On National Housing Day, November 22, Spotlight Racial Discrimination in Housing
Press Release
November 17, 2025
Saturday, November 22 is National Housing Day(opens in a new tab) in Canada. Recognized since the early 2000s, it takes place every November, raising awareness about safe and affordable housing as well as homelessness. In addition to learning, it is also a day for action and advocacy.
Housing is a human right in Canada. Still, race-based discrimination prevents equitable access to rental housing for racialized people.
Did you know that, compared to white renters without disabilities, Indigenous and racialized people:
- Got fewer and shorter responses from landlords?
- Were asked more personal questions and to submit more documents?
- Were refused rental housing more often?
Recent research(opens in a new tab) from the Canadian Centre for Housing Rights (CCHR)(opens in a new tab) found that lower-income renters, women, Indigenous people, racialized people, newcomers, and people with disabilities all face significant discrimination in finding housing. The 2025 Federal Budget fails to include measures to address these inequities(opens in a new tab) . CCHR’s research shows that “discrimination in housing is more pronounced in a tight housing market, where bigger, more expensive units in areas with low vacancy rates are out of reach for marginalized groups.”
As people of faith, we are called to respond to injustices. The United Church’s anti-racism policy, That All May Be One(opens in a new tab) , names the realities of racial injustices and invites four key areas of work in response. One such area is to “speak to the world by supporting anti-racism work within broader society.”
A way of speaking to broader society, and taking faithful anti-racist actions, is for people of the United Church to support the policy recommendations put forth by the CCHR, including:
- Reducing barriers to affordable housing
- Stopping discrimination in Canada’s rental market
- Investing in affordable, non-market housing, a necessary part of combatting discrimination
Simply put, governments need to invest in affordable and non-market housing. CCHR’s research shows that if just “left to the market,” discrimination in housing wins.
Here are three concrete ways to engage in faithful actions to respond to racial inequities in housing:
Read, pray, and share
- report to learn more about the realities of racial inequities in housing in Canada. Reflect on your learnings and these realities.
- Pray individually and with your community of faith.
- Share highlights from the report (“Did you know…?”) with your community of faith and invite their prayers. Encourage them to also share the report findings with others.
Contact your Member of Parliament
- Request a meeting (in person or online) and ask, “What will you do to ensure discrimination-free access to housing?”
- Tell them why racial equity and the right to housing matter to you. Highlight the three policy asks from CCHR that are noted above.
- Share the CCHR report and recommendations(opens in a new tab)
- — ask your Member of Parliament to read the executive summary.
- If you cannot meet with your Member of Parliament, please send an email and follow up by phone. You can find contact information for your Member of Parliament here(opens in a new tab)
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- Need help to feel ready to meet your Member of Parliament? Join our online community of practice(opens in a new tab)
- or follow the suggested actions in our Meeting Effectively with Elected Officials guide.
Donate
Offer financial support to The United Church of Canada’s national anti-racism work or the Healing Fund. Your gifts help raise awareness of racial inequities and racial discrimination in housing, offer anti-racism education in our churches, and support anti-racism advocacy and action in the wider community.
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