Housing supplement program still needed

Higher vacancy rates in the province and city do not translate into a lower demand for housing subsidy programs.

Fact: Regina’s vacancy rate in 2017 was seven per cent, the highest vacancy rate the city has seen since 1990.

Fact: Regina saw a boom in construction and housing starts in 2017, despite the high vacancy rate.

Fact: Almost one-quarter (22 per cent) of all households in Regina live in unaffordable housing.

Fact: Almost half (46 per cent) of all renter households in Regina live in unaffordable housing.

Fact: Renter unaffordability in Regina was higher than in Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, Hamilton, Victoria and Vancouver for the 2016 Census.

What does this mean? That a significant portion of Regina residents spend 30 per cent or more of their total beforetax income on housing.

If the unaffordability rate is this high, especially for renters, and there are still vacancies for subsidized housing, there must be a gap in what subsidized housing is available, and the needs of households facing unaffordability (think: a family of five that is facing unaffordable housing vs. a oneor two-bedroom affordable apartment that is available).

It also means the policies and programs in place for affordable housing are not doing enough.

Suspending the Saskatchewan Rental Housing Supplement will make life more difficult for some already very vulnerable folks. I urge the province to reconsider their decision. Sahar Khelifa, City Planner 1, Regina Planning and Development