Town doubles down on annual housing allowance support
Thirty local families to benefit from $590/month rent allowance
Doubling its housing allowance transfer to $150,000 means 30 Saugeen Shores low-income households will receive a monthly $590 rent allowance as of July 1.
Saugeen Shores councillors doubled down on their support for the Bruce County Municipal Housing Allowance Program at their April 8 meeting, authorizing the transfer of $150,000 to the County that administers the program, initiated in September of 2022. It currently provides a housing allowance of $590/month to 27 households in Bruce County.
Twenty-one of those households are in Saugeen Shores, according to Mark Paoli, the Town’s director of development services in a report to councillors.
He said 10 of the households were added through the Town’s $75,000 contribution to the program last July. The increase to $150,000, approved in this year’s Business Plan/budget, means support for those existing recipients, and 10 more from Saugeen Shores, Paoli said.
A written report from Tania Dickson, Bruce County’s Housing Services Manager, said one new person was added to the Saugeen Shores program in January this year.In February, three people were removed from the program due to income level changes, and in March, three new people were added to the program. Dickson wrote that $53,690 of funding had been spent as of March 31, 2024.
Eligible applicants are taken from Bruce County’s Community Housing Registry – which currently has 600 Saugeen Shores registrants on the wait list – and during council questions/comments, vice deputy mayor Mike asked for assurance that Saugeen Shores was being “treated fairly” and not being penalized by the county for “putting in our money and we don’t get the fair lion’s share from county monies...” Myatt said, asking how many other $590/month rental subsidies exist.Bruce County Housing Services Programs supervisor Christy Lowry said she’s get that information for him, and confirmed that 27 people receive $590/month, and 10 are from Saugeen Shores.“Plus, then we will have the additional 20 from Saugeen Shores and we also have dierent rent subsidies, over the years...” Lowry said, adding the Town is “represented” in those programs.“We do not take people from other rent subsidies to put them into this housing allowance. We take them directly o the wait list and we will, to add to the new Saugeen Shores – the new 10 spots go to housing allowance for Saugeen Shores,” Lowry said.
Myatt said it would be helpful to know why the Bruce County assisted housing wait list has almost doubled to 600 in Saugeen Shores in the past several years.
Lowry said she’d report back but noted there was a “large increase” in applicants following COVID and increasing housing costs are also a factor.
Coun. Cheryl Grace said it was interesting “good news” that the program was “continually monitored”, evaluated and update by sta.She hoped it was also good news for the three people removed from the allowance – that it indicated they were able to be dependent – and good news for the Saugeen Shores residents who were/ will be added to the program.
Mayor Luke Charbonneau said the housing crisis continues to be the focus and at recent housing forums he heard that the number of people seeking emergency shelter services ballooned by 500 per cent over the past five years, with 11,000 nights of shelter provided by Bruce County last year. Charbonneau said he’d heard that even
those who are relatively a¢uent are struggling to aord even what’s considered aordable housing.
While the Municipal Housing Allowance Program is relatively small, it’s growing, Charbonneau said.“Thirty families now supported by this program, which is not going to solve the whole problem but also not insignificant,” he said, adding growing the program helps minimum-wage earners, an important group in the community.
Deputy mayor Diane Huber said she’s like to know which aordable housing incentives have worked and could be enhanced or encouraged and things that aren’t working could be assessed.
To apply for Housing visit: Apply online or call the Bruce County Community Housing Registry at 1-877-396-3450 .Pick up an application at: Bruce County Administration Centre, Walkerton), or Lakeshore Hub, Port Elgin.
“T irty families now supported by this program, which is not going to solve the whole problem but also not insignificant.”
nd MAYOR CHARBONNEAU