Canada’s housing system is broken and, during this election, municipalities are pushing to fix it. Finding adequate and affordable housing has become increasingly difficult -- not only for low-income Canadians but for middle and modest income earners too. Low housing starts, high homeownership costs, and almost no new construction of private rental housing (even when 1/3 of Canadians are renters!) have prevented many Canadians from buying homes and has put a strain on affordable rental housing. With little movement in the rental sector, there aren’t many options left for low-income families and individuals. According to CMHC numbers, the average rent for a two bedroom is $1061 in Ottawa, $1134 in Toronto, and $994 in Edmonton. High rent and limited investment in social housing over the last 15 years have left over 175,000 families on waiting lists for affordable housing, putting a strain on shelters and emergency housing. It’s not surprising then that homelessness persists across the country. Both short-term and chronic homelessness translate into the high costs of default responses such as shelters, emergency services and institutional systems. The City of Toronto’s analysis of its Streets to Home program estimates the cost of delivering services to the homeless can cost cities $48,000 per person per year.