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under 75 spend more than 30 per cent of their income on shelter, while 25 per cent of those over age 75 spend more than 50 per cent of their income on shelter. The greatest demand is for single bedroom units. ANNOUNCEMENT th the Bronte BIAThe Kinsmen Club of Oakville in conjunction wi amily an opportunityHarbour Days Celebration offer you and your f ire Sandy Tall Ship. to take a scenic cruise aboard the historic Emp outlined on our websiteCruises are departing from Bronte Harbour as www.kinsmenoakville.ca. lable the Royal Bank branch atCASH Only tickets are avai L 1H2 ONLY during the hours of 2329 Lakeshore Rd. W, L6 Wednesday 9:30-5:00, Thursday 9:30-8:00Monday 9:30-5:00, Tuesday 9:30-5:00, , Saturday 9:00-4:00Friday 9:30-6:00 Tickets can also be purchased on line at www.kinsmenoakville.ca using credit cards dont need a PayPal account.through PayPal and you Peter Watson MBA, CFP, R.F.P., CIM, FCSI 220 Randall Street Downtown Oakville Phone: 905.842.2100 www.peterwatsoninvestments.com Helping You Make Smart Decisions About Your Money 3 W ed n esd ay, Ju ly 27, 2011 O A K V ILLE B E A V E R w w w .in sid eH A LTO N .co m kept secret for the privacy of the individuals who will be staying there, is being purchased from local charity Home Suite Hope. They have a townhome that has served to help individual single men find affordable shelter right in the heart of Oakville, said Brown. Because of Home Suite Hopes move to more of a family focus I was asked if I would consider pur- chasing the property from Home Suite Hope with the understanding that as a private individual I would carry on that mandate of providing beds to the community. Brown, who has amassed con- siderable funds through a success- ful career in advertising sales, said this is not the first affordable hous- ing model he has operated, run- ning a similar home in Kitchener for the past 20 years. The motivation to open that house, Brown said, came from see- ing true poverty during his 1980s trips throughout Africa and else- where. Brown returned with a new appreciation for Canada and a determination to help those in need here. The Oakville house will focus on serving single men who will be in a congregant living environment with a shared kitchen and common area. The Kitchener home has served a variety of individuals, including those coming from homeless situa- tions to individuals who are com- ing out of broken marriages and broken careers. By Nathan Howes OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Your golden years should be a time of relaxation after a life- time of work, not a time of waiting in line to keep a roof over your head. That was a sentiment shared by those who gathered at Longos in Oakville earlier this month to discuss issues affect- ing seniors in Halton, mainly affordable housing and trans- portation. Garth Brown, a member of Coalition for Affordable, Assistive and Supportive Housing in Halton (CASH), organized the meeting. We need to be proactive for the housing needs of our older community and ensure that their needs, not just for a roof, but for the services (and) a community environment that will serve them best for years to come, said Brown. Were looking for solutions (for) those individuals (to) stay in their homes longer comfort- ably and affordably, and some of those solutions could be co- housing. Part of the problem with moving forward on affordable housing in Halton has been a lack of funding and political will, Brown said. Lack of funding is, in part, due to the past four years of political decisions to not increase property taxes to win the short term favour of voters at the expense of necessary ser- vices to seniors and other groups, said Brown. Brown feels that some poli- ticians think Oakville has got it pretty good, and that Halton, when compared to Toronto or Hamilton, doesnt have an issue. I ask the question, Why do we have in this immediate area five food banks? Out of the 165 food banks in Canada, five of them exist here, said Brown. Statistics presented at the meeting were from the Community Development Halton (CDH) and Halton Region, which shed light on the housing situation. The report stated there has been an 11 per cent increase in seniors on the Halton Access to Community Housing (HATCH) wait list from 2009 to 2010, which is higher than the overall growth of 9.6 per cent. The average wait time for seniors is nearly two years, while an all-age commu- nity is just under three. It found that 62 per cent of seniors By Christina Commisso METROLAND WEST MEDIA GROUP Its a scenario thats played out all too often in Halton. A family sets up shop in a new affordable home in the region something within the $300,000-range. The homes breadwinner gets laid off. Their $22 an hour wage drops to $14; its the best employment to be found. The family is forced to sell the family home and move to Hamilton, leaving friends, family and support systems behind. Its a tragedy, said John Smith, executive director of Halton Housing Support. I know many people who are third and fourth generation Halton (residents) and theyre forced to leave the area. People cant use the existing system. They could go into couch surf- ing, or renting illegal basement apartments, but most likely, they leave the community. Smith calls it Haltons invisible wall. The housing advocate is well-versed in the plight of the regions poor. His agency provides housing for those living with metal illness or addiction and at risk youths. He sits on Haltons housing advisory committee and chairs the Regions homeless prevention initiative and a task force for assisted, affordable, accessible housing in Halton. Resident advocates for affordability Seniors play big part of housing puzzle It's a familiar scenario here RIZIERO VERTOLLI / OAKVILLE BEAVER STEPPING UP: Garth Brown is pictured speaking on the issue of affordable housing and transportation at a public meeting last week. See NIMBYism page 8 See Hometown page 7 Continued from page 1 See Seniors page 12