Make a Submission to the Federal Housing Advocate

The right to adequate housing is a human right for everyone in Canada. Many people in Canada live in housing that does not meet basic standards, and many do not have a place to live at all.

The Federal Housing Advocate receives submissions from the public on systemic housing issues and unmet housing needs across Canada.

If you have experienced homelessness or had problems with your housing, you can make a submission to the Advocate. Sharing your experience will help the Advocate drive change and advance the right to housing for all in Canada.

Submissions will also be accepted by email or mail, using a downloadable form [PDF format 202KB].

The Advocate does not provide individual assistance. If you need help with a housing problem please click here.

How you can help?

One of the Advocate’s roles is to amplify the voices of those impacted by inadequate housing and homelessness. Your submission will help the Advocate better understand systemic housing issues in Canada.

Sharing your experiences will help the Advocate:

  • Make recommendations to the government and other decision-makers to improve Canada’s housing laws, policies and programs
  • Raise awareness on the most common and critical housing issues people are facing
  • Hold governments to account on their obligations to address housing need and homelessness across Canada
  • Drive change on key systemic housing issues and advance the right to housing for all in Canada.

The Advocate does not provide individual assistance. If you need help with a housing problem click here.

About the form

The form will take about 15 minutes to complete.

There are four important parts to the submission form:

  • The submission form will ask you a series of questions about your experiences with inadequate housing or homelessness. There is an option you can select to fill out the form as an individual or submit an issue as an Association, NGO or Organization.
  • The form will ask you about how you would like your housing concerns resolved.
  • The form will also ask you some socio-economic information. This information about yourself will help us better understand how inadequate housing and homelessness affect certain people more often or differently. Providing information on your personal circumstances is optional, however, it is very helpful if you do choose to provide it.
  • We will also ask you for your contact information. The Advocate can refer important housing issues to the National Housing Council, which will form a review panel and hold a hearing to examine the issue. If your issue is selected to be referred to the National Housing Council, we will contact you to tell you about this and provide you with more information at that time.

Information gathered as part of the survey will be used in compliance with the Privacy Act. It will also be reported to Parliament and the National Housing Council. Any identifiable or private information will remain confidential.

How do I complete my submission
  • Begin answering the questions, and use the navigation buttons (Next, Previous) to move forward or backward through the form.
  • Use the help button (?) if you are unsure of how to answer a question.
  • Most questions require a response in the form, but there is always the option to click *prefer not to answer*, should you wish to not answer a question.
  • Many sections in the form will invite you to provide additional information in the *please explain* boxes that you consider important. Providing any information is voluntary.
  • The session will time out after 20 minutes of inactivity, and all entered information will be saved.
  • Use the Submit button at the end of the questionnaire to submit the completed questionnaire to the Office of the Federal Housing Advocate
  • Make note of your confirmation number and you will be sent a confirmation email.

If you are completing a submission form, you can use the Save and finish later option to save your information and return to complete the questionnaire at a later time. This function also allows the Office of the Federal Housing Advocate provide you information at a later date about your submission.

Submissions will also be accepted by email or mail, using a downloadable form [PDF format 202KB].

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