Figure 2. Canada’s Housing Continuum

Source: Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (2018)[8]

The Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS) was initiated by the federal government in 2014 to prevent and reduce homelessness by funding local projects.[9] The HPS 2018 final report noted that rates of homelessness are increasing for those over age 50, despite few shelter users over the age of 65.[10] Factors such as living alone, poverty, and changes to their health place older Canadians at increased risk of homelessness, and this is a serious problem faced by many in Canadian communities.[11],[12]The HPS represented the formal adoption of the ‘Housing First’ approach, which involves providing services and supports to homeless people to empower them to move into independent and permanent housing.[13] Housing First is an evidence-based service delivery model to ending homelessness that has reduced homeless by 40% over 10 years in Finland by building 7,000 affordable homes.[14] The strategy was found to be more effective than rent controls as it focused on housing supplies for those in need and did not discourage investment in rental properties.[15] In addition, the Housing First approach has been shown to be cost-effective. The At Home/Chez Soi study involving 2,000 homeless individuals with mental illness in five Canadian cities found that the Housing First approach could offset much of the average cost of homelessness in Canada. In 10 per cent of participants with the highest service use cost, the study found that while Housing First cost $19,582 on average per person per year, it simultaneously results in an average reduction of $42,536 per year by preventing the over-consumption of health services, legal services (i.e. incarceration), amongst others.[16]  In 2019, the federal government launched its Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy, a redesigned federal homelessness program to replace the HPS.[17] Reaching Home will continue the existing community-based approach by providing funding to municipalities and local service providers.[18] Following the feedback from consultations, the new strategy will support an outcomes-based approach by establishing directives to assist communities in preventing and reducing homelessness.[19] It also provides communities with more flexibility to address local needs by removing all Housing First investment targets.[20]

Simply having a place to live may not be sufficient to support ageing in place, homes need to be ability-appropriate and meet accessibility requirements to enable people to remain as independent as possible in their homes and communities (see Age-Friendly Environments Evidence Brief #5 for more information). There are many innovative financial policies that have been developed across Canada to better enable ageing-in-place. For example, many provinces and municipalities across Canada have established property tax deferral programs to allow older homeowners, especially lower and fixed-income earners, to put-off paying their property taxes or tax increases until they are more financially able to do so or until they sell their homes.[21] Additionally, home accessibility and modification programs have been introduced at the federal and the provincial levels to financially assist older adults in renovations to increase the accessibility of their homes. These include the federal government’s Home Accessibility Tax Credit (HATC) introduced in Budget 2015 which provides a maximum of $1,500 for expenses of up to $10,000 per year[22]. While the HATC tends to favour higher-income older adults who can afford the expenditure minimum, more accessible options exist. These include Nova Scotia’s Senior Citizens’ Assistance Program which provides grants of up to $6,500[23] and the Seniors Safe @ Home Program introduce by the Prince Edward Island government in 2015 which allows up to $5,000 in grant, both of which support necessary health and safety related home repairs for low-income older adults specifically.[24]

A great example of research-informed policy relates to the work that the University Health Network’s Toronto Rehab iDAPT Centre for Rehabilitation Research conducted related to understanding how to make stairs safer and reduce the risk of injury.  They determined that increasing the National Building Code of Canada’s minimum step depth from 8.25 to 10 inches, or 210mm to 255mm, would result in 13,000 fewer stair-related injuries per year.[25] Their rigorous research was so compelling that Canada’s National Building Code was amended to accommodate this recommendation in 2015.

Innovative housing models are becoming increasingly popular across Canada and can lead to significant health, economic, and social benefits. These include the Life Lease housing model, which is a combination between a rental and ownership model that gives people the right to live in a unit rather than owning it by having residents own an ‘interest’ in the property for a lump sum up-front cost and monthly payments.[26] HomeSharing is an innovative arrangement that allows two or more people to live together under a mutually beneficial arrangement.[27] It allows the landlords to age-in-place while tenants pay a subsidized rent in exchange for weekly support activities such as groceries. Other examples include Co-Housing, whereby residents own their housing unit but share common areas to help curb social isolation and allow for mutual support.[28] Legislative steps are currently being taken in Ontario to allow unrelated older adults to live together with the introduction of a private member’s bill titled the ‘Golden Girls Act’ in February 2019.[29]

Overall, for a growing number of older Canadians, these innovations in policy, housing options and practical changes to the building code that better enable ageing-in-place have demonstrated what progress looks like when more attention is focused addressing the evolving housing needs of an ageing population.

