For most of us economic conditions wax and wane with recession and boom, but for the past 20 years one indicator of social-economic well-being in urban centres has shown no improvement whatsoever. That is the number of homeless people living in our cities. in 2008, that number was estimated by social sector organizations to be in excess of 300,000. To find out why, studies are commissioned and ignored and then other studies are initiated to study the previous studies for clues that may have been missed. However, for many Canadians of a certain age, the answer seems linked to a policy change in the early 90s. At that time the federal government withdrew support for the social housing sector, and within 18 months of that many of us started seeing people regularly "sleeping rough" on our streets for the first time in memory. The response from various levels of government has been a patchwork of policy and small measures that have done little to even recognize the scope of the problem, never mind address it any meaningful way. The public has gotten used to the once-horrifying sight of people sleeping on the streets – it's the new normal, except that after two decades it's not even that new anymore.

by Emma Feltes, cross-posted from Spacing Atlantic HALIFAX — National Housing  Day was first marked on the calendar by a team of Toronto housing advocates on Nov 22, 1998. But this year, more than a decade later, it was infused with new meaning. Housing is back on the national agenda, with proposed Bill C-304 calling for the development of a national housing strategy designed to ensure safe, adequate, accessible, affordable housing to all Canadians. The Bill, seconded by Halifax MP Megan Leslie, has deep implications for Canadian cities, and the diversity of housing challenges they face. “Housing impacts the health of communities," says Leslie, who is the NDP critic for housing and homelessness. "It’s not just about putting a roof over someone’s head, it is about the health of a community general — the physical health, the mental health, the economic health of a community.” The need for a national strategy was made amply clear at yesterday's National Housing Day events in Halifax. Gathered at St. Matthew's United Church, a crowd of over 100 marked the opening of the Out of the Cold emergency shelter for a second winter. A collaborative community initiative by the Metro Non-Profit Housing Association, Community Action on Homelessness (CAH), St. Matthew's, and a dedicated team of volunteers, the shelter provides 15 beds for men and women. A panel consisting of members of the organizing committee, housing advocates, and community members shared stories on why initiatives such as this one are so important in a city like Halifax, wrought with its own unique set of housing challenges. However, the grassroots, community-based strategy provokes conflicted feelings for many of those involved.