Affordable Housing
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Youth Engagement in Developing Ontario’s Affordable Housing: Marking 35 Years of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

John Fox
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By: Alexander Caputo and John Fox

 

When envisioning our communities, can we truly do so without considering the interests and perspectives of children and youth? This year marks the 35th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). The importance of realizing and upholding children’s rights cannot be ignored, especially in housing policy. Article 27 of the UNCRC affirms every child’s right to an adequate standard of living, including a proper home. When Canada ratified this Convention in 1991, we committed to policies that promote children’s protection, provision, and participation, including access to social and affordable housing. This article highlights some pertinent developments in social and affordable housing policy for children and youth over the past decade, both globally and within the domestic context. It offers a brief discussion of next steps to consider in this area and draws on the successful Regent Park Development Project as an illustrative case study.  

 

The International Context 

 

Key international developments emphasize the importance of housing for children and youth:   

 

  • United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (2015-2030):Goals 10 and 11 aim to reduce inequalities and ensure inclusive, safe, and affordable housing, linking children’s rights with housing access. These SDGs prioritize and reinforce the connection between children’s rights and access to adequate housing, setting global standards for urban planning, infrastructure, and social inclusion.

 

  • General Comment No. 21 (2017) on Children in Street Situations:The Committee on the Rights of the Child issued General Comment No. 21 focussing on children living and working on the streets or ‘unhoused’ young people. This document stresses the need for governments to combat the root causes of homelessness, including inadequate housing and social exclusion. It calls on member States to apply a child rights approach to strategies and initiatives for children in street situations.

 

  • General Comment No. 4 (2018) on the Right to Adequate Housing (CESCR):In this General Comment, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) highlights housing as a fundamental human right, particularly for children, stressing the need for safe and suitable housing for their development. It calls on governments to prioritize vulnerable populations, including children, in housing policy.

 

Where we Are in Ontario 

 

In Ontario, there have also been notable advances in recognizing the importance of housing policy for children and youth:   

 

  • Affordable Housing and Community Land Trusts (2018):Ontario has seen growing momentum in the Community Land Trust (CLT) model for its ability to create stable, affordable housing, with a particular emphasis on supporting families, including children and youth. The first CLT in Canada was established in the 1970s to preserve the affordability of cooperative housing and pool resources among isolated co-ops. CLTs are non-profit organizations dedicated to managing land for affordable housing and other community assets. In 2018, the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association's Congress in Ottawa hosted a workshop titled 'Perpetual Affordability and Community Control of the Land,' where the potential of the CLT model to ensure lasting affordability and local control was discussed. The workshop’s summary underscored the importance of CLTs in addressing inter-generational inequalities and promoting long-term prosperity for future generations. In the 2023 Consensus of Community Land Trusts In Canada, they reported a total of 41 CLTs in Canada with approximately 9,995 residential units in 2023. By the end of 2024, it was estimated that there would be an increase to 12,378 residential units (24% growth).

  • A Shift Towards a Rights-Based Housing Policy (2021): In 2021, Bill 252, the Housing is a Human Right Act, was introduced to the Ontario legislature but ultimately failed on a divisional vote during its Second Reading.[1] The Act sought to obligate the Government of Ontario to uphold the principle that housing is a human right in all Acts, regulations and policies. It also specifically called for meaningful community engagement in understanding how socioeconomic conditions impact policy development. Despite the non-adoption of Bill 252, the mere proposition of this Bill in Ontario is demonstrative of a growing interest in adopting a rights-based housing policy, recognizing the right to adequate housing as a fundamental human right and emphasizing the importance of addressing children's needs within this framework.

 

 

These developments are significant as they demonstrate the importance to prioritize a rights-based approach to housing policy in Ontario, one that prioritizes the needs and interests of young people in our communities. Despite these positive developments, a key element remains unaddressed; that is, the meaningful inclusion of young people in the housing conversation. This means not only considering what we expect are the interests of young people, but enabling young people to have their own voices heard, listened to and given due weight in housing policy matters. Given that Ontario is home to approximately 2.8 million youth as of 2023, with over 250,000 households living in social housing across the province, policymakers would be remiss to continue to exclude young people. The voices and perspectives of those who are directly impacted by social and affordable housing are necessarily critical in shaping policies that support community development in serving the needs and rights of all residents and not only those of adult decision-makers.  

 

Where Did We Get it Right   

 

One notable example of successfully enabling youth to participate meaningfully in social and affordable housing discussion is seen in the Regent Park Development Project that has been taking place in the heart of downtown Toronto for almost two decades. This redevelopment project, launched in 2005, has transformed the landscape of Toronto and sets a precedent for similar projects throughout the province on how to engage young people in the development process. The revitalization of Regent Park is a five-phase development project spanning 69 acres of land owned by Toronto Community Housing (TCH) in the City of Toronto. While the project focuses on rebuilding physical structures, it also emphasizes the importance of community development centered on the needs of the residents themselves.

 

In the 2019 Refreshed Regent Park Social Development Plan, community consultations led to the introduction of new governance models and engagement initiatives designed to educated and involve youth in the revitalization process. One of the key deliverables listed in the implementation strategy of the Phan sets out a priority to increase youth engagement to have a voice in the planning process. The City of Toronto, United Way and other funder partners worked with the key stakeholders of the Project to ensure that this was prioritized. Youth consultation and engagement took place between July and November of 2019. One notable result of this engagement was the creation of the Youth Empower Youth (YEY) group whose task was to identify and address youth needs in the community using an approach that acknowledged young people's right to have a say in matters that affect them. The YEY program was supported by both TCH management and members of the development team, demonstrating a strong commitment to integrating youth perspectives into the redevelopment process arising from strong intergenerational dialogues and young people's perspectives being given due weight in the decision-making process for this redevelopment. Part of the Regent Park revitalization's success can be attributed to the strong emphasis of stakeholders to carry out an inclusive, respectful and rights-based process. What is important to recognize here is that while adult decision-makers, as duty-bearers- can and do uphold young people's rights, holding a space

 

Final Thoughts: Moving Forward with Momentum   

 

In a recent interview on the On The Way Home Podcast, Mitchell Cohen, President and CEO of The Daniels Corporation, commented that the approach used in the Regent Park Revitalization should be used for building other communities to “create a community in which everyone is welcome, a community where everybody belongs, a community in which everyone is able to feel at home.” Cohen went on to say that inclusion presents a fantastic opportunity to create affordable housing that matters, and one way to get there is to engage young people.   

 

The question that remains is whether there is political will to create room for young people to shape decision-making, to find ways to share power with them towards shared goals. Cohen and others contend that if we fail to empower young people to actively shape decision-making, we will not achieve success in the future. The Regent Park Development Project is one example of how communities can be strengthened by meaningfully involving young people. Will stakeholders in social and affordable housing recognize the benefits of hearing directly from youth, supporting inclusivity and realizing young people’s rights or will they, to their peril, continue to make decisions without this experiential knowledge to inform and support their actions. It seems to me; the choice is clear.     

 

A truly inclusive community cannot overlook the importance of young people’s participation.     

 

Robins Appleby LLP Partner John Fox, head of our Affordable and Social Housing Group, has been closely involved in the Regent Park Development Project since its inception. As General Counsel and Vice President of Development at Toronto Community Housing from 2005 to 2011, Fox was a leader in the organization's redevelopment mandate and its work in Regent Park. 

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