"Pressure on Homeless shelters evidence of bigger problem" CFJC-TV

Thanks so much for the coverage last week on the cold weather, shelters, and the need for affordable housing CFJC-TV news!

http://cfjctv.com/story.php?id=16988

My Place opens! Filling the Gaps in Community Services

Check out the great coverage from the North Shore Echo on Nov 6th!


http://issuu.com/northshoreecho/docs/dte_november_6?e=3401756/5524678

Affordable housing forum on Nov. 14

Kamloops This Week Nov 5th - Dale Bass

Kamloops This Week Article:

Ottawa hears the ‘nitty gritty’ on Kamloops homeless Dale Bass, August 28th 2013, Kamloops This Week

On July 23, members of the Homelessness Action Plan (HAP) leadership council were listening to Kamloops MP Cathy McLeod talk about the federal government’s involvement in addressing the social issue.

As she wrapped up, said HAP co-ordinator Tangie Genshorek, McLeod told the group that, with a new MP in the role of minister of state for social development, “she should bring her here to find out what we’re doing.”

A bit more than month later, on Monday, Aug. 26, Candice Bergen and McLeod met again with the leadership group, augmented by members of the city’s working group on homelessness, to talk about the issue and what is being done in Kamloops to alleviate it.

“She wanted to hear the nitty-gritty,” Genshorek said, “She wanted details, not just policy ideas.”
Bergen was particularly interested in the city’s rent bank, which was started in February and provides small low-interest loans to people in crisis who need the assistance to stay in their housing or pay utilities in arrears.

“She wanted to hear the specifics of the kinds of problems we face,” Genshorek said.

 

Check out the Kamloops Daily News Article that came out when the National Housing Survey was released! :

http://www.kamloopsnews.ca/article/20130912/KAMLOOPS0101/130919956/-1/kamloops/stats-point-to-housing-crunch

Many messages in housing-needs report

By Dale Bass - Kamloops This Week
Published: May 09, 2013 12:00 PM
Updated: May 09, 2013 12:30 PM
 
A new report on housing needs in Kamloops comes with many messages.
However, if there's one message its co-ordinator wants people to pay attention to, it's the need for rental housing.

Tanie Genshorek, co-ordinator of the Kamloops Homelessness Action Plan (HAP), wants people to realize the marginalized don't need more shelters — they need a hand up to get started in reclaiming their lives.

Finding real housing is one major step, she said, and adding 1,632 private-market rental units would go a long way in doing this.

The report also notes the city needs another 99 units of temporary supported housing — 120 of permanent subsidized housing and 371 or entry-level ownership (houses that can be purchased for $240,000 or less).

The anticipated additional need in each category in 2025, with the current supply in brackets, includes: 120 (187) temporary supported, 144 (448) permanent subsidized and 1,935 ( 7,421) private-market rental.

"We need to move away from thinking of housing for a particular people," Genshorek said, "and think about the continuum we can provide to help people."
The continuum acknowledges various types of homelessness from the constant to the episodic to the at-risk.

Entry-level home ownership was addressed briefly in the study to acknowledge the reality having access to entry-level housing for the working poor who can save a down payment might be all those people need to break the cycle they are at risk of sinking into for longer periods of time.

The report links the various forms of housing to revenue, noting temporary supported and permanent subsidized would be from free to $375 a month, private-market rental would range from $400 to $600 and entry-level ownership would require an after-taxes income of $29,000 as a benchmark and a monthly total mortgage payment of $725.

The report comes with several recommendations Genshorek said she has been assured will go to city council and senior administrators at a workshop. The next one is scheduled for June.
Genshorek said her personal goal is to see the city's official and social plans developed to further recognize the need for policies that help the marginalized and homeless.

"We need to think of the big picture," she said. "We are moving away from shelters. People need housing."

A study on supportive and life skills was also released with the housing report. Genshorek said the information contained in it will be interesting to the public but have greater relevance for the agencies providing the services.

