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It's been said before and Cathy repeated it at the Knight’s Table, Brampton again on Thursday Feb.6, for the benefit of the audience and any political leaders who have not been listening: the reason Finland reduced its homeless numbers to zero is simple: it built affordable housing for those unable to pay market rates.

By contrast, since Canada killed most of its affordable housing programmes about 30 years ago unit availability has virtually disappeared, the market rules and homelessness grows. What is also growing in Canada's largest cities like Toronto are high rise towers of high priced condos since developers can make the most money from those who can afford ever growing down payments. Whatever affordable rental units once existed have also long since disappeared as market logic drives prices higher and the affordable units have not been replaced. Despite talk by some politicians of housing investment there has been little in the way of action and as one member of the PPAG audience pointed out what has been spent so far is for specific demographics, not everyone. There is no national housing strategy in Canada, so the market decides and the homeless suffer, Homelessness is not an accident, it is designed and it will remain a blight on people's lives until Canada's political leaders decide to do something about it. Everybody needs a decent home, not just some exceptions who fail to make an arbitrary market determined cut.

Congratulations to  the Peel Poverty Action Group for bringing Cathy's powerful advocacy to Peel region. At TorontotheBetter we commit ourselves to hosting the voices of those working for homes and better living conditions for all,