The right to housing for people with disabilities: Affordability

We are monitoring the right to adequate housing for people with disabilities in Canada. We are looking at the affordability of housing. That means how much money people spend on housing.

25% of Canadians have a disability. That’s about 8 million people.^{Footnote 1}

Housing affordability

• “Affordable housing” means housing that costs less than 30% of a household’s income before taxes.

• “Unaffordable housing” means housing that costs more than 30% of a household’s income before taxes.

• People should have enough money left over to meet other basic needs.

What we found:

• People with disabilities are more likely to live in unaffordable housing.^{Footnote 2}

  • Renters who lived in unaffordable housing in 2021:^{Footnote 3}

  • 35% of renters with disabilities

  • 25% of renters without disabilities

What people told us:^{Footnote 4}

• “I make less than $15,000 a year, and $12,000 of it goes to my shelter. I live in constant fear of becoming homeless. I receive food from the food bank, but it’s not enough. I can’t afford my medications. I feel like my life will be cut short because of this."

• “I only get $1,255 a month for my disability benefit. My rent is $1,214 a month. That only leaves me $41 for food and other things. That’s not enough to live on. I'm really scared! I don't want to live on the street.”