Anne and Virginia got together late one evening in March to commiserate about housing and luckily for our listeners, we got it all on the record! They wanted to give you the facts about housing in a bite-sized 10 point list. Research from the Homeless Hub was used throughout the episode so you should check out their website if you are interested in learning more about housing and homelessness. The following is the list of discussion topics:

1. The lack of affordable housing 
2. The city selling affordable units
3. The incredibly high number of people on the waitlist 
4. That the waitlist is mostly families and seniors 
5. The barriers facing families
6. The length of time people are waiting for affordable housing 
7. The extremely low vacancy rate
8. Housing insecurity 
9. The push to house people with lower incomes outside the city
10. A call to action!

At the time of recording, the National Housing Strategy was yet to be announced and housing activists were cautiously hopeful about what PM Trudeau was going to propose. Since that time, the federal government has released the proposed budget for the National Housing Strategy and has promised $11 billion over the next 11 years. Anne talks about the details of the National Housing Strategy and her concerns about what it may hold for the future. In the activist segment, we encourage everyone to go out to the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) protest for the National Housing Day of Action on November 22nd at 2pm at Allen Gardens. Even though the budget is proposing to spend a lot of money on housing, there are valid concerns about how that money will be spent and whether the full funding will be received. That's why we need to see the people united on this issue. Housing is a human right!

In the League of Extraordinary Women, we induct Rigoberta Menchú Tum, an indigenous woman who has been fighting for human rights since the 60s. She is an indigenous feminist activist who has been advocating for indigenous rights in Guatemala and in particular has been seeking justice for victims of human rights abuses.  

Music used in this episode:

• Aaliyah - Ladies In Da House
• Siouxsie & the Banshees - Happy House
• The Knife - Marble House
• Eurythmics - This Is The House
• Kate Bush - Get Out Of My House
• Sarah Harmer - Basement Apartment