Item - 2025.HS8.2

The Housing Rights Advisory Committee recommended that the Executive Committee:

1. Request City Council to request the Mayor to consider, in the development of the 2026 budget, ways to maximize available resources to support people in greatest housing need, tenants in need of eviction support and other related services, and more transparent reporting of how investments are being used towards these efforts.

The Housing Rights Advisory Committee:
 

1. Requested the Chair of the Housing Rights Advisory Committee write a letter  to the provincial Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, in alignment with Item EX26.13, to express the committee’s deep concern regarding the funding cuts to the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit for 2026, which will significantly reduce  the amount of people who are able to leave the shelter system and move into safe, affordable, and adequate housing, and jeopardize the City’s ability to protect, respect and fulfill the human right to adequate housing.

We are writing to recommend ways that the City can use its maximum available resources in the 2026 Budget to progressively advance the right to adequate housing. Our recommendations focus on supports for people in greatest need (i.e., those who are unhoused and those experiencing complex health challenges), renters at risk of evictions, and people who need help gaining access to affordable rental housing. We also suggest ways that the City can improve how it reports on investments in housing and homelessness programs.