A primer on affordable housing and homelessness

A PRIMER ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS

• By: Nick Falvo
• Presentation to United Church Women
• Location: Barrhaven United Church
• Ottawa, Ontario
• February 17, 2014

Overview

• Government support for housing
• Social assistance
• Social housing
• Homelessness
• “Housing First”
• Summary

• Nick Falvo: United Church Women (Feb. 17, 2014)

A Well-Kept Secret

Direct Spending and Tax Expenditures
	Average subsidy per household	Average pre-tax household income (2008)
Homeowners	$2,600	$93K
Private Renters	$400	$46K

• Nick Falvo: United Church Women (Feb. 17, 2014)

Ex’s of Support to Ontario Homeowners

Type of Support	Annual Amount
Non-Taxation of Imputed Net Rent	$2.9 B
Non-Taxation of Capital Gains on Principal Residences	$1.9B
Exemption of Imputed Rents from GST	$1.2B

• Nick Falvo: United Church Women (Feb. 17, 2014)

Imputed Rent

• When a landlord rents a unit to a tenant, the landlord is taxed on that rental income.
• When a landlord (effectively) rents to her/himself, that (imputed) rental income “is not taxed under the income tax regime” the way “net rental income” would be taxed if they rented to another person.
• It’s not actual rental income. Hence the term “imputed rent.”

• Nick Falvo: United Church Women (Feb. 17, 2014)