November 30, 2020

The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Families, Children and Social Development
140 Promenade du Portage
Gatineau, Quebec K1A 0J9

Dear Minister;

Last week, the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and the REALTOR® community celebrated the second annual REALTORS Care® Week in recognition of our long-standing commitment to volunteer service. For the five days following National Housing Day, REALTORS® from communities across Canada came together virtually to learn more about the issue of homelessness and raise awareness about the opportunity at hand to end and prevent it in our country once and for all. Throughout the week, real estate boards and associations from coast to coast also supported local homelessness-related organizations—from a safe distance—by raising awareness, making donations, leading fundraising campaigns, and holding collection drives on behalf of their REALTOR® members.

REALTORS® have always understood the importance of “home”; but that understanding has profoundly deepened for many of us as a result of COVID-19. We, the undersigned members of the REALTOR® community, are writing to you to express our belief that homelessness is a life or death issue that cannot be ignored in Canada. We are also writing to voice our support of the federal government’s recent commitments to end chronic homelessness and increase affordable housing capacity. We encourage you to ensure these promises are fulfilled promptly.

We believe the Rapid Housing Initiative is a step in the right direction and that private sector funding could lead to the creation of much-needed housing supply for our most vulnerable Canadians. We would like to take this opportunity to reiterate CREA’s pre-budget recommendations of encouraging conversion projects that leverage private sector developers’ resources and expertise while promoting partnerships with community housing providers by requiring that a portion of the units created are dedicated to non-market rentals. To further facilitate these conversions, we recommend the inclusion of clauses in Infrastructure Bilateral Agreements with provincial and territorial partners encouraging the creation of additional housing.

We REALTORS® and real estate board and association staff look forward to continuing to use our collective voice in support of the creation of more safe and affordable homes across the housing spectrum, simultaneously helping the most vulnerable populations and allowing more Canadians to gain stability and opportunity through homeownership. Thank you for your time and attention to this letter.

Sincerely,

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