CALLING 0N GOVERNMENT TO ADDRESS THE HOUSING CRISIS
WITH TRULY AFFORDABLE HOUSING
TO:
Rick Phillips, Hastings County, warden@hastingscounty.com
Erin Rivers, Hastings County, riverse@hastingscounty.com
Jamie Osmond, Hastings County, osmondj@hastingscounty.com
Suzanne Ritchie Raymond, Hastings County, RaymondS@hastingscounty.com
Derek Sloan, MP, Hastings Lennox & Addington, Derek.Sloan@parl.gc.ca
Daryl Kramp, MPP, Hastings Lennox & Addington, daryl.kramp@pc.ola.org
Todd Smith, Ministry of Social Services, Ontario todd.smithco@pc.ola.org
Paul Jenkins, Mayor, Bancroft, pjenkins@bancroft.ca, Clerk- lsauter@bancroft.ca
Bonnie Adams, Mayor, Carlow/Mayo - bonnieadams@carlowmayo.ca, clerk@carlowmayo.ca
Dennis Purcell, Mayor, Faraday - djpurcell@faraday.ca, Clerk - d.switzer@faraday.ca
Tracy Faragalli Hagar, Mayor, Hastings Highlands - thagar@hastingshighlands.ca, Clerk - shuschilt@hastingshighlands.ca
Lynn Kruger, Mayor, Wollaston - lkruger@wollaston.ca, Clerk - clerk@wollaston.ca
Bob Mullin, Mayor, Stirling-Rawdon -mayor@stirling-rawdon.com, Clerk - clerk@stirling-rawdon.com
Libby Clarke, Mayor, Tudor & Cashel - mayor@tudorandcashel.com, Clerk -clerk@tudorandcashel.com
CC:
Sean Lee-Popham, Bancroft Community Family Health Team, slee-popham@bancroftfht.com>
Dr Ashley White, ashley.white@medportal.ca
Jeffrey MacKinnon, Ontario Provincial Police, jeffrey.mackinnon@opp.ca
Phil Spry, Springale Developments, Spryz2003@yahoo.ca
Dr Ellen Buck-McFadyen - ellenbuckmcfadyen@trentu.ca
Dear Leaders and Supporters,
The Housing Committee of North Hastings Community Trust is making here a formal request that at least 25 percent of all new rental apartment constructions or rehabilitations in North Hastings be allocated some form of rent supplement or rent-geared-to-income funding. We know of at least 2 upcoming such builds: the Community Hub & the Fountain Hill Development.
Our understanding is that in the current plan for the Bancroft Library/Community Hub some rental units will only be designated ‘affordable’. The 2019/2020 County Housing and Homelessness plan annual report tells us that, as of Dec. 2019, 1/6 (15.4%) of Hastings County residents were in core housing need, such that their housing costs are more than 30% of their income (p. 6). As of Dec. 2019, there were 306 households on the Bancroft subsidized housing list, 64 of them with special priority (p. 9). This number has only increased in the subsequent year.
Section 5.1 of the 10-year Hastings County Housing & Homelessness plan starts the recommendations section with the need to follow a ‘Housing First’ principle, to assist people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness “to quickly access safe, affordable and stable housing,” (p. 50). To this and related ends, section 2.8.3 of the Hastings County Official Plan has a target of a minimum 25 % rental units in new construction of 25 units or more being affordable to low-income or moderate-income people (p. 31).
The contemporary funder definition of “affordable” as being 80% of market rent is not sufficient to achieve this goal. Those units will simply be too expensive for most people in need.
We all well know that demand far outstrips supply of rental units in our community, so market value rents here are very high compared to the incomes people have. The only way low-income people will be able to access this new housing is through rent-geared-to-income subsidy or rent supplements for which they are eligible. Thus, we need rent program commitments to get us to true affordability.
We know that you are well-aware of the housing crisis in our community. It has become worse over the years as governments have invested less and less in social housing. Our Committee is heartened to see that all levels of government and many community groups want to work together to make real progress now.
We would appreciate a substantive response, in writing. We are happy to provide more information or attend meetings, if that would be helpful to you all making the commitment we request.
Thank you.
Kind regards,
Housing Committee, North Hastings Community Trust
Sheila Wilmot, Co-ordinator, sheila.wilmot@gmail.com
Jane Kali, nhcommunitytrust@gmail.com
Victoria Burke, victoria.nhcommunitytrust@gmail.com
Candace Leuschner, nhctleuschner@gmail.com
Sue Zielinski, zielinski.sue@gmail.com
Shaun Sellers, shaun.sellers@mail.mcgill.ca
"Nothing About Us Without Us"
“Nothing about us without us“ (Latin: “Nihil de nobis, sine nobis”) is a slogan used to communicate the idea that no policy
should be decided by any representative without the full and direct participation of members the group(s) affected by that policy.
PO Box 1615, Bancroft, ON K0L 1C0
nhcommunitytrust@gmail.com
www.nhct.ca