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At a time when families are having trouble either getting or paying mortgages and we're watching rents continue to spiral upwards in a shrinking rental market, what exactly does "affordable" housing mean?
Our politicians talk about it constantly, but they're still too often content to let market forces dictate one of the most basic of human rights — a safe, warm place for families to live. More and more families are starting to fall through the cracks of the housing market, some even needing to chose between paying the mortgage or rent and buying groceries. There must be a better way.
There are examples of dignified, affordable housing alternatives here in Canada and elsewhere if only we took off the blinders and stopped allowing developers to narrow down the choices. For example, what about the co-operative housing model where the community is collectively owned? From the '70s through the '90s, examples of this model of affordability blossomed throughout Ontario.
Here in Barrie, we have a great example from that time — the Three Links Housing Co-Operative, which has just this year collectively paid off its mortgage.
In Manitoba, B.C. and Quebec, co-operative housing is again being built as an affordable alternative with environmental sustainability, mixed income access, affordability for seniors and single-parent families as just some of their goals.
In Toronto, by partnering with a condo developer, one co-operative could see as many as 600 affordable units alongside a more traditional building. Existing co-operatives are being rethought to provide intensification, more homes on existing sites and the upgrading of aging units.
This is just one model of creative thinking and there are many others that need to be explored and considered.
These are the kind of ideas we want to discuss as a community at our affordable housing forum at the Barrie City Hall Rotunda from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 25.
Our mayor, Alex Nuttall, has agreed to join us. Mayor Nuttall recently congratulated Three Links on paying off their mortgage. Simcoe County's general manager of social and community services, Mina Fayez-Baghat, is joining us, too. Rounding off our panel of speakers is Celia Chandler, the deputy executive director of the Co-Operative Housing Federation of Toronto.
The federation is composed of 175 non-profit co-ops representing more than 50,000 people. We believe that with a panel like this and community participation, great ideas will abound.
Carol Phillips
Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW), Barrie and District
