Relative to income, Peterborough, Ont., is the most expensive place in the country to rent, according to the annual “Housing is Fundamental” report done by the United Way.
“Anyone making $30,000 a year cannot afford any kind of apartment based on the guidelines of no more than 30 per cent of your income,” said Jim Russell, CEO of the United Way Peterborough and District.
According to the report, in Peterborough, that accounts for 9,735 households and 35,115 individuals who can’t afford an apartment.
Kirsten Armbrust, executive director for Community Counselling Resource Centre, said COVID-19 is amplifying the problem.
“What we are seeing a lot of is what you might call the hidden homeless,” Armbrust said, explaining that this includes people who are having trouble finding new places to rent due to their income loss.
“It isn’t necessarily just the person you see on the street, but maybe it’s the person that was saying on a friend’s couch or staying with family and that isn’t working anymore due to the pandemic,” she said.
Armbrust said the need for more affordable housing remains a key issue.
“There are a couple of ways to look at it: We either need lower rent or higher wages,” she said. “A basic income would help, but it really comes down to the need for more affordable housing.”
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In October, the province announced $1.9 million to support shelter costs and affordable housing for the city of Peterborough. During that announcement, Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith said the $1,924,741 will support the city’s overflow shelter with cleaning, staffing, food and personal protective support.
“COVID-19 has presented some unique challenged for our most vulnerable,” Smith said. “We will still face some longer-term challenges such as access to affordable housing. This is another step forward in building supportive and accessible housing in our community.”
Russell said it is also imperative agencies work together to address the issues that can lead to homelessness.
“Certainly, it is an inventory issue,” he said. “But people that are chronically housed typically have co-morbid issues, … whether it’s addiction, whether it’s mental health, whether it is trouble keeping and holding a job.
“So there are other supports needed to keep people housed and safe.”
He said those underlying issues are also being compounded by the coronavirus pandemic and have a domino effect on homelessness in Peterborough.
To address the increase in need, Russell said the United Way is shining the spotlight on those problems in the community during its three-year “Unignorable” campaign.
READ MORE: United Way aims to raise $5M by 2023
“We need to look at the ongoing issues in our community that are being made worse by COVID-19,” he said.
“There will be an end to the pandemic eventually, but we will still be facing these issues in the community.”
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