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Written by: Marilyn Struthers
Across Canada we have seen mounting concern about our housing supply – but the problem looks different in different kinds of communities. In our smaller, spread-out communities, the affordable housing crisis is having a profound effect.
This crisis is akin to an iceberg. We see people on our streets, but there is more happening below the waterline. Families dependent on the lower-wage jobs of our communities’ substantial service industries (think retail, hospitality & tourism and healthcare support) struggle to afford high rental costs. Despite the development boom in some of our communities, the dramatic increase in people using local charities for food or the parallel increase in subsidized housing waitlists. This tells a different story as working people hope to turn to subsidized rents for relief.
A recent Employer One Survey on the concerns of businesses in our region tells us that access to housing is top of mind for business as well – and suggests a ricochetting impact on local economies. The housing crisis is affecting every part of our community, and people are worried.
The Social Finance and Housing Group hosted by the Institute has been working largely behind the scenes for the last four years. We are a cross-sector network of volunteers from businesses, local government and various housing interests exploring what has gone wrong in our local housing system. Two things have become very clear. First, as a region of many small municipalities sharing both economic opportunities and problems created by market conditions, we need to work collaboratively on common solutions to create the scale of affordable housing we need. And second, it is up to us- no one is coming to save us.
A system can only produce the results it was built to produce. We have learned that finding solutions to affordability is about building relationships across the system to explore what might be possible now. Market conditions play a part certainly, but development decisions are made by local governments, and some communities are much more proactive than others. It is up to us to shape our local systems to reach different outcomes. Several years of learning and discussion led to the launch of the Whole Community Approach to Affordable Housing, our local four-point intervention strategy for a failing system.
Systems shift take time – it is not the same as building an organization or a service for those most affected. We salute the organizations who do this work across many of our communities, FINDHELP in Collingwood: Safe’N Sound, OSHaRE in Owen Sound, Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force and programs affiliated with the United Ways of Grey Bruce and Simcoe and many others. Without their efforts the impact of current conditions would be much worse. They are like so many Dutch guys in the fable, with fingers in the dike. Our job has been to work out a redesign of the dike.
The truth is the real estate and the development industries have done well since the pandemic – but building to the lower-end of median incomes just isn’t in their best interests. Their business is profit and there have been better fish to fry.
Now, we are learning alongside a national ecosystem of communities working to mobilize local investment in community-owned housing. There will always be a need for upper tier government investment in subsidized housing, but 2025 saw fast tracking of promising new models of community investment and ownership. From housing funds, community bonds to philanthropic and municipal partnerships we are seeing the emergence of the “nonmarket housing” sector – housing owned by community nonprofits, co-ops and charities; affordable by mission rather than for profit, in perpetuity.
Seeing the gradual outcomes of local systems-change work takes careful looking. I think about CBC’s Dead Dog Café sign-off: “Stay calm. Be brave. Wait for the signs“. But, once a system starts to shift, the lights come on in many places at once in seemingly independent efforts. Here are a few encouraging signs:
- The Community Foundation Grey Bruce has committed to launch a Community Development Corporation (CDC) -a local organization to mentor and support community- owned affordable development in our region.
- Our Finance Learning Circle is developing a robust understanding of new community investment vehicles to support nonmarket housing developers.
- The Owen Sound Housing Corporation, the largest non-market developer in our region, was selected into the first cohort of the Infrastructure Institute’s Social Purpose Real Estate Accelerator.
- Our counties have been active: Grey County updated its Housing Action Plan much of it is encouragingly familiar from community-engaged conversations. Bruce County held a well-attended Housing Forum and released 10 year targets for 4,000 new units, nearly half rent affordable or deeply affordable following an in depth study of supply. And, Simcoe County has released its Building Up Simcoe County report with 10 year targets including modular builds and new affordable rentals as well as a commitment to align supply with local needs.
- Across our membership we have fingers quietly on the pulse of six new affordable housing ventures in the region.
- Our members are creating local housing events as communities recognize the need and begin to take action.
A system shift spirals out on different levels. We are starting to know what we need to do –now it is about doing it together. If you are keen, be in touch. |
