He has to sleep in his son's bedroom. How a Mississauga motion could help families like his

Raheel Patel sleeps on a bunk bed in a one-bedroom Mississauga apartment because he can't find a reasonably priced two-bedroom unit for him and his teenage son.

The single father, who settled in the city six years ago, is well-educated and considers himself well-known in the local arts community, having just finished a stint at the Art Gallery of Mississauga. But as a freelancer, he lives contract-to-contract and doesn't have a high income — and he says searching through the few affordable multi-bedroom units in Mississauga has been discouraging.

"I've seen people live, like, in a rat hole … in the basement, like, eight people," he said. He describes another basement apartment he looked at with bedrooms the size of small bathrooms. 

With most of the few two-bedroom units he's seen listed at $2,300 or more and after being told affordable units have nearly a decade-long waiting list in the city, he feels at a loss as to how to find a better living situation. In an effort to give his son his own space, he's given him the unit's one bedroom, sharing the space with him only for sleeping.

"I'm sinking," he said.

But a motion Mississauga city council passed this week has given him hope. Councillors have asked staff to prepare a report on the feasibility of mandating either a minimum number of units with two or more bedrooms in new developments or a maximum number of smaller units, such as bachelor apartments or one bedroom units. The proposal would also set a minimum size for two- and three-bedroom units.

Patel loves the idea of being close enough to work or his son's school to walk and he hopes more supply will bring down prices to something families like his can afford. 

'There is a demand'

Coun. Stephen Dasko, who put forward the motion, says families like Patel's, or higher-income households ready to downsize, are exactly who the proposed changes seek to help.

Dasko says his office is hearing "an awful lot of demand" from families looking for more housing options, but at the same time he's seen too many recent developments where most of the units are studios or one-bedrooms. He says he's concerned too many condo units are currently "investor units," smaller spaces easier to sell and to flip that leave families wanting.

"It's not practical or healthy for anybody to be raising a family in an environment like that," he said, yet he says he's seen recent developments approved in his ward where only three per cent of units have three bedrooms.

Naama Blonder, an architect and urban planner with a firm called Smart Density, says she's also hopeful the motion will provide families with the living space they need. 

"Policy should be the last solution we choose," she said. "But given how badly the market responded to that need … this is kind of our last solution."

She says getting this right in Mississauga is about more than just building more bedrooms, it's also about adding more kid-friendly amenities like stroller parking, play areas or places teens can do homework. 

While Mississauga was once a bedroom community, it is becoming more urban and housing options that reflect new desires from families haven't caught up yet, she says.

"There is a demand from families who are not willing to commute everywhere," she said, "but developers don't really do what they're supposed to do and come up with a product to meet that demand."

But others aren't so sure the motion is a good idea.

"I am not comfortable with mandating and coming up with a number [of larger units],"  Coun. Dipika Damerla told CBC Toronto.

"I don't think it would work."

Damerla says she believes if there is a huge demand for larger units it will be in the developers' self interest to build them. She says if there are other barriers, the city should work collaboratively with builders to work through any stumbling blocks.

One of those barriers is the time high-rises take to get built, says Eric Lombardi of the housing advocacy group More Neighbours Toronto.

"There aren't actually that many interested buyers in three-bedroom units for how long these developments take," he said. Lombardi says families need good housing solutions more quickly.

Bilal Akhtar, his colleague at More Neighbours, says Toronto's similar guidelines offer some warnings for Mississauga. He says multi-bedroom units don't always mean more families, noting that in many Toronto units, two single people often live as roommates to save  money. He also cautions that more regulations could push developers out of Mississauga and build apartments in other cities.

But community advocate Rahul Mehta says the change would be a small positive step to help more families stay in Mississauga, one of few cities that saw a decline in population between the 2016 and 2021 census.

"A lot of reasons why newcomers are leaving the city after coming here is because they can't afford to make what would be considered an upgrade to a larger space," he said.

He says he'd like to see more efforts to ensure more of these family units are truly affordable, though increasing supply is a step.

"When you can't afford it, everything else starts to be put aside," Mehta said.

With new builds still years in the making, he says, the motion is "too little, too late" for many.