Habitat for Humanity survey finds housing affordability a top concern for Canadians

TORONTO — The recently released Habitat for Humanity Canada Affordable Housing Survey finds Canadians rank affordable housing as the third most important issue facing Canada today, behind inflation and health care.

The survey measures the perceptions of Canadians and highlights growing concerns and barriers to homeownership including lack of housing supply, increased cost of living, discrimination and NIMBY sentiment.

The survey found almost all Canadians (96 per cent) surveyed said their cost of living has increased this past year and four-in-five Canadians (78 per cent) are worried about having to spend less on food, savings, transportation costs, and/or debt payments to continue to afford their current housing.

The survey also found:

• 40 per cent of Canadians are concerned about paying their mortgage or rent over the next 12 months.
• Almost three-in-10 Canadians (28 per cent) cannot currently afford a down payment of any amount towards a home.
• Nine-in-10 Canadians (90 per cent) believe there is a shortage of affordable housing in Canada and four-in-10 (43 per cent) see lack of housing supply as one of the greatest contributors to making housing less affordable, ahead of foreign buyers (40 per cent), and investment firms buying homes (36 per cent).
• Half of Canadians (54 per cent) feel that NIMBY sentiment is one of the main barriers to making affordable housing available in neighbourhoods.
• One-in-10 Canadians (11 per cent) have experienced racism, sexism, and/or other discrimination during their pursuit of housing, with BIPOC Canadians being more than twice as likely as non-BIPOC Canadians to have experienced discrimination.
• Three-quarters of Canadians (75 per cent) believe more affordable housing could solve the social issues the country is facing, and the majority of Canadians (87 per cent) agree owning a home can create more stability in one’s life.

“This survey underscores how deeply concerned Canadians are about their housing situations and futures as affordable housing becomes increasingly out of reach,” said Julia Deans, president and CEO of Habitat for Humanity Canada, in a statement. “To address these growing concerns and make affordable housing and homeownership a reality for all Canadians, we need an all-in approach from non-profits, businesses, individuals and all levels of government.”

For more information on the survey, visit habitat.ca/housingsurvey