The City of Ottawa recently declared a housing emergency, but, according to a report from the Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association (ONPHA), the numbers in Brampton are actually worse.

The nation’s capital became the first city in Canada to declare a housing and homelessness emergency on Jan. 29.

According to the ONPHA report, 20 per cent of rental households in Brampton are living in overcrowded conditions, far outpacing Ottawa at 11 per cent and the provincial average of 12 per cent.

The study looked at cities across the country using data from the rental housing index (rentalhousingindex.ca) and compared other factors such as the average cost of rent and utilities and the proportion of income spent each month on rent and utilities.

It also looked at the percentage of households spending more than 30 or 50 per cent of their monthly income on housing and utility costs.

“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 Marlene Coffey, the association's chief executive.

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

Ottawa renters pay an average of $1,148, or 24 per cent of their monthly income on rent and utilities. Forty-two per cent of households are spending more than 30 per cent of their income on rent and utilities, with 20 per cent are spending more than 50 per cent.

Renters in Brampton, on the other hand, pay an average of 25 per cent — or $1,225 — of their income on rent and utilities, with 43 per cent spending more than 30 per cent and 20 per cent shelling out more than 50 per cent of their monthly paycheques to meet basic housing costs.

On average, renters across the province spend 25 per cent of their monthly income on rent and utilities, with 42 per cent spending more than 30 per cent and 21 per cent spending more than 50 per cent.