Housing, from shelter beds to early deferment of property taxes, has priority in this year's provincial budget. On the Coast, there is concern over whether this will help people struggling to put a roof over themselves, and often, their children. "The actual amount of money being set aside for housing is limited and won't even come close to meeting the needs of people on the Coast," said Sue Jackel from Coast Housing Society. Of the $2 billion set aside for housing, $1.5 billion will come from tax cuts after four years, with $400 million going into housing projects. "The money is going into programs that help the homeless and people who already own homes, but the working people, particularly in the service industry, are not going to get what they need," said Jackel.
People working in restaurants, coffee shops, motels and other service industries find it difficult and often not possible to afford rent. The Sunshine Coast Affordable Housing Taskforce (SCAHT) reports that close to 1,700 households are in "core housing need," meaning 30 per cent or more of people's pre-taxed income is going to rent. Easing difficulties for some people, the budget shows an increase in the rental assistance program. Families with an income of less than $28,000 will now get assistance, receiving $563 a month from the government.
"This will help some people on the Coast, but it still doesn't address the major problem - the lack of affordable housing," said Jackel. "What we need is more affordable housing in our developments. When a large complex is built, it needs to have a certain amount of affordable housing built into it." Included in Tuesday's provincial budget was a $250 million housing endowment that is expected to generate $10 million a year, which will be used to finance innovative housing projects, according to financial minister Carol Taylor.
The SCAHT wants to see some of this money come to the Coast. "The taskforce will be putting together a plan and taking it to the provincial government. We want to benefit from this fund," Jackel said. The group would like, through government funding, to have incentives for bringing secondary housing up to standard. "We need to add to the supply of housing on the Coast; basement suites and other secondary suites are a way to do this," Jackel added. Powell River-Sunshine Coast MLA Nicholas Simons said he too has concerns. "Three-quarters of the budget they are calling the housing budget is really just tax cuts that are not going to help people in need of affordable housing," Simons said. "This budget is misleading and doesn't pay enough attention to climate change, child care or the health care system."
Affordable housing, along with his latter concerns, have become tangible problems on the Coast, impacting peoples lives every day, Simons added. "These are real problems real people face," he said.