What Are the Issues?

1. Federal Supports for Affordable Housing Have Improved but Existing Funding Models and Needs Are Complicated
   

   As the population ages, so will the demand for affordable housing options. The previous iteration of this report in 2015 identified declining investments in affordable housing across Canada as a key contributor to driving older Canadians into potential situations of being under and poorly housed, homeless or prematurely requiring placement in a publicly subsidized nursing home. The previous iteration of this report also recommended prioritizing investments into the provision of more affordable housing for older adults.

   In 2017, the Government of Canada announced its National Housing Strategy (NHS), a $40 billion plan over 10 years to address the issues of affordable housing across the country.[30] According to the Government of Canada, the plan recognizes distinct housing barriers faced by older Canadians.  The NHS proposes to better support low-income renters through a new $4 billion Canada Housing Benefit (CHB) being launched in 2020, a plan that requires provinces and territories to contribute half of the costs. In December 2019, Ontario became the first province to sign a $1.46 billion joint funding deal with the federal government to help roll out the Canada Housing Benefit over the next eight years.[31] Bilateral agreements remain to be signed between the federal government and other provinces and territories, with varying funding amounts for each jurisdiction based on the level of need to supplement rent for low-income households.

   The NHS has also announced funding to support provincial and territorial community housing initiatives. A National Co-Investment Fund was announced to support the construction, repair and renewal of housing units, with a goal of creating at least 12,000 new affordable units specifically for older adults. In addition, the HPS that began in 2014 (renamed Reaching Home) to target homelessness has been renewed as a part of the NHS in 2019.[32] It continues the efforts of the federal government to help communities reduce homelessness.[33]

   While the introduction of the NHS represented a major first step in better addressing the housing needs of vulnerable populations such as older adults, more detail will be required from the federal government on its overall $40 billion plan, and its annual implementation plans for the proposed initiatives. In particular, the $4 billion CHB is a transformative initiative that provides a monthly supplement to low-income households that rent, regardless of housing type.[34] However, the number of older adults who will be assisted and how the CHB will interact with existing income assistance frameworks remain to be defined.[35] In addition, while CHB will average $208 per month for the 300,000 households who will receive this benefit, there are concerns that this will still not be sufficient to make many rental units affordable, especially in larger cities.[36] Lastly, the $40 billion NHS will require the collaboration and support from provinces and territories, who are responsible for contributing $20 billion of the total funding.<[37] This suggests that the NHS is vastly dependent on the provinces and territories for the funding and ultimately the implementation of the plan.

2. Certain Groups of Older Canadians Are Particularly Challenged in Accessing Affordable Housing and Transportation
   

   According to Statistics Canada, older Canadians who live alone, are 85 or older, are female, have lower incomes, rent rather than own their homes, reside in large cities, or have mental health and addictions problems, are more likely to experience housing affordability issues than other Canadians.[38] In 2016, it was noted that 53.8% of older households in core housing need were women who lived alone.[39]

   Older adults who live in the 10 provinces are more likely to face affordability issues, which was their primary reason for having a core housing need in 2016.[40] However, older adults living in the 3 territories were more likely than those living in provinces to live in housing that did not meet suitability or adequacy standards. The percentages of older households that lived in housing that failed the adequacy standard alone were 35.6% in Nunavut, 42.4% in the Northwest Territories, and 22.7% in Yukon.[41] A comprehensive housing strategy, therefore, should not only address affordability issues, but also the adequacy and suitability of housing especially in northern Canada.

