• 170,000
  Number of people on the affordable housing waitlist in Ontario
• 13,600
  Number of people on the affordable housing waitlist in Toronto
• $1,044 
  Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Ontario in 2017

The Problem

Ontario is in the midst of a housing crisis.

• In 2017 the cost of a home increased by nearly 16 % across the province.
• Rental vacancy rates dropped to the lowest level in nearly two decades.

Students are particularly vulnerable to housing shortages. With limited availability on campuses, landlords in and around campus communities abuse their power by:

• Placing students in unlicensed rooming spaces.
• Prematurely terminating their tenancy.
• Arbitrarily increasing rent.

The inability to secure safe, affordable and accessible housing is an issue that disproportionately impacts marginalized communities, particularly those that are more likely to live below the poverty line, such as people living with disabilities, racialized people, Queer and Trans people and First Nations, Inuit and Métis people.

Students Respond

Across the province, students are pressuring their institutions and the government to deal with the housing crisis through local campaigns and Federation lobbying efforts. At the same time, students are working with coalition partners, such as the Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario (ACTO), to advocate for affordable rental housing and programs to create spaces for low-income households in new developments.

The Solution

Recognizing that housing is a fundamental right and a social determinant of good health, students are calling on the government to invest in affordable housing citing its economic and social benefits to our communities.

Join students across the province as we pressure political parties in this election to commit to:

• Increased on campus-housing.
• Public investments in co-operative housing.
• A landlord licensing structure that requires private landlords to maintain adequate and on-time repairs and respect tenants’ rights.

Download 'Housing' Leaflet

Get involved Get to know our partners

Fairness for students is safe, accessible and affordable housing that is up to the most recent building codes and that is available to all.