BRITISH COLUMBIA – Six BC communities will benefit from provincial funding that supports local governments to report on their community housing needs so they can deliver more diverse and affordable homes.
In 2018, the Province committed $5 million over three years (2019-21) under the Housing Needs Report Program to help local governments and modern Treaty Nations collect and analyze housing-related data from their communities. The data includes population, household income, significant economic sectors and current and anticipated housing units. Funding recipients are from the fourth intake of the program, which is administered by the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM).
“On behalf of Nanaimo City Council, we are pleased to be receiving provincial support to update our housing needs assessment, which will help us to better understand the impact of the pandemic on our community and to enable a more resilient recovery,” said Mayor Leonard Krog.
“The lack of affordable housing and the need for additional supportive housing options are common to many BC communities, but the specific needs vary considerably from one place to the next,” said Brian Frenkel, president, UBCM. “The Housing Needs Report Program is designed to strengthen the data available to inform local decision-making to ensure that new developments, whether market-based or supportive, address the needs of communities today and tomorrow. I am very pleased to see the funding that is being delivered to these communities and its potential to bring local housing needs into greater focus.”
Under the housing needs report legislation, all local governments must produce their first housing needs report by April 2022 and every five years after. Housing needs reports assist communities to better understand their current and future housing needs, and provide stakeholders, developers and other agencies with access to better information for making housing investment decisions.
“Housing is one of the most central determinants of the health and well-being of communities, and updating housing data is a crucial first step to ensure local governments can respond effectively. This much-appreciated funding will enable the Strathcona Regional District to update housing data in all four of our electoral areas, improving our understanding and supporting our ongoing efforts to address housing concerns throughout the region,” said Brad Unger, chair of the Strathcona Regional District.
The communities receiving grants totalling nearly $185,000 are:
- Nanaimo ($50,000);
- Radium Hot Springs ($15,000);
- Strathcona Regional District, including four electoral areas ($60,000)
- Tumbler Ridge ($14,563);
- Valemount ($15,000); and
- West Kelowna ($30,000).
Completed reports are formally received by local councils and boards and made available online to anyone seeking information about local housing needs. Local governments are required to consider their most recent housing needs report when developing new official community plans or regional growth strategies.