Evidence-Informed Policy Options

1. Maintain and Grow Federal Commitments to the Development of Affordable and Adequate Housing Infrastructure for Older Canadians
   

   Maintaining and growing the federal government’s longstanding investments in the development of affordable housing has allowed many older Canadians to remain independent. Given that housing affordability and adequacy is a growing issue across the country, continuing to prioritize investments that support more vulnerable groups of older Canadians to access the right housing supports will enable more individuals to age with housing security, and ideally, in the community of their choice. Identifying and promoting other enablers to support ageing in place, such as home renovation subsidies and property tax deferral programs – especially for low-income older households, will increase choice and availability of housing options and housing security.’

   The NHS is an important and much needed investment. As this strategy rolls out, it will be important for all levels of government and stakeholders to be engaged in the process as housing subsidies and funding work across all levels of government and are governed by multiple interwoven agreements among governmental and non-governmental organizations.[42] Even with this investment, better information on current and projected needs for affordable housing among older Canadians are needed for the development and support of evidence-informed responses in the most cost-effective way.

   Housing needs extend beyond just repairing and building affordable housing units. For example, in British Columbia, rental subsidies, assisted living subsidies, the protection of older persons’ rights as tenants and supporting publicly delivered support services to help older adults age in place such as meal preparation, and housekeeping were identified as important components of an affordable housing strategy by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.[43] Some provinces also offer property tax deferral programs, home modification programs, and home sharing / co-housing options. These are all key enablers that can ensure the availability of and choice in housing options that support Canadians to age in their place of choice.

2. Emphasize Housing for Older Adults as a Priority to Supporting their Independence
   

   While many of the proposed initiatives from the NHS apply to older adults – and it notes that older Canadians are amongst the most vulnerable – few proposals in the NHS have been made specifically for older people. The 12,000 new housing units for older adults over 10 years only represents 12% of the total new units being planned even though older adults represent 17.5% of Canada’s current population, and older households represent a higher and faster growing proportion in core housing need when compared to younger households.[44],[45],[46],[47] Between 2006 and 2016, the population of older Canadian increased by 21.7%, which was more than double the rate of growth in the supply for housing for older persons.[48] To adequately support the growing housing needs of older Canadians, the number of new housing units dedicated to them must increase to also reflect the rapidly growing numbers of older adults, which will increase to approximately 23% of the Canadian population by 2030 and their concomitant needs.[49]

   No proposals were made in the NHS for projects that could target middle-income older adults, which represents another policy gap. These projects can include co-operative housing models, where housing can be jointly-owned by their members who co-operate to lower housing costs.[50] Co-housing models, where households are designed to share certain public facilities[51], as well as HomeSharing, where two or more people who are typically not related choose to reside together in the same residence under a mutually beneficial arrangement[52], fit this approach as well. Older adults across the socio-economic spectrum could benefit from a variety of housing supports to support healthy ageing in the places of their choice. Thus, they must be included as a part of future housing development plans to ensure that their housing needs are also addressed and not overlooked.

References

[1] Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation. (2015). About affordable housing in Canada. Available at:

http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/inpr/afhoce/afhoce_021.cfm

[2] Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation. (2019). Housing in Canada Online

Definitions of Variables. Available at: https://cmhc.beyond2020.com/HiCODefinitions_EN.html#_Core_Housing_Need_Status

[3] Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation. (2019). Senior Households Living in Core Housing Need in Canada. https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/data-and-research/publications-and-reports/socio-economic-senior-households-living-core-housing-need

[4] Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation. (2019). Senior Households Living in Core Housing Need in Canada. https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/data-and-research/publications-and-reports/socio-economic-senior-households-living-core-housing-need

[5] Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation. (2019). Senior Households Living in Core Housing Need in Canada. https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/data-and-research/publications-and-reports/socio-economic-senior-households-living-core-housing-need

[6] Shiner, D., Stadnyk, R., DaSilva, Y. & Cruttenden, K. (2010). Seniors housing: challenges, issues and possible solutions for Atlantic Canada – Final report of the Atlantic Seniors Housing Research Alliance. Available at: http://ashra.msvu.ca/documents/Final%20Report%20English%202%20w.hyperlinks.pdf

