The cost of a place in the Village is increasing while housing conditions and living standards deteriorate due to the increasing demand for student housing near the university breeds precarious conditions.

With new transportation infrastructure to support low-incomes residents, a rapidly growing student population, and few residence to support the increasing student population (not including families and local residents) — the cost of living keeps rising.

You can find homes converted to rooming houses hosting as many as fifteen (15) residents, with landlords seeking rent for rooms reaching $1600/month. In some cases; homes have no kitchen or common areas and no residential rights .

Most importantly, multi-tenant (rooming) houses are not permitted in North York accoridng to the Torotno region's by-laws, which means that tenants and/or residents are subject to heighteed rates of exploitaiton and displacement.

Why is it an Issue?

The high cost of living in rooming and/or apartment style housing paired with vacancy decontrols translates directly into year-over-year increases in rent for tenants, fewer health and safety protections in rooming houses, and discriminatory leasing and tenancy practices that favour high-income earning families/students.

For low-income individuals, it acts as a preventative barriers to attending studies, and is a driving force in informal economies. Combined wihtt he lack of municipal regulatory regimes to govenr/ensure that residents are protected, tenants and/or residents are often displaced.

Whether the reason for displacement is related to fire hazards, overcrowding, and/or unsafe and untenable living ocntiions, resident living in non-permissable mut-tenant (rooming) houses are subject to significantly higher risks of displacement.

YCHA is an organization founded upon individual lived experiences. We are people learning from the experiences of other residents to create a safer, cleaner, more inclusive, and more accommodating home for everyone in the York Community.

We focus on utilizing our collective voice as community members and neighbours to fight the precarious housing/living conditions A.K.A the "Housing Crunch". People need access to safe, clean, inclusive, and affordable places to live - YCHA is a pushing towards opening-up that access for everyone.

If you can remember, YCHA grew out of the work that folks in YVHA started — YCHA is simply an expansion of their community organizing and community outreach efforts to the rest of the York Community!

YCHA focuses on harnessing the collective voices of students, residents, homeowners and landlord in the York Community to lobby the city and city councillors for action on housing.

Our goal is to funnel the issues surrounding safe, clean and secure housing in the York Community directly to the public and municipal authorities.

How Does YCHA help?

1. By identifying the injustices that affect residents/students living in the York Community;

2. By providing personal guidance, support and solutions to challenge injustice;

3. By raising awareness and addressing ongoing issues with housing in the City of Toronto, The Village @ York University, the QUAD @ York, and York Grad/Undergrad Residence;

4. By educating and empowering students/residents and landlords on their rights and responsibilities as per the Landlord and Tenant Act, and Provincial and Municipal By-Laws;

5. By supporting residents living in and/or seeking to leave precarious, unsafe, and/or untenable living and housing conditions on a case-by-case basis.