1. There is a need to have a
federal housing policy that is long-term, deals with housing in a
comprehensive way, commits long-term financing, and sets the stage for
housing programs and policies across the country. These policies should
be spelled out in a 5-year plan that should be developed with input from
provincial and local governments.
2. Ideology is not a good
basis for developing housing policy and programs particularly when
governments change political stripe on a regular basis. A relatively
predictable regulatory and financial environment is necessary for both
private and non-profit builders.
3. Local government and or
its agencies should be primary program managers and must be given the
flexibility of choosing from a range of housing solutions that would fit
the needs and market conditions in their area.
4. Housing policy
interventions are complex and prone to unintended consequences and,
therefore, should be diversified. A housing strategy works best when it
has a multiplicity of programs that can be adapted to local conditions.
Attention needs to be given to both demand-side assistance to tenants
(shelter allowances, grants to purchase homes) and supply-side solutions
(building more housing, upgrading housing).
5. The experience in New
Zealand and England has shown that an over-reliance on shelter
allowances can result in rents rising and prohibitive costs.
6. One way of encouraging
more income mixing within public housing in Ontario is to bring in home
ownership options or similar options so people do not have to leave
their community as they start to earn more money. However, "right
to buy" programs should not be used unless replacement rental
housing is being produced. (In England and New Zealand the majority of
rental housing in the country was public housing which this policy was
intended to redress. This is not the case in Canada.)
7. Where there are
particularly distressed public housing developments, these could be
redeveloped into mixed income communities with the involvement of
tenants and local agencies. Such redevelopment needs to be done very
sensitively and tenants need to be engaged in planning for such
redevelopment.
