Housing Security

Evidence-based strategies specifically related to housing security appropriate for a wide range of people’s needs, including affordability, availability, opportunity for home ownership, government regulations on the housing sector, and options or supports for transition and emergency housing.

How to Navigate this Page

Select policy targets and evidence-based strategies that are priorities and achievable within your setting and sector. Align with your mandate, capacity, jurisdictional boundaries, and scope of practice.

Strategies marked with ☔ are important for populations-at-risk.

Entry Point for Action:
Reflects the organization’s or government unit’s sector scope and mandate

Policy Target:
Relates to the initiative’s focus

Evidence-based Strategies:
Concrete actions to guide initiatives’ design, delivery, and evaluation

ENTRY POINT FOR ACTION

Improve Regulation, Oversight, and Funding of Macro-Economic Systems and Policies

Policy Target: Housing market

Government units regulate and oversee the housing market to protect homebuyers from predatory subprime loans.

SAMPLE INDICATORS

Percentage of homeowners or renters paying more than 30% of their pre-tax income on housing (e.g., utilities, property taxes, and mortgage payments)
Household stress (using a threshold such as housing costs are more than 30% of disposable (or gross) household income and households are in the bottom 40% of the income distribution (e.g., stratified by homeowners, public renters, and private renters))
Extreme household stress (using a threshold such as housing costs are more than 50% of disposable (or gross) household income and households are in the bottom 40% of the income distribution (e.g., stratified by homeowners, public renters, and private renters))

Government units regulate land appreciation, uncontrolled growth of property prices, and housing shortage to provide opportunities to all people to move from rentership to ownership.

SAMPLE INDICATORS

Homeownership rates
Rentership rates
Percentage of people changing status from tenants to homeowners
Rental vacancy rates
Trends in house prices by neighbourhood

Government units help to increase availability and affordability of diverse housing options in all neighbourhoods, including those most affluent.

SAMPLE INDICATORS

Availability of public funding to support affordable housing development projects in high-, middle-, and low-income neighbourhoods
Supply shortage of affordable housing units
Variety of affordable housing options (e.g., duplexes and laneway homes) in high-, middle-, and low-income neighbourhoods
Revisions on single-family dwelling zoning laws

Government units develop policies and regulations to encourage and provide for safe, affordable housing developments in desirable, accessible locations (e.g., close to amenities, dispersed throughout the municipality)

SAMPLE INDICATORS

Adherence to safe, affordable, and accessible housing regulations (e.g., local government units, housing authorities, and housing development organizations)
Number/percentage of regulated housing authorities and developers following the internal controls defined by government unit policy
Number/percentage of affordable housing options in diverse and desirable neighbourhoods (e.g., centrally or conveniently located)
Population density

Government units subsidize income and/or housing (e.g., rental supplements, interest-free housing loans) to ensure long-term housing security

SAMPLE INDICATORS

Average length of single shelter stay (e.g., for children, youth, and adults)
Percentage of shelter users with more than one shelter stay per year
Occupancy rate in emergency and temporary shelters
Homelessness levels
Costs associated with re-housing a homeless person
Number of households on waiting lists for government unit-subsidized housing
Social housing waiting lists for people experiencing disabilities
Number of people placed in longer-term housing
Availability of affordable home-buying schemes, such as shared ownership programs
Individual’s perception of the ease of application process for affordable homebuying programs, such as shared ownership programs

Government units regulate anti-discrimination in housing policies (e.g., preventing landlords from not renting to tenants who are receiving housing supplements) ☔

SAMPLE INDICATORS

Number/percentage of inclusive, affordable housing options for people experiencing disabilities
Number/percentage of municipal government units that have addressed age discrimination against children in tenancy rules
Number/percentage of families with children who report securing affordable, inclusive housing in multi-unit dwellings
Availability of non-discrimination laws protecting people who receive rental subsidies and income supports

Government units provide funding for social housing construction

SAMPLE INDICATORS

Availability of funding for social housing projects
Availability/supply of social housing units relative to population needs
Average waiting time of applications for a social housing program to be fulfilled

Government units invest in diverse options for affordable housing and encourage private providers to supply housing for disadvantaged groups (e.g., seniors, people experiencing disabilities, or low-income families) ☔

SAMPLE INDICATORS

Availability of affordable housing units for disadvantaged groups
Diversity of affordable housing units (e.g., multiplexes, high-rise condominiums) for disadvantaged groups

ENTRY POINT FOR ACTION

Improve Housing Security

Policy Target: Availability, accessibility, and affordability of housing options

Initiatives provide dignified long-term, transition, emergency, and supportive housing for people who face barriers to housing security (e.g., people who experience addiction or mental health challenges, people who experience intimate and family violence) ☔

SAMPLE INDICATORS

Number/percentage of people who experience or are at risk for homelessness reporting appropriate, supportive, and safe housing options
Waiting lists for shelter and housing services
Trends in demand for shelter spaces over time
Availability of varied housing services
People’s perception of housing services meeting their unique needs
Number/percentage of people placed in long-term housing

Initiatives help people find affordable, safe, secure, and accessible housing units that meet people’s needs ☔

SAMPLE INDICATORS

Availability of affordable housing options
Rates of self-reported satisfaction with home affordability (e.g., stratified by housing tenure or area of residence)
Rates of self-reported satisfaction with sense of safety and security in the home (e.g., stratified by dwelling type or area of residence)
Rates of self-reported satisfaction with adequacy of number of bedrooms and amount of space (e.g., stratified by number of people per household)
Core housing need