[7] Statistics Canada. (2010). Housing affordability. Available at: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-229-x/2009001/envir/hax-eng.htm

[8] Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation. (2018). About affordable housing in Canada. Available at: https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/developing-and-renovating/develop-new-affordable-housing/programs-and-information/about-affordable-housing-in-canada

[9] Government of Canada. Evaluation of Homelessness Partnering Strategy. Available at: https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/corporate/reports/evaluations/homelessness-partnering-strategy.html

[10] Government of Canada. Evaluation of Homelessness Partnering Strategy. Available at: https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/corporate/reports/evaluations/homelessness-partnering-strategy.html

[11] Government of Canada. Reaching Home Project Results and Publications. Available at: https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/homelessness/publications-bulletins.html

[12] Government of Canada. Evaluation of Homelessness Partnering Strategy. Available at: https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/corporate/reports/evaluations/homelessness-partnering-strategy.html

[13] Homeless Hub. Seniors. Available at: https://www.homelesshub.ca/about-homelessness/population-specific/seniors

[14] The Toronto Star. How Finland Slashed Homelessness by 40 Per Cent. Available at: https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2019/07/21/how-finland-slashed-homelessness-by-40-per-cent.html

[15] The Toronto Star. How Finland Slashed Homelessness by 40 Per Cent. Available at: https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2019/07/21/how-finland-slashed-homelessness-by-40-per-cent.html

[16] Mental Health Commission of Canada. National At Home/Chez Soi Final Report. Available at: https://www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/English/document/24376/national-homechez-soi-final-report

[17] Government of Canada. Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy launch
Available at: https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/news/2019/04/reaching-home-canadas-homelessness-strategy-launch.html

[18] Government of Canada. About Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy
Available at: https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/homelessness.html

[19] Government of Canada. Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy Directives. Available at: https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/homelessness/directives.html#h2.1

[20] Government of Canada. About Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy
Available at: https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/homelessness.html

[21] National Association of Federal Retirees. (n.d.). Property tax deferral. Retrieved from: https://www.federalretirees.ca/en/My -Money/Financial-Information-Tools/ Property-tax-deferral

[22] Government of Canada. (2015). Home accessibility tax credit (HATC). Retrieved from: https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-a gency/programs/about-canada-revenue-agency-cra/federal-government-budgets/budget-2015-strong-leadership/home-accessibility-tax-credit-hatc.html

[23] Province of Nova Scotia. (2019). Positive Aging: 2019 Directory of Programs and Services. Retrieved from: https://novascotia.ca/seniors/pub/Positive-Aging-Directory-2019.pdf

[24] Government of Prince Edward Island. (2015). Seniors safe @ home. Available at: http://www.gov.pe.ca/photos/original/CSS_SSH_BROa.pdf

[25] University Health Network. (2015, December). Toronto Rehab researchers help change building code for stairs. Retrieved January 10, 2020, from https://www.uhn.ca/corporate/News/Pages/toronto_rehab_researchers_help_change_building_code.aspx.

[26] Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. (2014). Life Lease Housing Resource Guide: Questions and Answers for People Considering Life Lease Housing. Retrieved from: http://www.mah.gov.on.ca/AssetFactory.aspx?did=10455

[27] Burlington Age Friendly Seniors Council (2015). The HomeShare Toolkit. http://burlingtonagefriendly.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/The-HomeShare-Toolkit-Final.pdf

[28] Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation. (2018). Cohousing as an Affordable Housing Solution. https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/housing-observer-online/2017-housing-observer/cohousing-as-an-affordable-housing-solution

[29] Legislative Assembly of Ontario. (2019). Bill 69, Golden Girls Act, 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.ola.org/en/ legislative-business/bills/parliament-42/session-1/ bill-69

[30] Government of Canada. (2019). Canada’s National Housing Strategy. Retrieved February 4, 2019, from www.placetocallhome.ca

