Identifying core housing need

Lina and George are in their 70s, and have been living in the same house since they got married 50 years ago.

Visual: Lina and George, a man and woman (illustration), stand outside their home, smiling at the camera. Their cat is asleep on the ground between them. The animation flips to a shot of the outside of their large house, then zooms out, so we see it sitting alone on a vast patch of land.

Their house is in major need of repairs.

Visual: The animation cuts to a split screen. On the left, we see cracks form in a window sill, a wall and the eaves of the house. A piece of the eaves is about to fall off. On the right, we see a cracked pipe, dripping water, below another pipe, which is broken clean through.

They can’t put them off much longer. Their house is becoming unlivable.

Visual: The animation cuts to a shot of the kitchen. The cat is surprised when a raccoon peers through a hole in the wall.

With a combined income of $30,000 a year, they can’t afford to fix it.

Visual: The animation cuts to a shot from George’s point of view. He’s holding a sheet of paper with dollar signs at the bottom. It looks like a budget. Around him, we see a pair of eyeglasses, a cup of coffee, a pad of paper, a pen, credit cards, file folders, and bank or investment documents featuring graphs. The camera flips to a head-and-shoulders shot of Lina and George in their kitchen, looking worried.

Are George and Lina are in core housing need?

Visual: Lina and George look at each other quizzically.

Yes!

Visual: Lina and George look back at the camera.

Find out why by visiting cmhc.ca/corehousingneed

Visual: The web address “cmhc.ca/corehousingneed” in black, appears in the middle of a blank white screen. It gets larger, then disappears. It is replaced on the white background by the Canada Wordmark on the left and the bilingual CMHC logo on the right.

The Martins and their four kids live in a two-bedroom townhome in the suburbs.

Visual: The Martins, a young man and woman (illustration), stand in their living room, facing the camera, with their four kids and their dog. The animation cuts to a shot of the front of the Martins’ orange-roofed house. It’s a townhome, and we also see the two units on either side of theirs.

Combined, they make $40,000 a year.

Visual: The animation cuts to a head-and-shoulders shot of the Martins, smiling. Their expression changes to one of worry when the narrator mentions that they make $40,000 a year.

With six people living in such a small place, their home is crowded.

Visual: The camera zooms out, showing the Martins sitting on their living room couch. Their three older kids jump up to sit with them. The youngest, a baby, is in a playpen close by. The dog is in the room, there are clothes on the ground, and the room looks crowded.

The Martins could definitely use another bedroom!

Visual: The Martins and their children fade out of the shot, and we are left with a slightly messy living room. Toys and clothes are on the ground and the furniture. The animation cuts to a shot of an untidy bedroom. Clothes are on the bunk bed and are hanging out of the chests of drawers on either side of it. There’s also a bike in the room, and toys on the ground.

However, with lower incomes, their options are limited.

Visual: The animation fades into another head-and-shoulders shot of the Martins, then zooms out, so we also see a thought bubble for each of them. Mr. Martin is thinking of the option of moving. In his thoughts, we see a moving truck with a person inside, holding a two-wheeled hand truck with boxes stacked on it. Mrs. Martin is thinking about the option of doing renovations. In her thoughts, we see her on a ladder, holding a paintbrush, and Mr. Martin holding a hammer, nailing a piece of wood to a wall.

Is the Martin family in core housing need?

Visual: The thought bubbles drop out of the shot, and we zoom back in on the Martins, who look slightly worried.

Yes!

Visual: The camera stays on the Martins looking slightly worried.

Find out why by visiting cmhc.ca/corehousingneed.

Visual: The web address “cmhc.ca/corehousingneed” in black, appears in the middle of a blank white screen. It gets larger, then disappears. It is replaced on the white background by the Canada Wordmark on the left and the bilingual CMHC logo on the right.

Is Alex in core housing need?

Visual: Alex, a young woman (illustration) with brown hair sits on the couch of her living room, petting her cat and smiling at the camera.

Alex is 31, and lives in the ritzy area of town.

Visual: The animation cuts to a shot of the front of Alex’s orange-roofed house, and zooms out, so we see her house and the two blue-roofed houses on either side. Two small stick-figure people walk on the street in front of the houses.

She makes 60,000 dollars a year and was able to buy a house with a little help from her family.

Visual: The animation cuts to Alex sitting at a desk, working on an orange laptop, then to a shot of the front of Alex’s house, with Alex and two members of her family (one man and one woman) standing in front, facing the house.

With mortgage payments, hydro, water, and property taxes, she spends about 2,500 dollars a month on housing.

Visual: The camera pans up to a shot of a thermometer on the right side of the screen (which is now a white background). The mercury in the thermometer rises as labels representing Alex’s housing costs appear on the left side of the screen, one on top of each other. The mercury flies past the 30% mark on the thermometer (representative of 30% of Alex’s before-tax income) when property taxes are mentioned.

Alex is feeling the pinch. Because she chose to live in this area, she’s spending more than she should.

Visual: The mercury has reached the top of the thermometer, which has started shaking. The top of the thermometer cracks, then breaks, in a small explosion. This animation is pushed up out of the frame quickly by a shot of the front of Alex’s house. There is a thunderstorm, it is raining heavily, and there are flashes of lightning.

Even though she’s paying a lot for her home, she isn’t in core housing need.

Visual: Alex sits at her desk, looking dejected, as she studies documents laid out in front of her. We can see, through a window behind her, that the thunderstorm is continuing outside.

Visit cmhc.ca to find out more

Visual: The web address “cmhc.ca/corehousingneed ” in black, appears in the middle of a blank white screen. It gets larger, then disappears. It is replaced on the white background by the Canada Wordmark on the left and the bilingual CMHC logo on the right.