- by Carol Merton

The housing crisis, income insecurity and the impacts relating to climate change are all intertwined. These issues which were present before today have been made significantly worse by the pandemic and global economics. They affect the most vulnerable and disadvantaged in our community.

A housing solution platform needs many parts working together to play a part in finding, implementing and supporting housing solutions that will sustain our communities for future generations. This includes Federal, Provincial, Upper Tier County municipalities, Lower Tier municipalities like Owen Sound and the local Community. Housing is not the sole responsibility of one single level of government but is shared between all the levels of government who must work together with the community to look for innovative solutions in this complex situation. Housing for all means we all have a part to play!

Municipalities can help communities to use social finance approaches to increase the supply of affordable housing by housing planning for community economic sustainability, building collaborative approaches including private /public partnerships and recognizing social financing models and leveraging funds/assets.

What might be our options? I have gathered information from a variety of housing task force recommendations, workshops and webinars I have attended, articles I researched and the housing group of the Institute of Southern Georgian Bay that I participate in.

These are options I thought could align with Owen Sound, to help move the dial towards “civic hope” that there are options still to be considered.

• look at community land trusts and shared equity to create new social financing models.

• consider community bonds, products and services geared towards affordable housing based on the CMHC definition.

• link with the Community Foundations and other organizations for grants and other funding source options.

• encourage individual and group philanthropic land donations designated and dedicated to be used specifically for attainable and affordable housing.

• explore the possibility of partnerships with organizations that are seeking extra revenue and/or long-term value from land they already own. These might include faith communities, Legions, institutions, municipalities, not-for-profits and co-op housing.

• link with organizations with a proven track record and effective housing build models such as Habitat for Humanity to explore and create models that could work for our local needs.

• link with educational institutions to discuss solutions and initiatives for student housing.

• link with employers and the Chamber of Commerce to consider employment housing for the key human resources, recruitment strategies, skills and trades we need for economic growth, development and sustainability of our community.

• consider options for collaborative funding application grants between organizations and institutions for programs and financial supports within present and future program budget allocations.

• explore who else needs to be part of this housing conversation. This could include developers, especially those who have within their business mission statement or purpose the idea of social development in communities, real estate associations, financial experts, economic development advisors, and builders.

• re-evaluate our land use policy, bylaws and regulatory standards with the lens of possibilities and change strategies

• explore available options regarding charges, property taxes, land leasing arrangements, use of surplus land or underutilized City owned buildings

• consider reallocation some of the City budget to increase the Community Improvement Plan grants available to support affordable housing retrofits, tiny homes and mixed use development.

• access other municipal, provincial and federal fiscal tools as current and future regulations allow to offer incentives if a percentage of affordable housing and rental builds is part of every new or repurposed development proposal and maintained as affordable over a specified time frame.

• consider an Owen Sound Community Housing Action Group to create the community forum for sharing of ideas, resources, shared housing strategies, local housing initiatives, implementation strategies and networking possibilities for local stakeholders, knowledge keepers, those with lived experience, our youth and those who have expertise in community housing like Habitat for Humanity and social services agencies who do not currently have a voice or representation on other housing forums.

Let’s look at what others have successfully initiated and ask the questions -Why not us? Why not here?

We can we ignite the conversation forums to unlock our community potential. We can change attitudes and approaches to find achievable solutions to the housing crisis. Our community’s sustainable future depends on it.

Carol Merton has been an Owen Sound City Councillor since 2018 and is standing for re-election in this municipal election.