💰 Who Build Canada Homes Really Serves

In Part 1 of our series, we introduced Build Canada Homes (BCH) and explored modern construction methods, as well as the potential of tiny homes. Now, it’s time to look at a key question: who will actually benefit from this initiative? 🤔

The Income Gap in “Affordable” Housing

BCH aims to provide “affordable” housing, but affordable to whom? Let’s look at the numbers:

• 💵 In cities like Vancouver, Toronto, and Calgary, one-bedroom apartments often rent for $2,400–$3,600/month.
• 👨‍💼 To comfortably afford these rents under the CMHC 30% rule, a household would need a pre-tax income of $96,000–$144,000/year.
• 😔 This is 2–3 times higher than the median income for most Canadians, and far beyond the reach of people on social assistance.

Who Gets Left Out?

People on social assistance are particularly excluded:

• 💰 Single adults on income assistance in BC earn around $1,200/month.
• 🏢 BC Housing programs often require applicants to not be receiving social assistance for certain rent subsidies.
• ⚠️ Even “low-income” families earning just above the threshold may be ineligible for assistance, despite struggling to afford rent.

This means that while the government builds “affordable” housing, it often ends up serving **higher-income professionals** rather than the Canadians who need it most. 🏠

Why This Matters

If BCH only serves those who can already afford near-market rents, the program may:

• ❌ Fail to reduce homelessness or housing stress for the lowest-income Canadians
• ❌ Widen inequality in housing access
• ❌ Leave social assistance recipients with no viable housing options

Questions We’re Asking

As we continue this series, we want to challenge BCH to address these gaps:

• How will BCH ensure housing is **truly affordable** for those on social assistance?
• Will there be **direct subsidies or rent caps** tied to actual incomes, not just market averages?
• Can **tiny homes or modular solutions** be prioritized for those most in need?
• How will the program **measure success** beyond simply building units — will it track whether people can actually live in them?

💡 Our goal is simple: we want BCH to succeed in lifting up Canadians who are suffering the most. By asking tough questions and holding the program accountable, we can help make that happen. 💛

Stay tuned for Part 3, where we’ll dig into the exclusion of social assistance recipients and what can be done to fix it.