Renfrew’s Housing Action Plan underscores a dire need for more affordable and attainable options, but there is a silver lining.
At Council’s meeting on Tuesday, October 10th, Sue Ritchie Raymond of Tim Welch Consulting presented the Housing Action Plan, which highlights a dire need for rental, supportive, and homeownership options in the area.
The plan, on which the consulting firm has been working since May, notes that 55% of households in Renfrew make under $60,000, compared to just 35% across Ontario, and that housing costs are deeply affordable for those currently either making minimum wage or receiving Ontario Works or ODSP income assistance.
Compounding the issue is that 28% of Renfrew’s nearly 4000 occupied private dwellings in 2021 were in core housing need, which she would explain in greater detail.
The report was not entirely doom and gloom, as she added that their research on the local landscape for housing shows local people, organizations, and developers are eager to help solve the problem.
The Affordable Housing Plan spells out 20 recommendations for the Town of Renfrew to consider in order to engage developers to increase the supply of local housing options, including hosting developer summits to raise interest and enhancements to various town policies, plans, and by-laws, among others, that would cost the town a total of just over $2.7 million.
Most of those changes could be paid for simply by having completed the Affordable Housing Plan, as Councilor Andrew Dick would explain.
That funding would be from the federal government’s Housing Accelerator Fund, which is currently reviewing Renfrew’s application and could end up covering $2.18 million of the Affordable Housing Plan’s costs if it’s approved.
(written by Kasey Egan)