November 22 is National Housing Day in Canada – a day dedicated to raising awareness about housing and homelessness, and recognizing the critical need for collective action. Since the inaugural National Housing Day in 2000, governments, financial organizations, developers, communities, Indigenous and other partners have been coming together to make intentional changes that address the housing needs of all Canadians.

“Canada’s housing market just hasn’t been working. Ask anyone you know, and they’ll say it hasn’t worked for decades,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a National Housing Day statement. “Put simply, the cost to build homes is too high, and the time it takes to finish projects is too long. So, the federal government is fixing it, starting by making it easier to build homes faster. The Housing Accelerator Fund is a transformative program that partners with communities across the country to speed-up housing construction.”

Essentially, it does this by incentivizing municipalities to speed up approvals, remove red tape, and unlock faster development, helping to build more homes near transit and schools and allowing greater density. This is just one of the programs and initiatives launched by the federal government in Canada’s Housing Plan to tackle the housing crisis.

Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, expounded on the PM’s National Housing Day statement, calling out the disproportionate number of Indigenous Peoples facing the threat of homelessness or being forced to live in inadequate homes, along with people with disabilities, persons with substance use issues, Veterans, and racialized groups.

“I want to recognize the Canadians who face these hardships every day,” Fraser wrote. “But today is also an opportunity to come together with housing partners across all levels of government, non-profit sectors, Indigenous partners, and private organizations to be part of the solution.”

To join the conversation, follow the hashtag #NationalHousingDay on X and other platforms, and share your thoughts on what housing means to you.

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