Affordability
Do people with disabilities face financial barriers to housing? Are they spending too much money on housing?
Housing is affordable if it costs less than 30% of a household's income. Housing costs shouldn't prevent people from meeting other basic needs. People should have enough money left over to buy things like food and medication.
- Goal: People with disabilities have affordable housing. They are not spending more than 30% of their income on housing.
- International law sources:
- Article 28 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) - Adequate Standard of Living and Social Protection
- United Nations General Comment on the Right to Adequate Housing
Outcome indicators
Percentage of people with disabilities who live in unaffordable housing
- Description: This looks at people who live in unaffordable housing. That means people who spend more than thirty percent (30%) of their income before taxes on housing.
- Results: People with disabilities are more likely to live in unaffordable housing than people without disabilities. Renters with disabilities are even more likely to live in unaffordable housing.
- In 2017, 44% of renters with disabilities lived in unaffordable housing. This is compared to 32% of renters without disabilities.
- Data source: Canadian Survey on Disability (2017): Housing Affordability.
- In 2019, the numbers were 43% for renters with disabilities and 29% for renters without disabilities.
- Data source: Canadian Income Survey (2019): Dwelling Costs Related to Income
- Note: The Canadian Income Survey (CIS) and the Canadian Survey on Disability (CSD) choose their respondents in different ways. Data from these surveys therefore shouldn’t be compared.
- In 2022, the numbers were 34% for renters with disabilities and 25% for renters without disabilities.
- Data source: Canadian Survey on Disability (2022): Housing Affordability.
- In 2017, 44% of renters with disabilities lived in unaffordable housing. This is compared to 32% of renters without disabilities.
See our handout on housing affordability.- Percentage of people with disabilities who couldn't pay their rent or their mortgage on time
- Description: This looks at households that had to skip or delay a rent or mortgage payment in the last twelve (12) months because of financial issues.
- Results: People with disabilities are more likely to miss housing payments than people without disabilities. In 2021, 10% of people with disabilities missed a rent or mortgage payment. This is compared to 6% of people without disabilities.
- Data source: Canadian Housing Survey (2021): Economic Hardship
- Percentage of people with disabilities who live in subsidized housing
- Description: This looks at people who live in housing with lower-than-normal rent rates. This includes housing where rent is geared to people’s income. It also includes social, public, government and non-profit housing, and households with rent supplements or housing allowances.
- Results:
- People with disabilities are more likely to live in subsidized housing than people without disabilities. In 2017, 5% of renters with disabilities lived in subsidized housing. This is compared to 2% of renters without disabilities. These numbers stayed the same in 2022.
- Data source: Canadian Survey on Disability (2017 and 2022)
- The Indigenous Peoples Survey (2017) also included data on this issue. Statistics Canada didn’t publish this data because it didn’t meet their quality standards.
- People with disabilities are more likely to live in subsidized housing than people without disabilities. In 2017, 5% of renters with disabilities lived in subsidized housing. This is compared to 2% of renters without disabilities. These numbers stayed the same in 2022.
- Time that people with disabilities spent on waitlists for subsidized housing
- Description: This looks at the amount of time people spent on waitlists for subsidized housing. Subsidized housing means housing with lower-than-normal rent rates. Different types of organizations give housing subsidies. For example, this includes governments, housing co-operatives, non-profit organizations, Indigenous organizations and private companies.
- Results:
- People with disabilities are more likely to be on waitlists for social and affordable housing than people without disabilities. In 2021, 3% of people with disabilities were on these waitlists. This is compared to 1% of people without disabilities.
- Data source: Canadian Housing Survey (2021): Shelter Costs and Subsidy for Renters and Waitlist for Social and Affordable Housing. This survey looks at “social and affordable” housing, which is broader than “subsidized” housing.
- People with disabilities without dependents spent longer on waitlists for social and affordable housing than people without disabilities without dependents. In 2021, the average wait time for those people with disabilities was 46 months. This is compared to 34 months for those people without disabilities.
- Data source: Canadian Housing Survey (2021): Shelter Costs and Subsidy for Renters and Waitlist for Social and Affordable Housing.
- Indigenous people with disabilities are more likely to be on waitlists for subsidized housing than Indigenous people without disabilities. In 2017, 6% of Indigenous people with disabilities were on waitlists. This is compared to 3% of Indigenous people without disabilities.
- Data source: Indigenous Peoples Survey (2017): Housing. This used to be called the Aboriginal Peoples Survey.
- Indigenous people with disabilities spent longer on waitlists for subsidized housing than Indigenous people without disabilities. In 2017, Indigenous people with disabilities spent an average of 42 months on waitlists. This is compared to 28 months for Indigenous people without disabilities.
- Data source: Indigenous Peoples Survey (2017): Housing. This used to be called the Aboriginal Peoples Survey.
- People with disabilities are more likely to be on waitlists for social and affordable housing than people without disabilities. In 2021, 3% of people with disabilities were on these waitlists. This is compared to 1% of people without disabilities.
Percentage of people with disabilities who are in core housing need
- Description: This looks at people who are in core housing need. That means people who live in unsuitable, inadequate or unaffordable housing, and who can't afford other housing in their communities. Housing is unsuitable if it doesn’t have enough bedrooms for the people who live there. Housing is inadequate if it needs major repairs. It is unaffordable if it costs more than 30% of a household’s income before tax.
- Results: People with disabilities are almost two times more likely to be in core housing need than people without disabilities.
- In 2017, 34% of renters with disabilities were in core housing need. This is compared to 20% of renters without disabilities.
- Data source: Canadian Survey on Disability (2017): Core Housing Need
- In 2019, the numbers were 31% for renters with disabilities and 17% for renters without disabilities.
- Data source: Canadian Income Survey (2019): Core Housing Need
- Note: The Canadian Income Survey (CIS) and the Canadian Survey on Disability (CSD) choose their respondents in different ways. Data from these surveys therefore shouldn’t be compared.
- In 2022, the numbers were 23% for renters with disabilities and 14% for renters without disabilities.
- Data source: Canadian Survey on Disability (2022): Core Housing Need
- In 2017, 34% of renters with disabilities were in core housing need. This is compared to 20% of renters without disabilities.
See our handout on core housing need.- Cost difference between accessible and non-accessible housing
- Description: This looks at how much more expensive it is to rent or buy accessible housing, compared to non-accessible housing. It also looks at the cost of adapting housing to meet people's unique accessibility needs.
- Results: Not available. This data is not currently collected through national or provincial / territorial surveys. We are advocating for better data collection and transparency in this area.
Policy effort and resource indicators
In development