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 renters. The fact that landlords can raise the rent by any amount when a unit is vacated is a key reason rents are rising so quickly, while providing an incentive for landlords to “encourage” existing tenants to leave. The event will also explore the impact of the crisis on different occupations. And we hope for a keynote speaker, perhaps much-in-demand Dr. Carolyn Whitzman, now at the University of Toronto.
On advocacy, Hamilton needs a mass effort by ordinary residents to push for much more action from the federal and provincial governments. Controlling vacant-unit rent increases is one key step to keep people affordably housed. Much greater investments in new housing and in on-going housing supports is critical. We’re reaching out to all those who care about housing. More to come or ask at housing@uuhamilton.ca
Finally, we’ll mark the one day each year that formally recognizes a housing crisis—National Housing Day—with the worship service on November 24.