Share your experience
The federal National Housing Council is conducting a review of how accessible housing is in Canada. It is seeking input from anyone who has faced challenges getting access to housing. Have you experienced problems housing that you couldn’t easily access because of disability, age, health or discrimination? If so, you are encouraged to share their experiences and offer proposals for improvement. The Ontario Human Rights Code, for instance, requires landlords to make accommodations for people with disabilities of all kinds, not just, for instance, wheelchair access. The Ontario Building Code has provisions related to buildings being barrier free—but they don’t apply to single and duplex homes and townhouses. Has access been a problem for you?
To learn more, go to https://nhc-cnl.ca/review-panels/written-hearing and there’s an online form to fill out. Submissions can be made until June 22.
The housing council’s reviews focus on systemic issues related to housing. Previous reviews dealt with housing issues facing women, two-spirit, trans and gender-diverse people, and the growing financialization of rental housing.
If the main barrier you face to adequate housing is financial, as it is for most of those struggling with high housing costs, the Affordable Housing Team encourages you to participate in this review, submit the form and talk about the financial barriers you are dealing with. That input might usefully lead to a future review on that issue.