Brantford gets boost for exceeding housing targets

The not-for-profit housing sector has a significant role to play in addressing the proliferation of tent cities, says Ontario’s associate housing minister.

“Obviously, we would hope that tent cities are not here to stay,” Rob Flack said during a visit to Brantford on Monday. “I take a look at Indwell and the not-for-profit sector and I think they’ve done a tremendous job of alleviating that concern.”

Flack was asked to respond to a Postmedia story that appeared under the headline “Tent City Nation: Are Canada’s homeless encampments here to stay?”

The story put a spotlight on homeless encampments and included an interactive map of tent cities across Canada.

Flack was asked if the province needs to accept the fact that homeless encampments are here to stay.
“No, we can’t accept that tent cities are here to stay,” Flack said.

He said the government is working daily to address the problem and its efforts include partnerships with the not-for-profit sectors.

Flack said he is thoroughly impressed with the work of organizations like Indwell, Habitat For Humanity and Good Shepherd that provide shelter and affordable housing.

Locally, city officials have identified partnerships with non-for-profit organizations as an important part of an ongoing effort to build more affordable homes. The city is embarking on a pilot program with Jaycee Brantford Non-Profit Homes to fund the development of a 24-unit building at 32 Bridge St.

Joined by Brantford-Brant MPP Will Bouma, Flack was in Brantford to present Mayor Kevin Davis with $3,066,849 in provincial funding. The money was given to the city for exceeding its 2023 new housing construction target.

The funding includes an extra $400,182 because the city broke ground on 788 new homes last year exceeding its target by eight per cent. The money comes from the province’s three-year $1.2 billion Building Faster fund that encourages municipalities to increase local housing supply.

“We call it a housing crisis, but I call it a housing supply crisis,” Flack said. “We need more homes.”

It’s important that all partners including municipal, provincial and federal governments and not-for-profit organizations step up to get the job done, Flack said.

Bouma said he’s proud of the work being done locally to address the crisis.

“The city is doing its part” in building houses that can become homes for people in the community, Bouma said.

“I’m thankful every single day for the incredible working relationship that we have with the City of Brantford,” Bouma said. “With the support of these provincial funds, our community will sustain its expansion while creating new job opportunities and business growth.”

Davis said the city is continuing to grow at an unprecedented rate.

“We appreciate the provincial Building Faster funding which will help our city sustain its expansion and our community to continue to grow,” Davis said.

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Source: Brantford Expositor