Report urges feds to nearly double affordable housing funds

A new report on homelessness proposes nearly doubling federal spending on affordable housing over the next 10 years to effectively eliminate the problem.

Two groups – the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness and the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness say – that would effectively make homelessness rare, brief and non-recurring.

The report, submitted in advance of a promised Liberal national housing strategy, recommends that proposed federal spending of about $22.6-billion over the next 10 years be increased to about $43.8-billion.

It says the increase would amount to an additional $50 per capita annually.

The report also says the spending strategy would help end a problem that costs the Canadian economy more than $7-billion a year.

The federal government has already promised to increase spending on affordable housing, but the two groups say those increases don't go nearly far enough.