Ottawa’s has unveiled a national housing strategy that aims to address the urgent housing needs of 530,000 vulnerable families and individuals, create 100,000 new housing units, repair another 300,000 units and cut chronic homelessness by 50 per cent over the coming decade, federal officials say.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is using a visit to a Toronto neighbourhood Wednesday afternoon to unveil details of the plan to invest $11.2 billion in federal funding over 11 years.Trudeau said the strategy marks a significant return to the housing file for the federal government. Combined with investments from other levels of government, the total spending could reach $40 billion. “We know that housing affordability is a huge issue for Canadians right across the country. We’re focusing on making sure that people can afford their homes, making sure that we take a significantly more effective approach on homelessness,” Trudeau said on Parliament Hill.“We know that making sure that people have housing that they can rely on is a fundamental building block for success for families and for communities,” he said, before departing to Toronto.“This is something we are very, very excited about. It’s been a long time coming,” Trudeau said.Wednesday’s announcement provides the details of how funding earmarked in the 2017 federal budget for housing will be spent over the coming decade.“The primary focus of the national housing strategy will be meeting the needs of vulnerable populations,” an official with Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation told reporters during a background briefing. Those include seniors, Indigenous peoples, survivors of family violence, people with disabilities, refugees, veterans, young adults, people with mental health and addiction issues and the homeless. “Every Canadian deserves a safe home that they can afford,” the official said.The measures, hammered out after consulta ...
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