The Sunshine Coast is inching closer to establishing an affordable housing committee which will work with government and the community at large in continuing to address housing issues on the Coast.
The technical advisory group (TAG) on affordable housing made presentations last week and this week to Sechelt council, the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) and Gibsons council.
At a presentation to the SCRD's planning and development committee March 10, TAG was seeking a funding approval of $40,000 from the board that would be put towards hiring a co-ordinator on a contract position, to start and run the committee.
The membership of the committee would consist of stakeholders such as non-profit housing providers, the development and real estate industries, financial institutions, elected officials, and local government staff. As a collective, they would exchange information, work with the various affordable housing policies within the municipalities, and act as a co-ordinated body to achieve the ultimate goal of bringing more affordable housing to the Sunshine Coast.
"While the need has been well documented over the last number of years, and although steps have been taken, its [affordable housing] is still very much needed particularly for service workers and young families," said TAG member Vicki Dobbyn in her presentation to the SCRD.
After a housing needs report was released in 2006 with a recommendation for a regional housing corporation, TAG oversaw an SCRD funded study in 2009 that concluded a corporation development was not financially feasible. As an alternative, a regional housing committee was recommended.
In May 2010, local government staff and elected officials met with representatives of the stakeholder groups, to discuss options for that housing committee. TAG was then delegated the task of drafting documents to outline a structure for the committee. The drafts of those documents included a memorandum of understanding, terms of reference for the committee, an annual budget, and the co-ordinator job description.
TAG member Stacia Leech discussed with the SCRD the refinement of the committee plan and its draft documents, based on various suggestions made at the Gibsons and Sechelt council presentations, including a much discussed focus on deliverables.
"We have to have a regional co-ordinated approach," Leech said. "Municipalities alone can not access those dollars."
Gibsons Mayor Barry Janyk echoed their sentiment of working together.
"We've go to do something, and when I say we, I mean as a collective," Janyk said.
He also discussed the importance of First Nations involvement with the issue.
"I think the strength of this committee is that it's two municipalities and the SCRD. We're working together on this," added West Howe Sound director Lee Turnbull.
All three governments, the SCRD, Town of Gibsons and District of Sechelt, passed, in principle, the establishment of the affordable housing committee, alongside further refinements and revisions to the plan's draft documents. The matter will be discussed again at the next intergovernmental meeting between the SCRD, Town of Gibsons, District of Sechelt and Sechelt Indian Band next month.
