A great opportunity

We're living in a perfect storm when it comes to the affordability of housing. Rising inflation, food, power, and heating costs are contributors to the fact that many people are finding it hard to make ends meet. But a bigger concern is the financialization of housing.

As I understand it, the world's money markets have woken up to the fact that investing in housing can make the rich richer. In cities across the globe, large companies (here in Edmonton, think Boardwalk and Mainstreet and the like) are buying rental properties from small owners, doing minor renovations that allow them to renovict tennants, and raising the rents. 

My friend, Sandra, lived in the apartment complex down the alley from me. It was purchased by a new owner who added a new building on the greenspace in the middle of the complex, but before that even happened, Sandra's rent was raised by 50%, and she had to move to a more affordable place after being in her apartment community for 15 years. 

Housing is a human right. But some investors see it merely as an opportunity to make more money, forgetting that real people need affordable places to live. Because our governments at all levels have not invested in affordable housing in the last 30 years, and because so much of what was affordable has been purchased by Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) who have raised rents, or because rental repairs of aging buildings have been neglected, more and more people are finding themselves homeless. If this isn't a social justice issue, I don't know what is.

This moodling is a poor summary of the issues involved, but my point is that on Tuesday, November 22nd, which is the National Housing Day of Action, there's a great opportunity to educate ourselves about the many things contributing to our housing emergency in Canada, and to meet like-minded people who are interested in improving the situation.

The event is called "Housing: Who Is It For?" and it will take place at Metro Cinema (Garneau Theatre) 8712 109 Street, 7 pm on November 22nd. 

Tickets are now on sale. One option has two steps: email edmhousingcoalition@gmail.com to place your order (name, number of tickets) and then e-transfer the funds for your tickets to ecohhmembership@gmail.com from your financial institution. Sales in this way provide ECOHH with all the ticket cost and help our organization to continue to work for changes to make housing more affordable. 

You can also find tickets on Eventbrite.

Below is a trailer for the movie, PUSH, which will be shown at the event.

If you come, I'll meet you at the door! Bring friends!