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Housing: Affordable Housing
Affordable Housing refers to adequate shelter that does not exceed 30% of household income. Thirty percent of income is an established norm for the percentage of gross income that low- or moderate-income households can afford to spend on shelter, while leaving enough for taxes, food, clothes, transportation, and other necessities. Canada is experiencing a nation-wide affordable housing crisis, as rental apartments are not affordable for the average worker or family.

In addition to the affordability standard of 30%, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) includes standards for adequacy (the housing does not require major repairs) and suitability (the housing is sufficient in size and has enough bedrooms) when evaluating a household’s situation. Households are said to be in "core housing need" if their housing falls short on either one of the suitability, adequacy or affordability standards and if they would have to spend 30% or more of their income ...to pay the average rent on alternative local market housing that meets all three standards.

Consumers, housing providers and advocacy organizations use a broad definition of housing affordability. In many instances, affordable housing describes any shelter that adequately suits the needs of low- and moderate-income households at costs below those generally found in the housing market. It may take a number of forms that exist along a continuum – from emergency shelters, to transitional housing, to non-market rental (also known as social or subsidized housing), to formal and informal rental, and ending with affordable home ownership.

AUTHOR: Power, Asetha (2008) Homeless Hub. [Show More][Show Less]


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A Canadian Homelessness Research Network (CHRN) initiative. The CHRN has received financial support from the Government of Canada’s Homelessness Partnering Strategy and the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada