A $15M boost to ‘keep momentum going’
Move ‘will keep momentum going,’ mayor says
“I’m in a good mood today,” Action Housing executive director Marie-Josée Houle wrote via email in the hours after the tabling of the city’s 2020 draft budget.
For the second year in a row, the budget allocated a record $15 million in municipal funding for affordable housing in Ottawa.
Mayor Jim Watson also announced three new projects that will see shovels in the ground in the next year, and that 2019 has already seen the approval of more than 250 new affordable-housing units.
“The 2020 investment into the affordable housing reserve will keep this momentum going,” Watson said.
In years past, Housing Services had a typical budget of $2 million to $3 million for affordable housing, before contributions from other levels of government. So it was a shock to many that this investment was increased so significantly in the city’s 2019 budget — and a pleasant surprise to some that it had been maintained for 2020.
“I feel like we’ve been heard,” said Houle, whose organization works to prevent housing loss and support low-income tenants. “It’s not going to solve the issue because it’s not enough, but it is very symbolic and I think it’s certainly a step in the right direction.”
She wants to see this money go into the non-profit and co-op housing sector to help finance new construction.
“We’ve got a wait list of over 12,163 houses for affordable housing,” Houle said. “Construction of new affordable-housing units is expensive, but you need to start somewhere.”
With 2019’s $15-million investment, the city set itself a target of approving construction of more than 250 new affordable housing units within the year. This was achieved and then some, says housing director Shelley VanBuskirk, with council having approved the conditional purchase of a property in the new Wateridge Village community that will contain up to 271 affordable units.
Where expectations are as yet unmet, however, are with the mayor’s 2019 prediction that Ottawa’s affordable-housing investment would leverage equivalent federal and provincial funding.
VanBuskirk said that, so far, $6.5 million has been matched by other levels of government.
Watson made the same prediction about matching funds on Wednesday, stressing the need for the province and the feds to step up on affordable housing.
“We really need a much more cohesive, comprehensive package at the federal-provincial level that will allow us to draw greater dollars from them. Because the cities, all 444 municipalities in Ontario, are struggling to deal with issues that should really be under the purview of the other levels of government. They have greater ability to raise revenue.”
It was a message that council’s housing and homelessness liaison, Somerset ward Coun. Catherine McKenney, also shared in a pre-budget interview.
While the city should be investing at least $15 million in affordable housing in 2020, McKenney said, she would have liked to see more than $30 million. “There are serious investments that we have to see from every level of government.”
McKenney also stressed the need for a plan that will guide where and how housing investments like the $15 million are allocated, and set targets for accountability. A review of the city’s 10-year housing and homelessness plan is ongoing.
“But in the absence of a plan, as long as it’s getting spent on housing, I’m happy,” McKenney said. tblewett@postmedia.com