The Affordable Housing Dilemma

The term “affordable housing’ seems to be a catch all phrase for anything from subsidized rent, to housing that seniors on a fixed income can afford, to  assorted projects that can help first time home owners . Let’s leave the “seniors housing” out of this for a moment and talk about the future of our town – the young. When local voters mention “affordable housing” do they mean housing purchased at a low cost or do they mean a project where rent is subsidized in one form or another? To me “affordable housing” is the first where “low cost housing” is the second.

Both types have problems to overcome and benefits to be gained. To develop a project that could entice our young people back to The Pass, dangling the carrot of owning their own home is appealing. The administration for either type of project could be a nightmare if incorrectly undertaken. Those who really need the help and show the willingness to work for it, may lose out if a very stringent set of criteria are not set well in advance.  

One idea for “affordable housing” that has been presented runs as follows: A group of semi detached housing units are built and sold to qualified buyers (these qualification could be any number of things including income, down payment, etc.) with conditions attached. Things like maximum resale price achievable and only selling to another qualified buyer. It is really nothing more than a stepping stone to standard home ownership. Could it work? Maybe but only if the will is there. It would most certainly take a combined effort between Council, private business and those that would gain from such a project.

Low cost housing on the other where rents are subsidized creates a whole different set of problems and would have to be studied and undertaken only if it did not create a burden on the taxpayer. How much of a need actually exists, I don’t know nor do I have all the answers

In the case of low cost seniors housing work would have to be done with federal and provincial counterparts to expand program already in place.

It gives us all something to think on.