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ARE YOU DIFFERENT? GET READYTO APPLtk-Â euqà Affordable housing discussed at Iength at committee meetng By Julla Le CANADIAN CHAMPION STAFF Tbeels ne question the shortagcet ufffordable heusing continues te be ont of Haltons niest pressing problenis. saud Marc Mimel, co-chair of Hiton Poverty Roundtable. «ln Halton, 20 pev cent of familles spend more than 30 per cent of their incarne on heusing mnd diat number as dloser te 65 per cent Mien you con sidef low-incomne families. h. totd niembers of Hiton RegionIs heafth and social services cwnmittee mcetinq lait Tuusday. amuet, along with Hiton Poeny Round- table Communlry Dcvelopment Director Anne Swarbriclc. went before the cenimittne to shart the gru~s flndfings on thc necd for more affordabie heusing. A copy Wf the group's report, Heusing in Halton: Towards a More Shared Prosperîty, outiring recominen- dations on how the issue could be addressed, was given te commifttet members »Qur vision is tia! enryonc in Halton wili have accesi te a home that is decent, suabie and affordabie irn heaithy neighbourhoods that promote social andi cenormc inclusion, suid Haniel. He continued the group belleves fis couid happea if the Rcgion engages a#l the «relevant stakeholders in strategydevelopnc n d de- livery te maximize the leverag for changer flic cest af ewnlng a home contiues ta wrow quicker thon a persenIs ticorne anti the chal- lenge te fidia place te revi is sncreasing wifl vacancy rates around 1.3 pef cent Hmuet ne!- cd. Th. healthy standard for vacancy rates is around flirte per cent. He suid Hiton is simply the harde-s! place to find a rentai unit in ai ef the Greater Toronto Hamiltoen Area (GIHA). Representatuves froni the Hiton Houssng Ad- visery Comm attet (HHAC) delivevet a similar. but separate presentation on the rmcd for more rentai units baseti on lus report on strnt- egies to elp stirulate the afferdable rentai housing supply ina Hatton. HHAC Chair Wencty Schau andi HI-AC rnember Lang Moffat told coninittec members theres just a lack of choice fer people rigt now. Moffat suid Haften's rentai rates are ameng thic highest ira the GTHA with a bachelor apanment cosftng arounti $859 andi a tiret- ibedrooni place go.ng for $1,353 a nionth. Oiftes) went up flirte per cent in the lest year ulone» sult Moft «High price 1$ etten the restait Wf high dernanti for Iiaiftcd capaclty or product avaiabit.' He ais shoedt a sOlde baseti on the Region>s 2011 State Wf Housing report showing how oev the last frw years 300 ta 700 people con- tinue te neeti assîsteti heusing. 'i the case et the affortiable housing gqix youlI notice an the sanie four years the gap bas grown andi grown, andi in four years it has pnactically doubledirh. aideti.% Accrding te the report, 300 ta 800 people were in need of afferdable housing in 2008 cempareti te 400 te 1,500 people in need of it in 2011, Schau listeti a number of strategies, fiat caulti help increase the afferdabie rentai bous- ing suppty te meet the housra neetis af ail Halton residents, which 1$ pvesentty unmnet Recornimendations inckldd equalzing the mult-residenti property tax rate,> provldlngq landi at low or ne cont for rentai dcveiopment ugng tax incentlwes te encourage new privat rentai devekçpment ant encourage murdci- pa gowrmvnent te entend tu zonin bylaws te shlow f accessoey dnfluugq units MSc bas-*- ment apavtrnents. 51w aise, encauraged munlclpalities te explore Section 37 Wf Ontarcos Planning Act as a way ta negetiate afloruble hausîng wfth devek apers in retwn for planning concessions. Sorti presentatiens were foloend by htavy discussiont on the issue ef atlordable bousing in the cermunty, the creatien Wf a possibl housrn http centre tia! couli assis! in con- nbcting renters and tmndiords ina Hatore