The Green Timberwolf

Affordable Housing For All!

Blogged By: Ian, Mackenzie, Brandon and Matt

The Federal Government of Canada revealed a plan to help low-income families find affordable housing this week. The plan is expected to cost $40-billion over the next 10 years. After visiting the David Busby Centre (a local drop in centre) and talking to many of their administrative staff, one of the main messages that we took away from our conversations was how serious the need for affordable housing is. There are 1.7 million Canadians that don’t have access to adequate housing. There is no doubt this is an issue that needs to be addressed.  One of the things that support centre’s focus on is getting people in tough situations back on their feet and supporting themselves. One of the most important things that they try to do is get them a place to live if they don't already have one. There are very few options for these people that are living off welfare or other government grants. What the government is trying to do is create more options that can fit the need of low income individuals and families. They will also introduce some additional benefits for low-income tenants.

So what does affordable housing look like? Well it can look like a number of different things. One program in Barrie, Ontario is converting an old motel (image 2) into apartment units. Most affordable housing units are newly built and are typically apartment style. The biggest challenge for providing this type of housing is that it is often too expensive to build residential buildings especially in highly populated urban areas where they are most useful. This is why the Government needs to invest so much money for these residents to become readily available.

This announcement has been met with a mixed reaction from housing experts, politicians, and the public. The Liberal Party's competition see the plan as ‘timid’, saying this is not enough to make a big enough impact. Many think this plan will do great things for many people all over the country. This is definitely an issue that the government has put off for far too long. I don’t think this will solve the problem in its entirety, but it is definitely a good place to start.

Works Cited

“Ontario to Table Legislation to Ensure Access to Affordable Housing.” muskoka411.Com, 15 Mar. 2016, muskoka411.com/start/ontario-to-table-legislation-to-ensure-access-to-affordable-housing/.

Watt, Laurie. “Simcoe County Still Talking with Hotel Owner for Wrap-around Project.” BarrieToday.com, BarrieToday.com, 17 Aug. 2017, www.barrietoday.com/local-news/simcoe-county-still-talking-with-hotel-owner-for-wrap-around-project-697914.