Rooming or boarding houses are regaining favour with some Canadian cities as a way to offset a lack of affordable homes.
A small meeting room and bedroom are seen in a new boarding house for women experiencing homelessness or in vulnerable positions in Montreal, Tuesday, June 27, 2023. Rooming or boarding houses are regaining favour with some Canadian cities as a way to offset a lack of affordable homes, but experts warn that there are pitfalls to turning to a form of housing that some see as problematic.
“Generally this is what you can afford, and that’s why it’s the last step before you’re going in the street,” he said. In an email, the City of Vancouver said the number of privately owned single-occupancy units dropped by 23 per cent between 2019 and 2023. That drop was offset by the addition of new non-market housing and government purchases of private rooming houses or hotels.
Jill Grant, a professor emeritus of planning at Dalhousie University in Halifax, says the renewed attention on rooming houses is a good thing. “It’s the recognition, at long last, that single people with very low incomes don’t have many housing options,” she said in an interview. He said rooming houses are often located in old buildings and tenants regularly lack protections, such as leases. Many operate illicitly — meaning they aren’t inspected — and are overcrowded, which can lead to violence.Sign up for the CHEK Now daily email newsletter to get breaking news and the day's top stories sent to your email.
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