There are some issues which become regular fodder for an editorial writer and the current housing situation in not just Yorkton, but in many Canadian cities it's likely to be one such issue.
The reason for that is simply that the issue of how to provide affordable housing in a growing community is not easily answered.
The fact is other communities have gone through the same discussions now taking place in Yorkton without a lot of definitive answers being discovered.
The initial problem is coming up with a viable definition of affordable housing.
We use the term affordable housing rather regularly, but it has different connotations for different people.
For many, the concept of affordable housing means subsidized housing for various groups. That would mean for many one level of government covering at least a portion of the housing costs for a specific group, such as fixed income seniors, those on disability or similar group.
While providing housing for such groups is of course important, increasingly the issue is how people with steady jobs, albeit low wage ones, afford housing.
When talking about entry-level housing, the question of affordability is much more difficult to define.
At the March 14 meeting of Yorkton Council a report on the options for entry-level homes in the city was presented.
Brent Hryhorczuk, Manager of Building Services with the City said the Multiple Listing Service was "used to establish the price for entry-level housing in Yorkton. This is $187,000."
"In order to have builders meet that price, the lots have to be in the $30,000 to $40,000 range. In order to meet the entry level price threshold, the homes will have an area between 900 and 1100 square feet with no garage."
The City might deem a home flirting with $200,000 as affordable, but many others don't.
A poll of the Yorkton This Week website (www.yorktonthisweek.com ), over the past week shows 65 per cent see a 'reasonable price for entry level housing' at under $200,000, and 60 per cent of respondents peg it under $175,000. Nearly 30 per cent voted for prices under $125,000.
Certainly affording the homes Council discussed at their recent meeting is not going to be easy for many. A local bank representative provided some numbers for Yorkton This Week, indicating a $200,000 home purchased today with a minimum down payment would mean payment and tax costs of $1,200 a month, necessitating a $45,000 gross family income based on devoting 32 per cent to home costs.
Statistically the numbers might make sense, but that would leave the home with $30,000 gross income to cover all other costs. If you are paying for a vehicle, have any debt for furniture for the home, and children, $45,000 will not cut it for most.
So when a day-long investigation of housing options is held April 5, hosted by the Yorkton Chamber of Commerce, they have their work cut out, to first establish a reasonable vision of who it is believed should be able to afford their own homes, and then how to make that dream possible in the city.
