With Thanks to the City of Toronto
WomanACT extends our sincere thanks to the City of Toronto for its support throughout our time as a member of the Housing Rights Advisory Committee (HRAC), whose inaugural term came to a close last month.
HRAC was established by Toronto City Council in March 2023 as a new Council Advisory Body, created to ensure that the interests and needs of those with living or lived experience of housing precarity, discrimination and homelessness are reflected in City policies, programs and service delivery. WomanACT was proud to serve on this first cohort of members and to help shape the Committee’s work from the ground up.
Over the course of the term, HRAC advised City Council directly on policies, programs and decision-making affecting the right to adequate housing, bringing forward the perspectives of people with living and lived experience of housing precarity, discrimination and homelessness. The Committee also supported the City’s engagement with equity-deserving communities to identify systemic barriers to housing, and made recommendations to Council on barriers falling outside the City’s own jurisdiction. For WomanACT, that meant ensuring the housing experiences of women and survivors of gender-based violence were part of the Committee’s advice to Council: the barriers they face in securing safe housing, the conditions they too often endure to keep it, and the information they need to advocate for themselves.
We were pleased to see the City launch its new Rental Building Violation and Inspections Database, which reflects the Committee’s shared priorities around tenant rights, housing safety, transparency, and accountability. Tools like this one strengthen tenants’ ability to make informed decisions about where they live, an important foundation for safety and independence.
As this first term concludes, we are grateful to City Council, City staff, and our fellow Committee members for their commitment to this work, and we look forward to continued collaboration in advancing housing rights across Toronto.
In solidarity,
Harmy Mendoza,
Executive Director
WomanACT
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