In 2009, lone-parent families headed by a female had the lowest median net worth of any family type in Canada. Their net worth was $14,000 compared to lone-parent fathers whose net worth was $80,000. (statcan.gc.ca).The three family types with the highest rates of poverty are all unattached women or families headed by single women, these are the people who will have the greatest challenges when choices need to be made between shelter, heat and food(genderandhealth.ca). A single mother with just one child, and receiving social assistance, receives a maximum monthly shelter allowance of around $500. When a family who receives social assistance lives in subsidized housing, their shelter allowance is reduced.
Subsidized housing or social housing is government supported housing for people with low to moderate incomes. There is often a long wait to get into a house that is subsidized. According to www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca, there are 4 main types of subsidized housing, with not all types being available in all of Canada:
1) Public Housing- houses built and managed by a government housing authority or corporation. Almost all families living in public housing pay rent geared to their income, or about 30% of their total household income on rent.
2)Non Profit Housing- rental housing built and managed by a community group, with about 2/3 of the homes being rent geared to income.
3)Co-operative- owned and managed by the people who live there. About half the homes are rent geared to income, with rent for the other half set at local rates.
4) Rent supplements- units owned by private landlords, who receive government subsidy to lower the rent of some apartments.
With the wait to get into a subsidized housing unit sometimes as long as a year or even longer, many Canadians are not living in a home they can afford. This can sometimes even lead to homelessness, as affordable housing is just not available.
Jessica
Works Cited
Government Assisted Housing | CMHC. (n.d.). Canada Mortgage and Housing | Société canadienne dhypothèques et de logement. Retrieved from http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/co/buho/seca/seca_001.cfm
Mendleson, R. (n.d.). Affordable Housing Canada: Housing Boom, Government Cutbacks Create 'Rent Squeeze'. Huffington Post Canada - Canadian News Stories, Breaking News, Opinion. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/10/04/affordable-housing-canada-rent-squeeze_n_1938852.html
The Challenge of Safe and Affordable Housing in Canada. (n.d.). Gender and Health Collaborative Curriculum Project. Retrieved from http://www.genderandhealth.ca/en/modules/poverty/poverty-introduction-housing-01.jsp
The Daily, Thursday, December 16, 2010. Women in Canada: Economic well-being. (n.d.).Statistics Canada: Canada's national statistical agency / Statistique Canada : Organisme statistique national du Canada. Retrieved from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/101216/dq101216c-eng.htm
Housing is a great issue Ontario. I know that in Sudbury, without priority status ( women who have experienced abuse may get priority status if they are living in a shelter) the wait can be up for 4 years! That is an incredibly long time to wait. There is also such thing as "native housing" specifically for aboriginal people and in my experience the waiting list is shorter, in Sudbury. The wait really depends on the accomidations needed- 1 bedroom, 4 bedroom etc. However, there are many people who do wait for housing, and there are many people who also don't get approved for housing. For example, if a women had previously lived in subsidized housing with her partner, regardless if they are both on the lease, and he is abusive- she is still responsible for the arrears. She is responsible for the arrears even if she fled the scene because of violence. Seems a little unfair doesn't it? Having arrears makes a women ineligible for housing. In the shlter I previously worked at, women would be in there an additional 5 months to pay off arrears before they could apply. The shelter was suppose to be an ememrgency shelter, not long term but because of policies on the housing end women were staying in the shelter for much longer. We welcomed them with open arms but the longer women are in the shelter, and the longer we're at max. capacity the more women we would have to deny to enter the shelter. Really unfortunate. There are many gaps in the system.
ReplyDeleteCassandra
Jessica,
ReplyDeleteI am really glad that somebody wrote an entry about social housing. It is a topic that I have had a lot of experience with. Housing is a SERIOUS issue in Canada. There are so many people who are homeless and families who cannot find housing. The housing wait time for Sault Ste. Marie residents who are not in an emergency situation can take as long as TWO years. This is rediculous and makes me beyond frusterated, and what makes me even more frusterated is that women with children are being forced into the streets. I enjoyed this post and thanks for sharing!
-Lyndsay
This is definitely a real and current problem all over Canada. It's sad because in Timmins for example, we see beautiful houses being built all the time by contractors and being sold for a couple hundred thousand dollars or more. Hotels are going up like crazy here, to provide housing for people who are coming in from out of town to work. Why isn't anyone focusing on building affordable housing for families who need it? Why aren't the community developers considering this and pitching this idea to business, company's, governments? Our homeless shelters, food banks and soup kitchens are always running at capacity. Families need help. As a community we need to pull together and figure something out. Unfortunately, our economy is so focused on growth and making money right now we are forgetting about the very people that need us.
ReplyDeleteAngele
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI know this story all to well being that this is me, this is my life and I know exactly how this looks from a single mom fo 4 with only my income comming in. i lived geared to income and struggled monthly to make ends meet for me and my kids, I now work towards a social work degree so that I can have a louder voice and help others in the same situation to get out of this rut and get on their feet again. I know there needs to be more done about the inequality between genders, and that in the exact same situation a man is better off finacially just because he is a man and not because he does any better of a job than a woman would do in his situation.
Thanks great job
Angela
This is an excellent topic for a blog!! Many people are currently on wait lists for housing. This is an issue not only for Ontario, but Canada. I know many single mothers who are living in social housing, trying to raise their children in safe and clean environments, but only being able to do what they can, that isn't always the case. Regular housing prices these days are very expensive. A one bedroom apartment you can find as expensive as 900 per month in some cities. This then makes having subsidized housing the only route to go for some people, and while they are on a waiting list, they are living in apartments or houses they cannot afford, which then in turn lead to being evicted for not being able to pay the bills and eventually homelessness. Women and children should not be forced out on the streets. There needs to be more done about getting government funded apartments up so these women, children and families can have a safe place to sleep at night.
ReplyDeleteAlysha (LGBT group)
The amount of money that a single women family makes really startled me. This is the amount I make as a part time working and a full time student. I couldn’t imagine having to care for my family on income that low. I find it hard enough only being one person. I think there should be more housing options for women to make it more affordable. I was talking with my mom the other day and she was discussing finances and was wondering if I would be able to afford my house without the help of my boyfriend. My answer was no, I couldn’t. I haven’t really thought about this since until I read this blog. This really puts it into perspective of how many support services are needed out there. Women are still struggling today with discrimination and many other issues, as a social worker I feel it is our job to help everyone live a safe and happy life.
ReplyDelete-Britney
LGBT
You posted on an excellent topic. Some of the information in your article I was unaware of and other I had previously learned. This issue is continous and something needs to be done about it, these families and women cannot continue to suffer while doing the best that they can. Your article puts it into perspective for me more then it has been before, and i hope it does this for other as well. good job!
ReplyDeleteThere should be support systems wanting to help these women who cannot afford a home. Homelessness is something alot of people fear, no one wants to be living on the streets out in the cold. There are shelters to help but they are not permanent help for these in need.
ReplyDelete- Alyssa
This is a great topic to blog on. We see several examples of this in Sault Ste. Marie and surrounding areas. Families are suffering from homelessness and unstable living conditions due to the high prices of rent or apartments. We do not have nearly enough geared to income or subsidized housing available in our town, and the wait lists are extensive. What services are available for those who wait? These types of faults in the system are what need to be recognized and addressed.
ReplyDeleteGood topic to shine the light on.
Alexandra
Nice information. Thanks for share.
ReplyDeleteHome for rent in Canada