[31] Government of Ontario (2019). Governments of Canada and Ontario Sign Canada’s First Housing Benefit. https://news.ontario.ca/mma/en/2019/12/governments-of-canada-and-ontario-sign-canadas-first-housing-benefit.html

[32] Government of Canada. (2019). Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy. Available at: https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/news/2018/06/reaching-home-canadas-homelessness-strategy.html

[33] The Toronto Star. How Finland Slashed Homelessness by 40 Per Cent. Available at: https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2019/07/21/how-finland-slashed-homelessness-by-40-per-cent.html

[34] Government of Canada. (2019). Canada’s National Housing Strategy. Retrieved February 4, 2019, from www.placetocallhome.ca

[35] Falvo, N. (2017). Ten Things to Know about Canada’s Newly Unveiled National Housing Strategy. Available at: http://behindthenumbers.ca/2017/12/18/national-housing-strategy/

[36] The Council on Aging of Ottawa. (2018). A National Housing Strategy: What’s Good and What’s Not for Seniors. Available at: https://coaottawa.ca/wp-content/uploads/documents/Age-Friendly-Housing-Committee-National-Housing-Resoponse-PUBLIC-FINAL-2018-02.pdf

[37] Government of Canada. (2019). Canada’s National Housing Strategy. Retrieved February 4, 2019, from www.placetocallhome.ca

[38] Statistics Canada. (2016). Housing affordability. Available at: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/82-229-x/2009001/envir/hax-eng.htm#n4

[39] Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation. (2019). Senior Households Living in Core Housing Need in Canada. https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/data-and-research/publications-and-reports/socio-economic-senior-households-living-core-housing-need

[40] Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation. (2019). Senior Households Living in Core Housing Need in Canada. https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/data-and-research/publications-and-reports/socio-economic-senior-households-living-core-housing-need

[41] Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation. (2019). Senior Households Living in Core Housing Need in Canada. https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/data-and-research/publications-and-reports/socio-economic-senior-households-living-core-housing-need

[42] Housing Services Corporation. (2014). Canada’s social and affordable housing landscape: A province-to-province overview. Available at: http://www.hscorp.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Canada-Social-Housing-Landscape_FINAL.pdf

[43] Seniors Fact Sheet: Housing. (2018, April 18). Retrieved February 10, 2019, from  https://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/facts-infographics/seniors-fact-sheet-housing

[44] Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation. (2019). Senior Households Living in Core Housing Need in Canada. https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/data-and-research/publications-and-reports/socio-economic-senior-households-living-core-housing-need

[45] Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation. (2019). Senior Households Living in Core Housing Need in Canada. https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/data-and-research/publications-and-reports/socio-economic-senior-households-living-core-housing-need

[46] The Council on Aging of Ottawa. (2018). A National Housing Strategy: What’s Good and What’s Not for Seniors. Available at: https://coaottawa.ca/wp-content/uploads/documents/Age-Friendly-Housing-Committee-National-Housing-Resoponse-PUBLIC-FINAL-2018-02.pdf

[47] Statistics Canada. (2020). Population estimates on July 1^st, by age and sex. Available at: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=1710000501

[48] DBRS. (2018). Analyzing the Canadian Senior Housing Dilemma. Available at: https://www.dbrs.com/research/327085/dbrs-analyzes-the-canadian-senior-housing-dilemma

[49] Statistics Canada. (2015). Population Projections for Canada (2013 to 2063), Provinces and Territories (2013 to 2038). Catalogue no. 91-520-X.

[50] Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation. (2018). Social Housing Programs. Available at: https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/about-cmhc/social-housing-information/social-housing-program

[51] Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation. (2018). Cohousing as an Affordable Housing Solution. https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/housing-observer-online/2017-housing-observer/cohousing-as-an-affordable-housing-solution

[52] Burlington Age Friendly Seniors Council (2015). The HomeShare Toolkit. http://burlingtonagefriendly.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/The-HomeShare-Toolkit-Final.pdf