A new monitoring project confirms that people with disabilities are overrepresented in nearly all aspects of inadequate housing and homelessness.
It provides clear evidence of what people with disabilities in Canada have been saying for many years: their fundamental human right to housing is being violated.
The data shows that people with disabilities are:
- four times more likely to experience homelessness
- more likely to become homeless due to violence
- more likely to live in unaffordable housing
- almost twice as likely to live in core housing need (housing that is unaffordable, not in good repair, and with not enough space for the occupants)
- often living in homes that do not have the physical aids they need.
The findings also reinforce that the temporary income supports during the COVID-19 pandemic made a noticeable difference in helping make housing more affordable.
This monitoring project is a joint effort between the Canadian Human Rights Commission and the Office of the Federal Housing Advocate, and was developed with the input of people with disabilities, their families, and caregivers, including those who have experienced homelessness and inadequate housing.
The first of its kind, this project uses publicly available data, including figures from Statistics Canada, to monitor human rights-based housing outcomes for people with disabilities.
The monitoring framework is an important accountability mechanism to help monitor whether Canada is making progress on its human rights obligations. These troubling findings make it clear that more work is needed to support solutions and advocacy efforts so that these pressing issues can be addressed.
The Commission and the Federal Housing Advocate will continue to advocate for the rights of people with disabilities in Canada and their fundamental right to adequate housing. Canada must do more to ensure that every person with a disability has an accessible, affordable, and safe place to live.