The Current State of Housing in Canada as a Social Determinant of Health

Despite growing evidence as to their effect upon health outcomes, housing issues have not been high on the agenda of most health researchers in Canada and the federal government and many provincial governments have withdrawn from the provision of social housing over the last decade. Despite the housing agreements signed in November 2001 by the federal and provincial governments to build more social housing units, less than 200 new units have been built since then, if we exclude Quebec. To end the current housing crisis and insecurity, governments have to increase their spending on housing by 1 per cent of overall spending and adopt a national housing strategy that recognizes that housing affects the population's health and other social determinants of health. (Author)

Publication Date: 
2003