Affordable Housing First

I wrote this article for Kamloops This Week on the heals of the discussion of the 6 sites in Kamloops that are being considered for rezoning and use for affordable housing:

BC Housing works with Non-Profit Agencies who can own and/or operate housing by partnering through funding and Housing Agreements.  BC Housing is aware of the growing need for affordable housing and is partnering with municipalities to ensure that adequate housing is developed.  The City of Kamloops has been working hard to ensure that they are doing their part to ensure that affordable housing is available for everyone.  The planning department has been weighing options and identifying opportunities for cost-effective and well-suited housing developments.  Creative ideas from municipalities about reducing Land Acquisition Costs, foregoing Development Cost Charges, and expediting Development Applications all help BC Housing and Non-Profit Housing Providers reduce their start-up costs.

Start-up costs are just the beginning when it comes to affordable housing.  The new Housing First Model requires that people live in permanent housing rather than shelters, and this permanent housing requires on-going supports.  24 hour, live-in care is the new norm for housing people of specific needs like mental health and addictions.  The costs of providing supports outweighs the capital costs of building housing, and is just as important as the construction of the building itself.  It is ongoing support that ensures the success of new housing projects; it is the contact with empathetic, skilled workers that ensures people continue on their chosen path to self-sufficiency.

It is not just people with Mental Health or Addiction issues who require Affordable Housing.  Senior Citizens and Youth are two of the fastest growing demographics of homelessness;   Families and Single Parents are more and more often faced with losing their homes as well.  Diverse solutions must address the needs of a variety of people, and the best way to ensure this is possible is by allocating varied housing sites that have good access to amenities like transit.  Weaving small housing sites into successful neighbourhoods ensures that no area of our community becomes stigmatized, and helps the people who live in the new housing integrate into the community.

Permanent supported housing is the best decision for all members of the community, not just the people who will live in the new housing.  Permanent housing costs 5 times less than people cycling through the shelter system.  Infilling the existing urban area reduces the need for new infrastructure, it promotes a healthy walking lifestyle for everyone, and costs our whole community less. Densifying neighbourhoods makes infrastructure like transit more feasible for everyone.  When we find stable supported housing for those who need it, there can be more affordable market rental housing available for people like students who may not need supported housing or treatment programs, but who are often in danger of becoming homeless as well.  When we help people who are cycling in and out of shelters become more stable we help the whole community become more stable.  The Kamloops Homelessness Action Plan is proud to be able to work with the City of Kamloops to continue to develop innovative solutions to affordable housing.