Hamilton politicians endorse roadmap to build hundreds of affordable housing units annually

Local politicians have endorsed a roadmap for creating several hundred new affordable housing units annually in Hamilton, Ont. in order to tackle an ongoing homelessness crisis.

The plan is a series of short-term and long-term goals in collaboration with city divisions and community partners through a housing secretariat.

The goal is to build some 350 new affordable homes each year for the next decade, while repairing existing units.

Secretariat activities, to be created within the Healthy and Safe Communities Department,  include procuring new construction, acquisition of existing affordable stock as well as providing income-based and personal supports for prospective tenants.

Jeff Wingard, the secretariat’s interim director, told councillors the 350 unit target over 10 years is “feasible” but “challenging.”

“This is kind of the top end that we feel can be delivered, given the current market conditions,” said Wingard.

Also included in the secretariat’s year-one priorities are an assessment of Hamilton’s housing stock, with an eye on retaining existing units, and an assessment of city owned properties as well as federal and provincial land throughout Hamilton, to determine suitability for housing.

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“This is a key focus of work which we anticipate will expand over time, but which we will start this year,” General Manager of Healthy and Safe Communities Angela Burden said.

“The whole idea is understanding what are the resources at our disposal as a city and then what contributions in terms of land can the province and the federal government make.”

Financing and government relations strategies are also among the secretariat’s other early priorities.

That process was of particular concern for Stoney Creek Coun. Brad Clark who suggested there is “no way” property taxpayers can exclusively pay for any plan.

“I don’t see an angel in the provincial government, or in the federal government, stepping up to say I’ll look after this,” Clark remarked.

Burden acknowledged the city will not be able to solve the crisis on its own and said developing an affordable housing fund and a five year financing strategy was a priority in the overall scheme.

“It’s so we understand what are the available funding sources … what are the innovative financing models and how do we leverage risk to deliver on our program goals,” she said.

“That in itself is a piece of work that’s going to take some time to think about how do we do things in the best possible way, given all that we know.”

Mayor Andrea Horwath conceded that Clark’s assessment was “not wrong” and told 900 CHML’s Bill Kelly Show that engaging the other two levels of government is critical not just for financial aid but for policy change, like rent control.

“These kinds of big policy issues … happening at other orders of government, trickle down and impact the local level,” Horwath explained.

“Yet our municipality, just like every other (Ontario) municipality, doesn’t have the financial capacity to to address these … big picture issues.”

The city’s housing services division estimates close to 6,000 are seeking accommodations in Hamilton, with an average wait for affordable housing of three to five years.

Close to 1,500 of the 6,000 people in the city are currently unhoused.

The city recently declared a homelessness, opioid addiction, and mental health state of emergency in the hopes of seeking some sort of financial help from the province and federal government.

The secretariat is expected to report back to Council in Q4 of 2023 on proposed work for 2024, including required resources that would need to be included in the 2024 Budget.