AP/SOSC 3770 3.00

Housing Policy And Income Security Policies

It has been often stated that Canadians are among the best housed people in the world. Yet, it is also said that Canada has been in a continuous housing crisis for most of the twentieth century. We will examine this apparent contradiction in the context of the provision and consumption of housing. The course is divided into three major sections. In the first section we provide a contextual framework for policy evaluation by exploring the attributes of housing, housing markets and submarkets, housing need and demand, housing supply and finance, and the justification for government intervention in the housing market. In the second section, housing programs in Canada over the postwar period are surveyed and placed in the context of the evolving welfare state. Emphasis will be given to three major tenures: home ownership, private rental, and social and public housing. Several housing programs will be examined as case studies to see whose interests are served. In the third section we will consider a number of contemporary policy issues, especially concerning households who have difficulty accessing market housing. Examples of the latter include the homeless, women, immigrants and the elderly.