Presented by Councillor Carol Merton at Monday's council meeting:
At the risk of restating the obvious, a housing and rental affordability and availability crisis is upon us. This is a complex issue with no simple quick or easy solutions. It requires us, as municipal leaders, to work with many sectors, including the county and the larger community, to accept our leadership responsibility and be willing to roll up our sleeves to be part of a comprehensive, ongoing solution.
An Owen Sound Municipal Housing Plan could increase the quantity of healthy and affordable housing, propose incentives and investment options to bring underutilized, vacant and abandoned stock back online as affordable housing and remove the barriers to creative housing options by modifying zoning and other bylaws within the legislation regulations.
A Housing Plan for Owen Sound can ensure that there is no wrong door for people experiencing housing inadequacy, no matter their age, gender, cultural identity or circumstance. Working with community agencies, organizations, realtors and developers with mutual knowledge of who does what and understanding each other’s capacities and limitations will create a “can do” culture to provide housing and support services in a transparent, supportive and culturally safe way.
A Municipal Housing Plan would ensure that city transportation strategies are aligned with housing needs and availability and enables people to consider housing options anywhere in the city.
I believe it is critical that this city council unlock the levers of change to look for potential solutions beyond our usual boundaries. We must look at key partnerships, municipal assets we control such as land, policy and regulatory changes and all the tools we have available to us as a city.
A Municipal Housing Plan can include innovative ownership models such as shared equity, cohousing and community land trusts. It can propose innovative financial models such as municipal bonds as well as products and services geared towards affordable housing. It can seek develop a stronger connection between municipal, provincial and federal programs, bringing together housing developers and providers, investors and financial institutions to create housing units available for everyone.
All of us around this table can play a part in seeking a solution. An Owen Sound Municipal Housing Plan can establish the framework for housing as a critical part of the foundation for well-being and development in our city.
It can not be done for us. It must be done by us.
