[homeles_ot-l] FW: All eyes on Sault Ste Marie as Ontario launches provincial housing consultation

[Lynne Browne]

FYI . . . Lynne Browne

Coordinator, Alliance to End Homelessness (ATEH)

147 Besserer St., Ottawa, ON K1N 6A7

613-241-7913, ext. 205

HYPERLINK "http://www.endhomelessnessottawa.ca/"www.endhomelessnessottawa.ca

   _____  

From: Michael Shapcott [mailto:Michael at wellesleyinstitute.com] 
Sent: June 15, 2009 3:17 PM
To: Michael Shapcott
Subject: All eyes on Sault Ste Marie as Ontario launches provincial housing
consultation

 

Please copy, post and distribute…

 

All eyes will be on Sault Ste Marie on Tuesday as the Ontario government
launches the first regional meeting of its long-promised province-wide
consultation for a comprehensive new affordable housing plan. The Housing
Network of Ontario is working with Soo-based housing and homelessness
advocates to ensure that the initial meeting focuses on the real housing
needs of the people of Sault Ste Marie and the real housing solutions. For
more information on the Housing Network of Ontario, and the provincial
consultations, click HYPERLINK "http://stableandaffordable.com/"here.
 
“The best and most effective provincial affordable housing plan is built
from the community up,” says Michael Shapcott, of the Wellesley Institute,
co-chair of the HNO. “The Sault Ste Marie rental market report, released
last week, shows rents rising faster than inflation, and the number of
vacant units dropping. The Sault has lost more than 100 single occupancy
rooms in the past two years – the only housing that is truly affordable to
low-income single people. Meanwhile, there are 1,051 households on the local
affordable housing waiting list, an increase every month since the start of
the year. While specific conditions are different in every part of Ontario,
the affordable housing disaster in the Soo looks a lot like the crisis
facing low, moderate and middle-income households across Ontario: Lack of
adequate supply, unaffordable rents, urgent need for programs and services.”
 
“There’s plenty of bad news when it comes to affordable housing, but the
good news is that there are practical and effective strategies,” says Yutaka
Dirks, of the Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario, co-chair of the HNO. “The
Housing Network of Ontario’s housing declaration sets out four key
priorities and has been endorsed by 75 provincial and local organizations
and 170 individuals since it was launched one week ago. Our partners at the
provincial and local levels have plenty of practical and pragmatic housing
solutions that include changes to existing laws and regulations to create
and maintain affordable homes, and new funding for new homes and for a
universal housing benefit, plus programs and services aimed at the high cost
of energy, along with the urgent need to prevent the tens of thousands of
economic evictions across Ontario annually.”
 
“Sault Ste Marie is in the grips of a full-fledged housing disaster,” says
Paul Frolich, a Sault-based housing advocate. “We have plenty of local
housing solutions, including repairing and rehabilitating run-down
buildings, but we need the province to become a full partner. The Cavalry
Christian Centre one of our local SOR providers is teetering on the brink of
closure, which means the loss of another 23 desperately-needed rooms. We
cannot wait two years for a complete and detailed provincial plan. We need
some practical support today that can be used as the foundation for a
provincial plan.”

 

-          Michael

 

***

 

Michael Shapcott | Director, Affordable Housing and Social Innovation |
Wellesley Institute 

45 Charles St E, Suite 101                    Tel: 416.972.1010 ext 231
Toronto, ON, Canada,  M4Y 1S2           Mobile: 416.605.8316  
E-mail:   michael at wellesleyinstitute.com

 

www.wellesleyinstitute.com

rigorous research. pragmatic policy solutions. social innovation. community
action.

 


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