Canadians are ranking affordable housing as the third most important issue the country is facing, behind inflation and healthcare, according to a new survey.

The Habitat for Humanity Canada Affordable Housing Survey sheds light on growing concerns and barriers to homeownership, including lack of housing supply, increased cost of living, discrimination, NIMBY sentiment and more.

According to the survey, nearly all Canadians (96 per cent) surveyed said their living costs have increased this past year. 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 housing. Other key concerns include:

• Forty per cent of Canadians are concerned about paying their mortgage or rent over the next 12 months.
• Gen Zs (51 per cent) and Millennials (52 per cent) are more than twice as likely to be concerned about paying their rent or mortgage than Boomers (23 per cent).
• Almost three-in-ten Canadians (28 per cent) cannot currently afford a down payment of any amount toward a home.
• One-quarter of Canadians (27 per cent) are pessimistic about whether much can be done to deal with Canada’s housing problems. Millennials – those aged 26 to 41, are the most pessimistic (34 per cent), compared to Gen Zers, Gen Xers and Boomers.

Lack of housing supply 

Nine-in-ten Canadians (90 per cent) believe that there is a shortage of affordable housing in Canada and four-in-ten (43 per cent) see a 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).

NIMBYs and discrimination

Half of Canadians (54 per cent) feel that NIMBY sentiment is one of the main barriers to making affordable housing available in neighbourhoods. Interestingly, 71% of Canadians agree that ‘people worry about the impact of affordable housing on their property values and neighbourhood’. 

Discrimination remains a barrier to accessing affordable housing, according to the survey. One-in-ten 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 (18 per cent vs. eight per cent).

Canadians want an affordable place to call home

Three-quarters of Canadians (75 per cent) believe that more affordable housing could solve the social issues the country is facing. Despite the growing concerns and barriers to homeownership, most Canadians (87 per cent) agree that owning a home can create more stability. Furthermore, 60 per cent of Canadians surveyed agree that homeownership can improve educational opportunities for themselves and their families, and 73 per cent agree that homeownership can strengthen ties to their community.

“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,” Julia Deans, president and CEO of Habitat for Humanity Canada, says in a press release. 

“In our work, we see firsthand how access to stable housing transforms futures and fosters resiliency across generations,” says Deans. “We must act now, and we must act together towards addressing the systemic barriers and creating sustainable solutions to achieve affordable housing for all.”

REM Editorial Team