Affordable and overcrowded rental housing has been a long-standing issue in Brampton, but a recent study by a non-profit housing association finds the situation is actually worse in neighbouring Mississauga.

According to a recent report on rental affordability by the Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association (ONPHA), 23 per cent of Mississauga renters are spending more than half of their monthly income on rent and utilities, with 21 per cent living in overcrowded conditions. The provincial average is 12 per cent.

In comparison, the study showed 21 per cent of Brampton rental households are forking over at least 50 per cent of their paycheques to cover rent and utilities, and 20 per cent are living in overcrowded accommodations.

ONPHA added 46 per cent of Mississauga renters are spending more than 30 per cent of their incomes on rent and utilities, compared to 43 per cent in Brampton. The traditional affordable housing threshold, according to ONPHA, is 30 per cent, with 46 per cent of Ontario renters exceeding that mark.

Ottawa city council recently declared a housing emergency on Jan. 29. According to ONPHA, however, the situation is worse in both Mississauga and Brampton.

“We’re on a trend. It’s not a recent problem, but what we’re seeing is the cost of housing is outpacing increase in income ... The trend is now at the point where we do have a housing affordability crisis,” said the association’s chief executive, Marlene Coffey.

“You will notice that the communities that are in the GTA and around the GTA are the communities that are very seriously impacted.”

Using rentalhousingindex.ca data, ONPHA found, on average, Mississauga renters on the whole are paying 26 per cent of monthly income — or $1,281 — on rent and utilities compared to 25 per cent and $1,225 in Brampton.

ONPHA listed the average for renters across the province as spending 25 per cent of before-tax income, with an average monthly cost of $1,109.

Rental housing costs have increased significantly in both Brampton and Mississauga over the past five years, with the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB) listing the average rent for a one-bedroom, apartment-style condo at $2,157 in the fourth quarter of 2019 — marking a 45.9 per cent increase compared to an average monthly cost of $1,487 in the fourth quarter of 2014.

“While we did see an improvement in condominium apartment rental supply in 2019, recent consumer polling coupled with the potential for smaller returns on investment from rental income suggests that there are still forces working against more balanced market conditions in the GTA rental market,” said president Michael Collins in TRREB’s 2020 GTA market forecast.

Rentals.ca, an online rental apartment portal, listed Mississauga as the country’s fourth-most-expensive apartment rental market in its January report at $1,919 per month for one-bedroom apartment and $2,292 for two-bedroom units. Using data based on units listed on their website, Rentals.ca ranked Mississauga behind only Toronto and two of its boroughs in Etobicoke and North York — making Mississauga the second priciest city for apartment rentals in Canada.

“The big populations that are impacted by housing affordability are seniors, single-parent households, Indigenous and immigrant communities,” Coffey said.

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Graeme Frisque is a reporter with The Mississauga News and Brampton Guardian. Email: gfrisque@metroland.com

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