Report calls for city to take on greater role in addressing affordable-housing needs

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This article was published 07/07/2020 (1902 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A new analysis of housing needs in Winnipeg suggests the municipal government should do more to promote affordable housing and establish an office dedicated to the issue within the city’s planning department.

The 236-page report by the University of Winnipeg’s Institute of Urban Studies — titled City of Winnipeg Comprehensive Housing Needs Assessment — will be tabled at the standing policy committee on property and development, heritage and downtown development meeting on Monday.

An administrative report also recommends the city investigate how to create its own affordable housing program based on the needs assessment.

“We know that we have an affordable housing challenge on our hands at the City of Winnipeg,” committee chair Coun. Cindy Gilroy said Tuesday.

“We know that the senior population is growing and we need to look at making sure we have senior housing. We need to make sure that we’re having larger family homes for new immigrant families.”

Council ordered the study in June 2017 and the report was submitted to the city in January this year. It provides a detailed overview of housing trends and gaps. It also evaluates major policies meant to stimulate housing supply.

According to the study, housing costs have outpaced income for residents, and about 20 per cent of Winnipeggers spend more than 30 per cent of their income on shelter.

As well, the study’s authors report that both seniors and young people, and those who have recently immigrated or identify as Indigenous face significant affordability challenges.

Josh Brandon, a community animator with the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg, said advocates have long known people with lower incomes suffer from poor housing.

“There’s a severe lack of affordable housing in Winnipeg, as there is in many cities across Canada, and it’s a reflection of the fact that governments at all levels have under-invested in affordable housing,” Brandon said. “We’re pleased that the City of Winnipeg is looking at this issue, but it’s something that we’re many years behind on.”

The study’s authors reported the “city would be well advised to examine ways and means of facilitating the provision of housing within its jurisdiction” and said key stakeholders interviewed for the assessment said the tools the city has to promote diverse housing options are not being used.

“The fact that so little has been done in the city for many years is discouraging,” Brandon said. “I hope this report will provide fresh impetus to develop the political will necessary to engage in housing in a serious way.”

The authors also suggest the city monitor provincial government decisions on social housing, adding that having fewer units could drive up municipal expenses, including demand on police.

Gilroy (Daniel McIntyre) said the city has yet to begin formal discussions with the provincial government on municipal housing needs, but said she’s “more than willing” to discuss the issue with her counterparts.

“We need to have an affordable housing plan and they need to be at the table,” she said. “I think that this is key, especially as we are seeing a decrease in the social housing that we’re needing, and the province divesting some of the social housing.

“I hope that we can collaborate, but I know that the city is trying to work on it’s own tools… that we can approve at council, so we can move forward on some of these things.”

danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca