Barriers to accessing social housing programs in Canada

Abstract

The right to housing is enshrined in Canadian law, however, access to housing can be limited by administrative requirements. This is particularly true for people experiencing homelessness and/or insecure housing, as they may not have access to documentation, such as identification or notice of assessments (i.e. income tax verification). The current research examines program eligibility and documentation requirements for access to social housing across Canada. Sixty-seven communities that receive funding from Canada’s federal government were examined via Internet-based searches. Eligibility requirements were grouped into five main categories: (1) Citizenship; (2) Finances; (3) Support needs; (4) Housing history; and (5) Legal history. Similarly, documentation requirements were grouped into four main categories: (1) Identification and Citizenship; (2) Finances; (3) Housing history; and (4) Personal circumstances. The results demonstrate the complexities in applying and being approved for social housing in Canada. The potentially onerous eligibility and documentation requirements may limit access to social housing for those who are most in need. Policy and program recommendations are discussed to improve access to social housing in Canada.

Keywords:

• Social housing
• administrative barriers
• homelessness
• social policy

Disclosure statement

The authors report there are no competing interests to declare.

Table 1. Prevalence index of program requirements.

Notes

1 Data coming from communities Point in Time counts reveal that unsheltered homelessness increased significantly in 2021, during the pandemic, compared to the previous 2018 count. See, for example, Dufferin County (2021) 2021 Point-in-Time Count Results Report; Flow Community Projects (2021) Regina Homelessness Count; Niagara Region (2021) Niagara Counts Results 2021; Homelessness Services Association of BC (2021) 2020/21 Report on Homeless Counts in B.C.; Brantford-Brant (2021) 2021 Point-in-Time Count Report.

2 Of course, particular people and groups continue to be denied these rights both formally and substantively. For example, newcomers who do not hold citizenship status are ineligible for many social rights, and First Nations People living on reserves are regularly denied equal access to health, education, and housing resources, as evidenced through the ongoing legal challenges to actualize Jordan’s Principle (Blackstock, 2016).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Erin Dej

Erin Dej, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Criminology at Wilfrid Laurier University. She studies and advocates against the social exclusion of unhoused people, including the criminalization of homelessness. She is the author of A Complex Exile: Homelessness and Social Exclusion in Canada, with UBC Press.

John Ecker

John Ecker, PhD, is a Research Manager at MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, Unity Health Toronto, and the Director of Research & Evaluation at the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness, York University.

Natasha Martino

Natasha Martino is a PhD candidate in the department of Sociology at McMaster University. Her exploratory research examined the role of bylaw enforcement and municipal ordinances in the social control and management of homelessness and homeless encampments across Ontario.