Social Stats
The Demand for Affordable Housing in Toronto
000,000
002,500
005,000
007,500
010,000
012,500
015,000
017,500
020,000
022,500
025,000
027,500
030,000
032,500
035,000
037,500
040,000
042,500
045,000
047,500
050,000
052,500
055,000
057,500
060,000
062,500
065,000
067,500
070,000
072,500
075,000
077,500
080,000
082,500
085,000
087,500
090,000
092,500
095,000
097,500
100,000
102,500
105,000
107,500
110,000
112,500
115,000
117,500
120,000
122,500
125,000
127,500
130,000
132,500
132,810
Is the total number of people
waiting for subsidized housing in
Toronto
1
000,000
001,250
002,500
003,750
005,000
006,250
007,500
008,750
010,000
011,250
012,500
013,750
015,000
016,250
017,500
018,750
020,000
021,250
022,500
023,750
025,000
026,250
027,211
Is the number of children waiting
for subsidized housing in Toronto
2
1-5
Is the average number of years’ wait
for a subsidized bachelor
apartment
3
5-10
Is the average number of years that
a family would have to wait for a
subsidized two-bedroom home
4
7-10
Is the average number of years’ wait
for a subsidized one-bedroom
home
5
10-12
Is the average number of years that
a family would have to wait for a
subsidized three-bedroom home
6
Toronto ranked 190th
internationally out of 265 cities
studied in terms of housing
affordability
7
5000 affordable rental units have
been built since 2003
8
There are seven low-income
families for-every-one moderaterent unit available in Toronto
9
In September 2009, an average of
118 people applied for
subsidized housing each day
10
Why is there such a high demand
for affordable housing in
Toronto?
In Canada, poverty decreased by
5.1 per cent in the first half of
the decade
11
In Canada, poverty decreased by
5.1 per cent in the first half of
the decade
11
In Toronto, poverty increased by
10 per cent
12
The number of low-income seniors
in Toronto is almost double the
Ontario average
13
The poverty line for a family of
four in Toronto is $38,610
14
The poverty line for a family of
four in Toronto is $38,610
14
One-in-three children in Toronto
live below the poverty line
15
Median incomes have decreased
by 11.7 per cent over a 15-year
period
16
Median incomes have decreased
by 11.7 per cent over a 15-year
period
16
Average rents in Toronto have
more than doubled over that
same period
17
A family of four would need a
‘living wage’ of $64,783 to meet
a minimum standard of living in
Toronto that most of society
would deem acceptable
18
A family would need to make
$33.20 per hour, full-time, yearround to earn this ‘living wage’
19
One-in-every-six Ontario jobs pays
less than $10 per hour
20
After the minimum wage reaches
$10.25 in 2010, a person
working full time will earn about
$20,000 per year
21
The average price of a bachelor
apartment in Toronto is $9,264
per year—about half of a
minimum wage salary
22
41 per cent of single person
households in Toronto live on an
annual income of less than
$20,800
23
The unemployment rate in
Toronto is 11.8 per cent
24
There are 35.7 per cent more
unemployed—about 47,000
people—than there were one
year ago
25
Of those who are employed, over
16 per cent work part-time
26
Between 1999 and 2006,
applications for eviction due to
unpaid rent rose 26 per cent
27
$000
$001
$002
$003
$004
$005
$006
$007
$008
$009
$010
$011
$012
$013
$014
$015
$016
$017
$018
$019
$020
$021
$022
$023
Is the cost per day to provide a
homeless person with affordable
housing
28
$024
$025
$026
$027
$028
$029
$030
$031
$032
$033
$034
$035
$036
$037
$038
$039
$040
$042
$044
$046
$048
$050
$052
$054
$056
$058
$060
$062
$064
$066
$068
$069
Is the cost per day of a stay in a
shelter
29
$070
$071
$072
$073
$074
$075
$080
$085
$090
$095
$100
$105
$110
$115
$120
$125
$130
$135
$140
$142
Is the cost per day of a jail cell for
a homeless person
30
$143
$144
$145
$146
$147
$148
$149
$150
$160
$170
$180
$190
$200
$220
$240
$260
$280
$300
$320
$340
$360
$380
$400
$420
$440
$460
$480
$500
$520
$540
$560
$580
$600
$620
$640
$660
$665
Is the cost per day of a hospital
bed for a homeless person
31
Almost half of all tenants in
Toronto are spending more than
30 per cent of their income on
rent
32
Half of those—about 100,000—are
spending more than 50 per cent.
33
That is why 132,810 people in
Toronto—over five per cent of
the population—are in line for
subsidized housing.
References
1. Housing Connections, “Monthly Statistical Report” (September 2009), 2.
2. Housing Connections, “3rd Quarter Statistical Report” (September 2009).
3. Housing Connections, “Applying for rent-geared-to-income housing” (December 2008).
4. Ibid.
5. Ibid.
6. Ibid.
7. Wendell Cox and Hugh Pavletich, “5th Annual Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey,” Demographia (2009), 32.
8. Housing Opportunities Toronto, “An Affordable Housing Action Plan: 2010-2020,” City of Toronto (2009), 31.
9. Toronto Community Foundation, “Toronto’s Vital Signs 2009: Full Report” (2009), 38.
10. Housing Connections, “Internal Statistics” (September 2009).
11. Toronto Community Foundation, “Toronto’s Vital Signs 2008: Full Report” (2008), 9.
12. Ibid.
13. Toronto Community Foundation, “Toronto’s Vital Signs 2009: Full Report” (2009), 5.
14. Toronto Community Foundation, “Toronto’s Vital Signs 2008: Full Report” (2008), 9. The poverty line is considered to be Statistics Canada’s Low
Income Cut Off.
15. Toronto Community Foundation, “Toronto’s Vital Signs 2009: Full Report” (2009), 49.
16. Toronto Community Foundation, “Toronto’s Vital Signs 2008: Full Report” (2008), 21.
17. Ibid.
18. Hugh Mackenzie and Jim Stanford, “A Living Wage for Toronto,” Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (November 2008), 9.
19. Ibid.
20. Ibid., 7.
21. Ibid., 11.
22. Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation, “Rental Market Statistics” (Spring 2009), 58.
23. Toronto Community Foundation, “Toronto’s Vital Signs 2008: Full Report” (2008), 9.
24. Toronto Economic Development, “Economic Indicators” (August 2009), 2.
25. Ibid.
References
26. Ibid., 3.
27. Susan MacDonnell, “Losing Ground: The Persistent Growth of Family Poverty in Canada’s Largest City,” The United Way of Greater Toronto
(November 2007), 53.
28. Toronto Community Foundation, “Toronto’s Vital Signs 2009: Full Report” (2009), 40.
29. Ibid.
30. Ibid.
31. Ibid.
32. Housing Opportunities Toronto, “An Affordable Housing Action Plan: 2010-2020,” City of Toronto (2009), 17.
33. Ibid.