The housing crisis was particularly acute in the cities. Families unable to buy or rent houses were often forced to live in unpleasant and unsanitary trailer camps.
Homeowners were encouraged to rent out available space, but many took advantage of the situation by crowding tenants together or by accepting bribes. Under emergency shelter regulations certain areas of the country were designated as congested areas and only those who were considered essential war workers were given permits to relocate there.
To alleviate the housing shortage, prefabricated housing was introduced throughout Canada. A house like the one in this photograph could be built in eight hours at a cost of about twenty-eight hundred dollars. If it was started in the morning, the last sections of the roof could be slid into place by the afternoon.
