a study to identify and explore other models that may enrich its service offering.
The Centre d’amitié autochtone du Lac-Saint-Jean, in Roberval, Québec, is working to improve housing conditions for Indigenous people, as more and more leave the reserve to settle in urban areas, by engaging in dialogue with non-Indigenous homeowners.
In the Eastern Townships region of Québec, the non-profit organization Hameau des Cultures seeks to provide eldercare to people living with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. Focusing on the human rather than the disease, its compassionate model of care is a breath of fresh air in a sector riddled with problems.
The Rising Tide Community Initiatives affordable housing project in Moncton is expected to welcome its first residents before the summer. The project is also waiting to see if its application for funding under the federal Rapid Housing Initiative will be accepted. If so, the number of dwellings created over three years could increase from 125 to 160, Rising Tide co-founder Dale Hicks told the Centre.
A $1-billion federal grant program for the rapid construction of 3,000 units of affordable housing attracted interest from so many groups that hundreds of viable projects won’t make the cut. The possibility of a renewed RHI program has led housing groups to propose improvements to the hugely popular initiative in anticipation of a second wave of construction to meet the basic needs of Canadians.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, organizations and researchers working to address domestic violence have been reporting a worsening situation across the country. In the run-up to International Women’s Day on March 8, the Centre met with Céline Magontier, who oversees women’s issues at the Front d’action populaire en réaménagement urbain (FRAPRU), to discuss the increased vulnerability of women when it comes to housing in the context of Covid-19 and the lack of social housing resources.
The Parkdale neighbourhood in Toronto is the focus of action-oriented research into changes in the rental market over the past few years. Rent increases, changes in building owners, shifts in the mix of tenants: the project seeks to record the experiences of residents through stories and data in order to come up with solutions from the community.