Affordable Housing

A good way to grasp how much landlords have increased Hamilton rents recently is provided by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives’ “rental wage.” It’s the hourly wage you’d need to pay rent if you could find a 40-hour week, 52 weeks a year, and spending no more than 30 per cent of one’s income on housing—that … Read more

When Maclean’s magazine did a cover story a year ago on Toronto’s growing tenant movement, it focused its article on Sharlene Henry, a longtime tenant in a high-rise apartment building where she is leading a rent strike. Henry will bring her expertise to our November 15th event, Keys to Affordable Living: A Hamilton Tenant Forum, … Read more

Two Simon Fraser professors do a pretty good job of briefly summarizing the main causes of our current housing affordability crisis: https://theconversation.com/whats-behind-canadas-housing-crisis-experts-break-down-the-different-factors-at-play-239050 What they leave out is the impact of provincial government decisions. Since 1998 in Ontario, there are no limits on how much landlords can raise rents on rent-controlled units when a tenant moves … Read more

Exciting news! Our November 15th event will feature one of Canada’s top affordable housing experts.  There may be no more quoted expert on Canada’s affordable housing crisis than Dr. Carolyn Whitzman. And she will be here, in our sanctuary, headlining a terrific event on the evening of Friday November 15, Keys to Affordable Living: A … Read more

A public event, an advocacy campaign and our 9th annual National Housing Day worship service are being planned by our congregation’s Affordable Housing Team, working with the Affordable Housing & Homelessness Sub-Committee of St. Paul’s United Church in Dundas. A sub-team is working on an event to showcase the most acute housing challenges, those facing … Read more