Halton's National Housing Day Forum 2025

National Housing Day is an annual event in Canada on November 22 that raises awareness about the importance of safe, affordable, and stable housing for all Canadians. It is a day to acknowledge the housing challenges faced by many, including Indigenous Peoples, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups – like the single parents Home Suite Hope serves - and to discuss solutions like building more homes and implementing housing strategies.

On Friday, Nov. 21 Halton's National Housing Day Forum 2025 is taking place in Burlington. The forum takes place from 8:30 a.m. to noon and is hosted by Community Development Halton at 2316 Fairview St.

Since 2000, National Housing Day has been dedicated to highlighting the critical role of housing in individual and community well-being.

It is a call to action - a reminder for communities, organizations, and governments to work together on solutions to housing crises, affordability issues, and homelessness.

Housing provides stability: A home is a foundation for health, safety, and the ability to thrive, providing stability for families and individuals – a basic to which many Canadians, including our single parent intake clients, do not have access.

Homelessness is increasing in our community and lack of affordable housing has ceated a crisis - locally and nationally.

The day encourages a collective effort across sectors and levels of government to find and implement new, creative solutions for housing.

Halton's National Housing Day Forum 2025 is taking place thanks to support from Halton Region and the United Way of Halton Hamilton (UWHH) allowing more than 160 community-minded citizens, community and nonprofit leaders - including Home Suite Hope representatives - to gather for an inspiring morning of local impact stories, interactive small group sessions, and information on concrete ways you can be part of ensuring everyone's right to housing.

This year's event features  an inspiring morning of local stories from organizations and grass roots groups that are taking action, as well as information on how individuals and organizations can be involved in the work to ensure everyone's right to housing.

It will host a panel of local leaders active for changes in Halton's housing landscape: including Dr. Daryl Kaytor, Director of Housing, Halton Region; Dr. Steven Barrow and CDH Peer Researcher, CDH Learning for Voice of Lived Experience Project; Cathy Greven, Halton Community of Faith Advocates; Garth Brown, Mary's Ark; and, Dr. Mary Vaccaro, Faculty School of Social Work, Gendered Perspectives on Housing and Homelessness.

After the panel there will be small group workshops to learn more about the work of the panelists and information on how you can be part of taking action.