Ombudsman Toronto convened right-to-housing roundtable to strengthen accountability and partnerships
Community members and organizations have long driven the fight for adequate housing in Toronto. Their work is the foundation of the right‑to‑housing movement, and a key reason Ombudsman Toronto’s Housing Unit was formed to hold the City of Toronto accountable to its housing rights commitments.
To strengthen that connection, Ombudsman Toronto brought community voices together on June 4 for a Right to Housing Roundtable, held at the Workers’ Justice Centre. Leaders, advocates, policy experts and people with lived experience joined us to share insights and identify what’s needed to improve housing outcomes and help the City practically apply the right to housing.
Despite the City’s commitment to progressively realize the right to adequate housing under its own Housing Charter, housing precarity continues to grow in Toronto. We continue to hear from people about the barriers they face in finding adequate housing.
Deputy Ombudsman, Housing, Reema Patel set the tone for the event by acknowledging the magnitude of the problem, as well as its ability to be solved.
“We know that the housing crisis did not surface unexpectedly,” says Reema Patel, Deputy Ombudsman, Housing. “It is the result of choices that have been made over the years. Together, we have the power to right those wrongs.”
The Housing Unit highlighted what it has learned in its first three years and then heard directly from participants about gaps in City services, barriers to accountability and how Ombudsman Toronto can better serve people facing housing precarity and homelessness.
Participants shared information about housing rights issues ranging from landlord-tenant relations in social housing to a lack of accessibility in shelters to impact of social benefits rates on keeping people from finding housing.
“What surfaced in the roundtable discussion was clear: that the right to housing is not an abstract principle; it is a measurable objective, a legal obligation, and above all, a moral imperative,” says Patel. “My team’s task is to explore new ways to turn this shared understanding into coordinated action in how we hold the City accountable.”
Ombudsman Toronto welcomes public feedback and values hearing from communities across Toronto. Whether you’re facing a housing issue or want to learn more about our work, we’re here to connect. For more information please contact us at ombudsman@toronto.ca.