As the housing crisis across the province continues to add undue stress and strain to many Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, NL NDP Leader Jim Dinn (St. John’s Centre) is demanding the PC government to establish an All-Party Committee with representatives from all political parties and independent members to work together and take urgent action.
The Minister of Housing responded negatively to Dinn’s call this week in the House of Assembly stating, ‘This government listens to everybody who speaks, including the Members from across the way,’ yet refused to form the committee. Dinn says it’s a clear sign that this government has it guard up and would rather try to find their own political win on housing instead of coming together to achieve what’s best for the people of the province.
“From feeling the only safe place to sleep is in tents outside, being forced into emergency for-profit shelters, or struggling knowing where they will find supports, lack of housing impacts our most vulnerable,” said Dinn. “But this is also about ensuring we have a housing market that can sustain workers we desperately need, whether it’s in healthcare or education. It’s about ensuring people are able to purchase a home, that it’s not something that’s just an unattainable dream. It’s about renters, many who are seniors or students, not being priced out of where they call home due to REITs and large financialized landlords jacking up the rent just to make more profit.”
“The housing crisis is at the root of so many other crises in our province. If we want safer communities, that starts with giving people a safe and affordable place to live, whether that’s in supportive and transitional housing, or other options that work for them. If we want to alleviate the overcrowding in our emergency rooms, ensure people aren’t getting sick out in the cold sleeping in tents, struggling to stay alive, or just desperately searching for warmth. We need more social housing. This is the reality. This is what people are facing right now. We cannot wait any longer. Let’s get this All-Party Committee started.”
“The Minister is breaking the promise that no homelessness will exist under their government. We sure are seeing a lot of it all across our province. If they want to eradicate homelessness we need to work together. We need to forget political wins on the backs of the most vulnerable and we need to get to work.”