It was interesting recently to sit through a Regional Housing Conference held in Yorkton recently.
The Conference was one designed to bring some added urgency and focus to the increasingly tight housing situation, in particular for those with lower incomes.
A strong economy in recent years has pushed both house prices and rental rates steadily higher, making housing less affordable for many on fixed and low incomes.
"Economic growth in Saskatchewan kind of snuck up on us," said Tom Seeley as he gave an over view of the issue at the conference. He added as the economy boomed there became a housing shortage. "The housing issue sort of snuck up on us too
"We have in-migration that's deepening our housing crisis."
And now the issue of affordable housing is a critical, warned Seeley. He said the shortage of "affordable, entry level housing is pandemic throughout the region."
That was one thing which may have surprised people at the conference. We often think of the housing shortage as a city issue, but in the current environment it is also impacting smaller communities in Saskatchewan.
To capture the current economic opportunities you need places for people to live, said Aaron Ivey, chair of the Economic Development Committee in Ituna.
"Housing is the first important thing to economic development and business development, and we're no different housing is an issue," he said. "... The boom happened This issue of affordable housing was discovered."
Not surprisingly no one had the one solution fits all answer to housing.
"There's no silver bullet solution to affordable housing," said Tyler Mathies with Innovative Assets Inc. in Saskatoon.
What the conference did hear were options which can help some.
There were suggestions to promote in-home suites to alleviate the rental situation, something which could be achieved with tax concessions.
In Saskatoon a number of programs exist such as the Mortgage Flexibilities Support Program. The City of Saskatoon, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and the Saskatchewan Housing Corporation created the program to increase affordable home ownership opportunities in Saskatoon. With a five per cent down payment grant from the City of Saskatoon and mortgage loan insurance from CMHC or Genworth Financial, qualified homebuyers have the means to finance the purchase of a new home. The total household income of the buyer must meet the provincial Maximum Income Limits; $44,500 for singles and couples, and $52,000 for families with dependents - $52,000.
Such programs don't help all, but they do start the process of getting more people into affordable housing.
The key to the issue is taking a broad approach to solutions recognizing the more options to help people the more likely one will be helpful.
Seeley summed it up well when he said, "We need to get action. We need to get shovels in the ground, get foundations built not in three years time. Not in five years, but soon."
