BRITTANY TAYLOR
COWICHAN VALLEY – We’ve heard from businesses across the Cowichan region: the housing crisis is affecting employers’ ability to attract and retain employees.
The impacts of the nation-wide labour shortage are being seen across Cowichan – from shortened operating hours and long waits for services, down to businesses shutting their doors completely because of the lack of staff. The region is also experiencing a housing crisis, with the benchmark price of a single-family home increasing over 100 per cent in the past 5 years, and the vacancy rate for apartments in Duncan just 0.6 per cent. These two issues are not unrelated: those who work in Cowichan need a place to live, and if workers can’t find appropriate housing, they will relocate elsewhere.
Economic Development Cowichan has launched a survey to gather feedback from both workers and employers on strategies to address the shortage of housing for the workforce, in anticipation of developing a Workforce Housing Strategy later this year. The data received through the survey will provide an overview of existing housing needs, and help identify feasible solutions to explore as part of the larger Strategy.
We understand the critical importance of taking immediate steps to address the affordable housing needs of Cowichan’s workforce, and the connection to labour supply issues. The 2021 Cowichan Regional Housing Needs Assessment report estimates that 4,955 new housing units are needed in Cowichan by 2025 to accommodate the region’s population growth. Cowichan businesses are struggling to attract and retain the few available workers, who cannot find an affordable place to live in the region. The Workforce Housing Strategy will focus on concrete actions to address the housing shortage as it relates to employment.
The survey is available to be completed by both employers or employees, which will give context to the impact that housing has had on both businesses and workers in the region. The survey will also uncover the existing ways that employers and their staff are dealing with housing needs, which will help guide how the region can develop appropriate solutions for the region. The survey was developed in partnership with Cowichan Housing Association.
Visit planyourcowichan.ca/workforce-housing to complete the survey by June 17, 2022. Please share this survey with your employer, employees, or any friends or family that are impacted by the housing crisis!
Brittany Taylor is acting Manager of the Cowichan Valley Economic Development