CLARK: PCs making community housing a priority
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BY STEVE CLARK
I read with interest Mark Towhey’s July 2 opinion piece on social housing.
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Community housing has been a priority for our government, and after years of neglect by the previous government, we are putting people first by making community housing safer, more efficient and sustainable to help people who need it most. As a first step, my ministry is providing more than $1 billion in 2019-20 to help sustain, repair and grow community housing and help end homelessness.
Our Community Housing Renewal Strategy looks at new ways of thinking about community housing – whether it’s not-for-profit, co-operative or municipally owned. Our strategy will sustain, repair and grow the system – so all people in Ontario can find a home that meets their needs and their budget.
Ontario invests more in housing and homelessness, including supportive housing, than any other level of government. The safety of the people of Ontario, especially our most vulnerable, is a top priority of our government. People have a right to feel safe within their homes and communities.
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In everything our government does, every program, every policy and every service change, we put people first. That’s why our strategy focuses on supporting individuals and families who have difficulty finding housing.
That’s why in the spring I announced the steps our government is taking to ensure that tenants who pursue full-time studies or receive child support payments re not penalized; rents will be more predictable, waitlists will be shorter; and in response to a request from the City of Toronto that has languished under the Liberals for years, our government is giving housing providers the tools to evict those who participate in criminal activity, and will be able to prevent them from returning, making community housing safer for the entire neighbourhood.
Our government has taken real action on violence in our communities. Our attorney general and solicitor general have announced investments of over $100 million in Toronto alone to fight guns and gang violence.
Our plan for Ontario’s community housing will transform a fragmented and inefficient system into one that is more efficient, sustainable and better able to meet people’s needs. Because everyone deserves to be able to find a home in Ontario.
We are working to make communities stronger and safer. This is our plan and our priority.
— Steve Clark is Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs & Housing
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