A recent announcement by the Ontario government to provide more than a half-million dollars to the Co-operative Housing Federation (CHF) of Canada will help make the co-op housing sector “more resilient” — which can only positively impact the rest of the housing sector in Barrie.
The Jan. 18 announcement by Rob Flack, associate minister of municipal affairs and housing, will see the government provide $646,790 over three years to help CHF members successfully transition to a new regulatory framework under the province’s Community Housing Renewal Strategy.
After "extensive consultation" with the community housing sector, the government implemented the new regulatory framework in July 2022 in an effort to motivate housing providers to remain in the system and encourage new programs to better meet local housing needs.
The province says the investment will enable CHF to provide its housing co-op members with the tools and resources they need to adapt to the new regulatory framework.
It will also support CHF members as they develop asset-management plans for 96 housing co-ops and negotiate service agreements between their members and their respective service managers.
In Barrie, a variety of affordable housing options are required to meet the growing need in the city and beyond, noted Jennifer van Gennip, director of communications and advocacy for Redwood Park Communities, a local not-for-profit that aims to create safe and affordable housing.
“Co-op homes are an important part of that mix,” she said. “Everyone deserves a safe, affordable, hopeful place to call home, and when that is the case our entire community benefits. The provincial funding … will help make the co-op housing sector more resilient, and that can only be a good thing.”
As is the case with all complex issues, there is no one solution to the region’s current housing crisis, said Brian Shelley, chief executive and philanthropy officer with United Way Simcoe Muskoka.
“That being said, United Ways across Ontario have advocated for investment in co-operative and not-for-profit housing as one of the ways (the) government can help begin to turn the curve on this issue," he said. "To this end, this announcement is a positive step in the right direction."
Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall says the funding will help local co-ops prepare for not only new regulatory rules that are coming, but also for any potential expansions in the future.
“It is one of the tools I think is really necessary in order for places like Barrie … when it comes to meeting the needs of the affordability and the housing crisis,” he said. “I think the government is investing in the right places here and it is an encouraging announcement going forward."
Flack, meanwhile, said he's "proud" of the work the province is doing to "strengthen" the community housing system for those who live and work in it.
“This important funding will help ensure a smooth transition to the new framework across the sector, and support housing co-ops as they explore opportunities for partnerships and growth," he said in a news release.
Tim Ross, executive director of the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada, echoed those comments.
"Co-op homes are one of Ontario’s most resilient housing solutions, particularly in recent years, as housing costs have soared, and households face rising food costs,” he said, adding the funding announcement supports the long-term sustainability of the co-op housing sector across the province.
“As initial mortgage obligations end, co-ops have the opportunity to build plans that allow for the preservation and growth of their communities,” Ross added.
Measures announced by the province to protect critical community housing supply and make sure the system is sustainable over the long-term include:
- Encouraging housing providers to remain in the system by signing service agreements to support the continued delivery of community housing and deeply affordable rents for tens of thousands of households
- Requiring service managers to set local income and asset limits for rent-geared-to-income (RGI) assistance to ensure this assistance goes to those in greatest need
- Improving access to local forms of housing assistance and updating accountability rules for service managers to encourage new programs that meet diverse local housing needs.
