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Housing Rights Advisory Committee

The Housing Rights Advisory Committee (HRAC) will provide a forum for those with lived/living experience of housing precarity, homelessness and discrimination, as well as housing advocates, academics and service providers, to advise and inform City Council on policies, programs and decision-making as it pertains to furthering the progressive realization of the right to adequate housing.

The City of Toronto is committed to advancing the right to adequate housing and recognizes that housing is essential to the inherent dignity and well-being of the person and to building sustainable and inclusive communities. This commitment is set out in the Toronto Housing Charter adopted by City Council in 2019. The Toronto Housing Charter is consistent with the federal Housing Policy Declaration adopted as part of the National Housing Strategy Act S.C. 2019, c. 29 s. 313. The City’s HousingTO 2020-2030 Action Plan supports this objective through a blueprint for actions across the full housing spectrum.

The Toronto Housing Rights Advisory Committee will also independently monitor progress of the City's HousingTO 2020-2030 Action Plan's implementation, through publicly available data, and support advocacy and communications with other orders of government by providing advice on actions that can be taken to address systemic barriers to adequate housing which lie outside of municipal jurisdiction.

Responsibilities

The mandate of the Housing Rights Advisory Committee is to provide advice to City Council on strategies and actions required to achieve the City's commitment to progressive realization of the right to adequate housing:

• Advise on policies, programs and actions that the City can implement;
• Ensure that the interests and needs of those with living/lived experiences of housing precarity, discrimination and homelessness are reflected in City programs and service delivery;
• Support engagement with Indigenous, Black and other equity-deserving communities to help identify and remove systemic barriers to accessing and maintaining adequate housing;
• Advise on advocacy and communications with other orders of government by providing advice on actions that can be taken to address systemic barriers to adequate housing which lie outside of municipal jurisdiction;
• Independently monitor progress of the HousingTO 2020-2030 Action Plan's implementation, through publicly available data;
• Take an intersectional approach to the work of the Advisory Committee in support of and aligned with the City’s commitments to Indigenous Peoples advanced through the City’s Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) from 2022 to 2032; and with the City's commitments to confronting anti-Black racism in Toronto advanced through the Toronto Action Plan to Confront Anti-Black Racism in 2017.

Term of office

Public members appointed to the inaugural Advisory Committee will be appointed for the current City Council term (to November 2026).

Subsequent Advisory Committee members will be appointed for a four-year term coinciding with the term of City Council and will continue meeting until the completion of its mandate or the end of the current City Council term, whichever comes first.

Committee size and composition

The Advisory Committee will be composed of 12 members, including 11 members of the public and 1 Member of City Council. The public members will include:

• At least 4 members with a diversity of lived/living experience of housing precarity, discrimination, living in social or supportive housing and/or homelessness;
• 7 representatives of organizations working in such fields as (but not limited to) housing services, health (including mental health) services, substance and harm reduction services, legal services, community services (including newcomer, people with disabilities, youth and senior services) or organizations focused on research related to poverty reduction, housing and/or human rights;
• At least 2 between the ages of 18 and 33;
• At least 2 who self-identify as a person with a disability;
• At least 2 who have lived experience and/or expertise in social barriers impacting Black communities and reflect the diversity of Black communities;
• At least 2 who self-identify as First Nations, Inuit or Metis;
• At least 4 who self-identify as women;
• At least 2 who self-identify as being from the 2SLGBTQ+ communities.

Chair and co-chair

The Chair will be a member of the public recruited specifically for consideration of that position. A Vice Chair will be elected by the Advisory Committee members at the first meeting.

Qualifications

In addition to the general eligibility requirements set out in the Public Appointments Policy, members should collectively bring the following skills and expertise to the committee:

• A strong interest in progressive advancement of the right to adequate housing and the rights of people experiencing housing precarity, discrimination and/or homelessness;
• Expertise in a human rights-based approach to housing and understanding of international laws and frameworks establishing the right to adequate housing;
• Knowledge and awareness of the function of different levels of government and intergovernmental roles and responsibilities related to housing;
• Knowledge of the academic research related to a human rights based approach to housing and housing policy and/or learnings from other jurisdictions;
• Experience in communication, decision-making, community advocacy;
• Experience or skills in navigating sensitive discussions in a public environment, facilitating respectful dialogue, and fostering a welcoming and safe space for diverse experiences to be shared;
• Availability to attend meetings during business hours.

Meetings

The Advisory Committee will hold a minimum of four meetings per year at the call of the Chair and the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat.

Members of the committee are expected to:

• Review and inform the agenda and any accompanying materials;
• Attend and participate in all committee meetings;
• Attend and participate in any working groups, as required.

Honorarium

• Public members of the Housing Rights Advisory Committee are eligible to receive an honorarium of $125.00 per meeting attended in recognition of the contributions they are providing to Toronto, to the maximum number of meetings to the maximum number of meetings approved by City Council for the Advisory Committee.
• Honoraria are not intended for members who serve on the Housing Rights Advisory Committee as representatives of organizations or businesses where they are employed.
• Public members who serve as the Chair or Vice-Chair of the Advisory Committee are not eligible for any additional honoraria.
• Honoraria are not paid for attendance at sub-committee meetings or events.

Related links

• Housing Rights Advisory Committee - Establishment by Council and Terms of Reference
• Housing Data Hub
• Housing & Homelessness Research & Reports
• Housing & Shelter Services