Toronto is now so unaffordable that charities are helping people with six figure incomes

Toronto has become so overpriced to live in that even people who are earning what most would consider a decent salary are unable to afford the cost of living here — especially when it comes to the dream of purchasing a house.

Habitat for Humanity, the Canadian non-profit organization that helps those in need secure a home of their own, has found more and more people of higher incomes qualifying for its affordable home ownership model, which promises fewer barriers for individuals who wouldn't be able to get a mortgage otherwise.

One key barrier is the sheer cost of mortgage payments and property taxes, which the charity keeps low, at or below 30 per cent of a household's gross income for those it helps. Homes through Habitat for Humanity also don't require a down payment.

But, given the currently high interest rates and ridiculous real estate prices in cities like Toronto, households bringing in $100,000 per year are now turning to the organization for help.

I read that Habitat For Humanity has had to raise the ceiling of eligibility in some cases to >100K as homeownership becomes more unobtainable for Canadians.

— #USProxyWar, of choice. Z! (@HiwattPete) July 25, 2023

As Habitat CEO Julia Deans told the Star this week, people in stable jobs  perceived as impressive and well-paying are now finding themselves incapable of affording the things someone in their position historically would have in the GTA, such as property.

As an example, she shared the story of a hospital worker in the area who wasn't making enough to keep living in the area where she worked, and who was considering losing her job to move elsewhere.

"This was a woman who had been living in rentals in really, really bad conditions. That's an example of somebody that we might have assumed, in the past, would have been able to make it, but they’re in deep trouble now," Deans told the outlet,  calling the new trend "a sign of the times."

In response to the news, people are calling out the Canadian government, saying the nation somehow needs to get affordability under control if people who earn enough to make the Sunshine List require such supports to own a home.

Never in my 35 year working career that ended just 2 years ago did we EVER make 100k/year as a family.......Yet we were able to raise and homeschool 6 kids and were able to stop working outside the home at 55. Canada truly is broken under @JustinTrudeau .

— Tim Chapman (@earloflondon) August 14, 2023

Meanwhile, the millions of Torontonians who long ago gave up on the ever having a residence of their own are finding it nearly impossible to even rent in the city now that you need to pay $1,300 just to have a bedroom in a shared apartment.