Social Development Centre Waterloo Region

On February 8th 2022, Ontario's Housing Affordability Task Force released a report with 55 recommendations to radically change the Province's approach to development. The Social Development Centre Waterloo Region (SDCWR) has reviewed these recommendations and has two major concerns: omission of affordable housing and significant cuts to public engagement and democratic processes

On Affordable Housing: Despite having affordability in its name, this report does not propose any meaningful recommendations to increase affordable housing in our community. For example, there are no recommendations to build or fund non-market housing, combat the financialization of housing, or address visible/invisible homelessness. This report then offers no support for the folks in our community who are unsheltered,

"In the field of Eviction Prevention in the Cities of Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge, we certainly know there is a desperate need for tenant protections. The first protection we provide in our work is educating tenants on their legal rights and responsibilities.  With the current housing crisis in the region, tenants must educate themselves so they are not illegally evicted, taken advantage of or abused. Our most vulnerable community members are 2SLGBTQ+, BIPOC, new comers, immigrants, refugees, seniors and low income," Hollee George, eviction prevention worker at the Social Development Centre Waterloo Region.

With that, there is a need for rent control in order to maintain affordable housing, and rent arrears assistance for working people. The cost of rent is rapidly increasing in the region and there are households that simply don't qualify for existing arrears programs because their incomes are too low to guarantee follow through of potential payment plans. Read more about what solutions are suggested.

SDCWR staff member Hollee George is bringing an action to the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario against the London Health Science Centre. In early November 2020 Hollee underwent a medical procedure in London. In her submission, she describes in detail the “discrimination (she) experienced as a patient at the LHSC during some of the most traumatic and terrifying moments of my life” and her continual frustration by the LHSC in her efforts “to access information, accountability and healing.”

Social Development Centre participated in the Kitchener’s Affordable Housing Strategy Advisory Committee in 2020, and is identified as a partner organization to support the implementation of the Housing Strategy. In 2021, we collaborated on the development of the approach and recruitment strategies with the city of Kitchener and now we are ready to launch a pilot project to establish a Lived Expertise Working Group that will work closely with the city staff from different departments responsible for implementation of the actions within Housing for All.

We are recruiting a Lived Expertise Working Group Facilitator for the period January 2022 to June 2023, working 30 hours per week for $24/hour. The facilitation is needed to support the creation of authentic and ethical “third spaces” (as opposed to token spaces) so that community members from underserved and underrepresented groups can contribute within municipal processes. The facilitator will also support the community representatives in learning and networking opportunities to address systemic housing issues and challenges that affect their communities.