Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens says the federal government’s expected fall launch of a National Housing Strategy is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform affordable housing in Canada.

“Safe, affordable housing is the bedrock of the liveable, competitive cities we aspire to build,” says Dilkens.  “Yet, a million and half Canadian households can’t access a decent home they can afford and some 235,000 will experience homelessness this year. Housing has become less affordable at virtually every income level.”

Dilkens adds more money is needed to repair and upgrade current homes. He estimates the city needs about $9-million a year for the next decade to maintain its current social housing units.

Dilkens is a member of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ Big City Mayors’ Caucus (BCMC).

The BCMC has laid out detailed solutions to Canada’s affordable housing crisis in their submission to the federal government: National Housing Strategy: Getting it Right,  which calls for Ottawa to prioritize repairing and building new affordable and social housing and to leverage local innovation to ensure long-term sustainability.

The government pledged $15 billion for the NHS in the 2017 Budget.

The federal agreements that developed much of Canada’s 600,000 social housing homes didn’t adequately account for long-term repairs, and today’s non-profit providers generally lack the revenue to support financing to get them done.

Similarly, there was never a clear plan to replace low-income rent subsidies as federal agreements expire. Housing providers urgently need federal grants for repairs -- at least $615 million annually by BCMC’s numbers -- and a commitment to replace expiring rent subsidies.

“This is a one-time opportunity to set the table for decades to come,” says Dilkens. “We believe that remarkable progress is possible. Windsor is ready to bring our local expertise to the table and play a meaningful role, in partnership with all orders of government, to ensure we get it right.”

Windsor is a member of the Federation of Canadians Municipalities’ Big City Mayors’ Caucus.