 

FEDS AIM TO PRIME ECONOMIC PUMP

22 March 2013, Kamloops Daily News

By MIKE YOUDS Daily News Staff Reporter

 
With its Canada Job Grant, new Building Canada plan and incentives for manufacturers to reinvest, the federal Conservative government hopes to prime the pump for full-scale economic recovery. 

In his budget speech on Thursday, Canada’s Finance Minister Jim Flaherty reiterated his recovery refrain — “the global economy is still fragile” — while reaching into a toolbox of measures to invigorate business and investment. A cornerstone is the Building Canada Fund — $14 billion over 10 years for infrastructure renewal. There are also incentives for taxpayers, some tax hikes and specific measures to close tax loopholes. 

At the same time, Flaherty remains committed to balancing the books by 2015, a key Tory goal in time for the next federal election, noted MP Cathy McLeod. 

She said a range of budget measures show Ottawa is heeding feedback obtained through its finance committee and economic roundtables. 

McLeod pointed to a pledge to index the annual gas tax at two per cent a year, giving local governments a firmer commitment over the long term for infrastructure expansion and renewal.
“The bigger overriding concern is what will that commitment look like, moving forward,” said Mayor Peter Milobar. “All in all, it’s something we can hopefully work with.” 

The jobs strategy offers onethird funding for training grants to employers with equal shares from the provinces and employers. 

“That’s a new way to encourage Canadians to train for jobs that are going to be available,” McLeod said. 

For the country’s still-struggling manufacturing sector, Flaherty announced an accelerated capital cost allowance. Essentially, that’s a $1.4-billion tax relief measure to invigorate the sector. 

“It certainly catches our attention because we’re in the middle of proposing a major expansion at Moly-Cop,” said Maurice Hindle, sales manager with the company in Kamloops. 

That would improve competitiveness and enhance the expansion proposal for board approval, he said. The expansion would add 35 jobs to the Kamloops workforce. 

While renewing its long-term commitment to affordable housing and countering homelessness, spending was slightly reduced. 

“It’s better than the worst-case scenario,” said Tangie Genshorek, co-ordinator of the Kamloops Homelessness Action Plan. Many advocates feared that the federal government might abandon its support entirely. 

Flaherty proposed spending $253 million over five years with matching contributions from the provinces. The money will go to new construction, renovation, home-ownership assistance, rent supplements, shelters and homes for abused spouses. 

Genshorek was disappointed the government did not create an affordable housing tax credit similar to that in the U.S., a policy she lobbied for on Parliament Hill last fall. 

“They could have gone a lot farther,” she said. “We would have seen some real change in homelessness in 10 years, but they’re doing something.” 

The budget proposes to eliminate import tariffs on sports gear and baby clothes, which would benefit consumers, said Starr Carson, a partner with KPMG in Kamloops. If the cost of importing goods goes down, so should retail prices. 

There are a lot more measures aimed at closing tax loopholes than he had expected.
“They’ve very aggressively tried to shoot down all the tax loopholes that they’ve tried to identify as abusive,” Carson said. 

He pinpointed several measures of broad interest: 

Dividend tax increase: Of interest to company owners who take dividends, the effective tax rate would climb to 21.22 per cent from 19.58 per cent for non-eligible dividends paid after 2013.
Lifetime capital gains exemption: Increased to $800,000 from $750,000 on dispositions of qualified properties as of 2014. 

Graduated tax rates on trusts: The government will consult on possible measures to eliminate tax benefits arising from taxing at graduated rates. That would affect a common tax-planning measure. 

Charitable donation tax shelters: The government wants to discourage taxpayers from these. Canada Revenue Agency will be permitted to collect half of the disputed tax when a taxpayer disputes its assessment, pending a determination of liability. 

Life insurance: The government is closing loopholes around leveraged insured annuities.
Business tax rate: As well as the manufacturing incentive, the government will extend the hiring credit for small business. 

Carson also noted the introduction of a temporary, first-time charitable donor’s tax credit to encourage young people to give. 

A first-time donor will be entitled to a 40 per cent credit for donations of $200 or less and 54 per cent for donations greater than $200 to a maximum of $1,000.