The need for more affordable housing on the Sunshine Coast is apparent. Just ask anyone who attended a public forum last Saturday.
The housing committee of the Sunshine Coast Social Planning Council invited the public to attend an affordable housing meeting at the Seaside Centre on April 22, where participants had a chance to review the research results of a recent housing study and learn about the next stage in the development of a regional strategy.
According to the executive summary released at the forum, the entire Sunshine Coast is experiencing a dramatic rise in property values and rental costs and a shortage of rental accommodation.
"At the same time, the local economy is shifting away from high wage resource sector jobs in forestry and fishing to low wage service-based employment," said the report. "Migration from the Lower Mainland and elsewhere is fueling the demand for housing, and the loss of high paying jobs for Coastal residents is hampering some local residents' ability to afford the resulting rising prices."
There were approximately 1,700 Sunshine Coast households in core housing need in 2001. Core housing need refers to households living in accommodation that does not meet standards of adequacy, suitability or affordability and who have no other options.
"Given the changes in the real estate and rental market that have occurred since 2001, the number of households in need on the Coast should be viewed as minimum," said the report. "It is doubtful that rising incomes have kept pace with the cost of housing."
"Overall, even five years ago, affordable housing wasn't such a big issue, but it's getting bigger," said Jean Bennett, regional affordable housing strategy committee chair in her opening remarks at the forum. "Today is an opportunity to bring everyone up to speed and get everyone involved so that we have the greatest potential to address the problems and needs here on the Sunshine Coast."
Following a housing forum in Sechelt in January 2005, the planning council saw the need for a regional housing strategy on the Sunshine Coast to help provide an organized approach to housing issues.
The housing committee of the social planning council, in partnership with Sunshine Coast Community Services and Community Futures of the Sunshine Coast, obtained funding to undertake the development of a regional affordable housing strategy. A project manager and consultants were hired in the late fall of 2005, and a technical advisory group that included planners from the Town of Gibsons, District of Sechelt and the Sunshine Coast Regional District was formed to provide guidance.
Margaret Eberle and Jim Woodward were the consultants hired to develop the strategy. Both were on hand Saturday to present the key findings and offer some examples of affordable housing on the Coast, such as Habitat for Humanity.
Eberle presented a table that showed the population groups that were identified as having the greatest need for affordable housing on the Coast. The options were identified by the consultants based on feedback from forum participants in January, stakeholders' interviews for the housing needs assessment and the housing committee of the social planning council.
For low income renters, non-market rentals and secondary suites/dwellings are needed. For people with special needs, supportive housing and secondary suites/dwellings are needed. For young families, affordable market housing and secondary suites/dwellings are needed. For seniors with support, affordable market housing and supportive housing is needed. And for homeless people, non-market rentals, supportive housing and seasonal emergency shelters are needed."The assessment provides estimates of current and future needs of those population groups that are experiencing difficulty in accessing affordable housing," said Bennett. "The consultants have also undertaken a review of initiatives that have been developed by communities elsewhere to address affordable housing issues, including ideas for the participation of local governments and the use of land and housing trusts. This will take time. Housing does not happen overnight. We need everyone in the community, including all our local governments, to get on board."
The housing committee will continue to work with the consultants to develop an inventory of potential sites for affordable housing and will review local government policies related to affordable housing, so they can proceed with the next steps in the strategy.
Copies of the complete report will be emailed to everyone who attended the meeting. It will also be posted on the Internet soon and be made available at local libraries for the public to review.
