Ottawa, Ontario – Office of the Federal Housing Advocate
A version of this story appeared in The Hill Times on October 21, 2026.
In these times of global uncertainty, Canadians are reflecting on the country we want to build. If the buy Canadian movement is any indicator, we are more united than ever. That’s because we know where we spend is at once a statement of our values and an investment in our collective future.
That’s why rising homelessness should concern us all. Alarmingly, data shows the number of people experiencing homelessness increased by 79% between 2020-2022 and 2024, with disproportionate impacts on Indigenous people. This runs counter to who we are, and undermines our shared prosperity.
Federal decision makers can change course with Budget 2026. It is a pivotal opportunity to confront the housing crisis and invest in the collective future of our country.
Housing unlocks potential – allowing people to thrive, build strong communities, and contribute to a robust economy. Parliament recognized this fact in the National Housing Strategy Act, which affirms housing is a human right. Building a stronger Canada means ensuring everyone has a safe, affordable and adequate place to call home, starting with people most in need.
Here is how Budget 2026 can take meaningful action.
First, deliver delayed commitments and extend essential programs. That means securing long-term rental assistance and repair funding for non-market housing, renewing critical homelessness programs like Reaching Home and the Unsheltered Homelessness and Encampments Initiative, and ensuring promised funds for Urban, Rural and Northern Indigenous housing reach communities without further delay. These measures would provide immediate stability for people at risk and fund urgently needed programs.
Second, Budget 2026 must lay the foundation for the next National Housing Strategy. With a new Strategy set to begin in 2028, this is a rare opportunity to set Canada’s housing investments on a strong path for the decade ahead.
It is also a chance to learn from our mistakes as we near the end of the first Strategy: despite the ten-year, $110 billion plan launched in 2017, the housing crisis has worsened. The majority of its investment went to private-market supply, which has not worked. The lesson is that public investments must be directed differently.
People experiencing homelessness, living in deep poverty, or spending most of their income on rent need targeted programs. In fact, the National Housing Strategy Act is clear that Canada’s housing plan must put people in greatest need first.
That is why Budget 2026 should advance key proven solutions: strengthen income supports to immediately improve affordability, invest in health and community services, and dramatically expand non-market housing. Together, these measures would help people stay housed now, while forming the foundation for a national effort to end the housing crisis alongside provinces and territories.
Third, accountability matters. Budget 2026 must invest in meaningful participation and strong accountability measures that guarantee the next Strategy delivers results. The National Housing Strategy Act provides a strong framework for doing so: its guidance will ensure these investments result in public good.
Encouragingly, the federal government recently unlocked $1.47 billion committed in Budget 2024 to help non-market and Indigenous providers preserve affordable housing. This is the evidence-based solution Canada needs.
The federal government must harness this momentum and make non-market housing the flagship of the next National Housing Strategy. Non-market housing is the best investment of public money: it creates housing for those who need it most, and remains affordable for future generations. Financialized housing treated as an asset to maximize profits does not.
This is also sensible economic policy.
While Prime Minister Carney is expected to use Budget 2026 to advance major economic projects, a growing economy cannot succeed as the housing crisis worsens. Economic growth must go hand-in-hand with serious housing investments. This must also include addressing the decades-long underinvestment in housing for First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities, so that no one is left behind.
The evidence is clear, and so are the solutions. Budget 2026 can deliver results now, and it must lay the groundwork for the next-generation National Housing Strategy that delivers lasting benefits.
Homelessness has no place in the Canada we aspire to build. A stronger Canada means investing in adequate housing for all.
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Marie-Josée Houle is Canada’s federal housing advocate, a non-partisan, independent human-rights watchdog for housing and homelessness that provides evidence-based recommendations to the federal housing minister.
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