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Habitat for Humanity released the findings of their Affordable Housing Survey this week, which shares the attitudes of Canadians towards the national housing crisis.
The survey showed that an increasing number of Canadians found it difficult to save for a down payment.
Habitat Grey Bruce Executive Director Greg Fryer adds, “Most Canadians — and this is really discouraging… most Canadians now feel that the dream of homeownership is beyond their reach.”
According to the survey, 75% of Canadians are hoping for an affordable place to call home, but with inflation and the increasing cost of living, Fryer says that’s where his organization can help.
“It means that there’s an opportunity, a huge opportunity for us to help young families [and] young adults get into ownership through our program with a zero down, zero interest mortgage.”
The survey also delved into barriers to accessing affordable housing. About 11% of respondents shared that they had experienced racism, sexism, or some other type of discrimination while looking for a place to live.
Canadians who are Black, Indigenous, or People of Colour were twice as likely to experience discrimination (18% vs 8%).
– 40% of Canadians are concerned about paying their mortgage or rent over the next 12 months
– Gen Zs (51%) and Millenials (52%) are more than twice as likely to be concerned about paying their rent or mortgage than Boomers (23%)
– About 28% of Canadians cannot currently afford a down payment of any amount toward a home
– 27% of Canadians are feeling pessimistic about whether or not much can be done to deal with Canada’s housing problems, and Millennials — those aged 26-41, are the most pessimistic (34%) compared to Gen Zers, Gen Xers, and Boomers
Fryer says that the upside is that the provincial government passed Bill 23, which is the More Houses Built Faster Act, which allows builders and municipalities to add housing units with fewer bureaucratic barriers.