The social planning council that brings citizens together and advocates for change in York Region’s nine municipalities believes it may be time to create a new non-profit housing organization dedicated solely to addressing the critical need for permanent affordable housing.
Members of the Social Planning Council of York Region estimate there are about 1,000 homeless people in the region, and it says those numbers have been increasing every year.
Community groups working in other parts of the Greater Toronto Area are successfully creating affordable housing options for their most vulnerable residents, and York Region’s planning council wonders why the local community can’t do the same.
To address the issues of homelessness and affordable housing, the planning council will host a community forum on Thursday, Jan. 16 featuring guest speakers who will share their housing success stories and best practices.
“We decided to have a conversation with the broader public about how we can really move on this, and does it mean establishing a new not-for-profit organization,” planning council co-chairperson Yvonne Kelly said. “It’s the thing that everyone’s talking about, there has been lots of conferences, new ideas, and alternatives offered as to what people typically thought of as housing.”
The community is invited to participate and the planning council hopes to gain insights from the speakers with a view to exploring the creation of a non-profit affordable housing agency here in York Region.
“We want to highlight what other communities are doing,” Kelly said. “We know different groups in York Region are doing things, and this is not to point a finger at anyone, but we have to really move on this. For anyone who’s worried about housing, it feels like it’s an uphill slog, especially since we haven’t had the federal commitment in funding that we’ve needed for many years that has put us in this position.”
One of the forum’s guest speakers, for example, is Rev. Alex Wilson of St. Stephen's Presbyterian Church in Scarborough.
Wilson will speak about the church’s proposal to rebuild its Lawrence Avenue and Markham Road building to include 101 affordable housing units within 11 storeys. In 2019, St. Stephen’s congregation voted to establish a non-profit corporation and apply for federal and municipal funding to create much needed affordable housing in the Scarborough neighbourhood.
The church has also partnered with various community agencies such as the Reena Foundation and the East Scarborough Boys and Girls Club, both of which would have access to housing units for their own clients, among others. Other units in the building will offer a mix of rents to a diverse demographic.
Wilson believes the St. Stephen’s $40-million housing project could be replicated by similar-minded groups in other communities.
The community is invited to attend the forum on Thursday, Jan. 16 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Aurora Public Library, 15145 Yonge St.
To RSVP and for more information, email [email protected].
Other speakers will be confirmed closer to the date.
