The cost of housing skyrocketed in Canada despite the pandemic of 2020-2021, and now the cost of apartment rentals has also increased dramatically. It is a major crisis for young adults, seniors, and anyone else with less than a six-figure family income.

Trying to find a 3 bedroom apartment in the GTA for a refugee family this past winter showed me first hand the impact of this crisis. We couldn’t find any 3 bedroom apartments, and 3 bedroom homes were asking $4,000 per month. After seven weeks of daily searches, we finally found a 2 bedroom townhouse for a family with four children, and we had to pay the full year’s rent in cash upfront, almost $30,000. Compare this to the situation for Syrian refugees in 2016, when we found an affordable 3 bedroom apartment in less than a week.

What has happened to cause this difference? This Sunday Service will describe the crisis, examine several supply and demand pressures, and look at ten “solutions” proposed to help make home life affordable again. You will be asked in small groups to weigh in on “What Can We Do”? The housing crisis may be the major issue in the next federal, provincial and municipal elections, so let’s educate ourselves.

John Rowell, Service Leader