New Book from CUCS Press

Finding Room

Policy Options for a
Canadian Rental Housing Strategy

"Finding Room is sure to be a standard reference … wide-ranging and in-depth … an impressive achievement … a handsome, logically organized volume … written to be accessible and relevant to a variety of readers … a resource not only for today but also for years to come."
       Journal of the American Planning Association, Summer 2005

Edited by
J. David Hulchanski
Michael Shapcott

Foreword by
Mayor David Miller
City of Toronto
CUCS Press
September 2004
472 pages
27 chapters
2 dozen authors
appendix, index

C$29.95; US$25.95      ISBN 0-7727-1433-9
Distributed by the University of Toronto Press
Order Direct: 1-800-565-9523

Book Reviews Journal of the American Planning Association Urban Studies (international research journal) Literary Review of Canada, John Sewell Finding Room a timely reminder, Toronto Star

A Resource for Change for community leaders, policy makers, researchers & students up-to-date information & critical analysis on policy options a short course on policy options for affordable housing

Finding Room is the first Canadian book to focus solely on the question of how to provide affordable rental housing for very low-income households.

Two dozen authors - from business leaders to university researchers to representatives of the Aboriginal community - address this question.

The contributors offer:
— analyses of the economics of low-rental housing;
— commentary on the relationship between housing and human      rights;
— social perspectives on the lives and health of low-income renters;
— overviews of how the current system developed;
— suggestions for housing innovations;
— recommendations for all levels of government; and
— insights into the roles of public, private, and non-profit sectors.

Finding Room is intended to inform discussions of policy options for affordable housing by providing information and analysis from experts in the topic.

The contributions suggest a growing consensus about the need for certain policy changes, although several controversial areas remain.

The book is a resource for community leaders, policy makers, researchers, and students. It includes a glossary, documents relating to housing rights in Canada, and background on the economic and political context written in non-academic language.

Finding Room is published by the Centre for Urban and Community Studies at the University of Toronto. It is distributed by the University of Toronto Press.


Keywords
rental housing, affordable housing, homelessness, social housing, poverty, public policy, inequality, right to housing

CONTENTS

Part I of the book sets the context by explaining the nature and scope of the problem and issues that an affordable housing policy must address.

In Part II , specific housing needs and policy options are presented by individuals from different backgrounds, representing different organiza tions.

Part III presents specific policy and program advice, for Canada as a whole, and for Canada's largest metropolitan area.

1. Introduction: Finding Room in Canada's Housing System for All Canadians, J. David Hulchanski and Michael Shapcott

2. Affordable Housing in Canada: In Search of a New Paradigm, Don Drummond, Derek Burleton and Gillian Manning
3. The Right to Adequate Housing in Canada, Bruce Porter
4. A Tale of Two Canadas: Homeowners Getting Richer, Renters Getting Poorer, J. David Hulchanski
5. Housing Affordability: A Children's Issue, Merrill Cooper
6. Like Falling Off a Cliff: The Incomes of Low-Wage and Social Assistance Recipients, John Stapleton
7. Housing Discrimination in Canada. Sylvia Novac, Joe Darden, David Hulchanski and Anne-Marie Seguin
8. Housing Affordability: Immigrant and Refugee Experiences, Robert Murdie
9. Housing as a Social Determinant of Health, Toba Bryant
10. Homelessness and Health in Canada, Stephen W. Hwang
11. How Did We Get Here? The Evolution of Canada's "Exclusionary" Housing System, J. David Hulchanski
12. Where Are We Going? Recent Federal and Provincial Housing Policy, Michael Shapcott

13. A New Paradigm for Affordable Housing: An Economist's Perspective, Don Drummond
14. The Business Case for Affordable Housing, Elyse Allan
15. Should We Build Housing for Low-Income People? Steve Pomeroy
16. The Municipal Role in a National Housing Policy, Elisabeth Arnold
17. The Unique Needs of Aboriginal People, Jim Lanigan
18. A Municipal Perspective on a National Housing Strategy, Greg Suttor
19. A Wake-Up Call for Non-Profit Housing Providers, Jon Harstone

Part III.
OPTIONS FOR AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING STRATEGY

20. Toward a Comprehensive Affordable Housing Strategy for Canada, Steve Pomeroy
21. Unlocking the Opportunity for New Rental Housing: A Call to Action, City of Toronto Urban Development Roundtable
22. Affordable, Available, Achievable: Practical Solutions to Affordable Housing Challenges, The Toronto Board of Trade
23. Aboriginal Housing in Canada, G. Devine
24. The Role of the Co-operative Housing Sector, Mark Goldblatt
25. Affordable Housing Policy in Ontario: The View from the Non-Profit Sector, D. Peters
26. Ending Homelessness: The One Percent Solution, National Housing and Homelessness Network
27. Promoting Rental Housing: An International Agenda, Alan Gilbert

APPENDIX

1. Glossary of Housing Terms
2. An Act to Provide for Adequate, Accessible and Affordable Housing for Canadians
3. Defining the Right to Adequate Housing
4. Canada's Record on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
5. Adequate Shelter: A Fundamental Human Right, by Paul Martin

EDITORS

J. David Hulchanski is director of the Centre for Urban and Community Studies and professor of housing and community development in the Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto. His research and teaching focuses on housing policy, social welfare, community development, and human rights. In the 1980s he was a professor in the School of Community and Regional Planning at the University of British Columbia and Director of the UBC Centre for Human Settlements. He has a M.Sc. and Ph.D. in urban planning and is a member of the Canadian Institute of Planners. In 1997 he was appointed to the only endowed chair in housing studies in North America, the Dr. Chow Yei Ching Chair in Housing.

Michael Shapcott is co-chair and a founding member of the National Housing and Homelessness Network and a founding member of the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee, the Toronto Coalition Against Homelessness, and the Bread Not Circuses Coalition. He is the coordinator of the Community/University Research Partnerships (CURP) program at the Centre for Urban and Community Studies, University of Toronto.

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