Tent city in Saanich, photo by Walker Tottman (flickr).JPG
Sooke Pocket News / October 7, 2018 (with quotes from BCNPHA CEO Jill Atkey)
Housing Central launched its Make Housing Central campaign, providing information to civic candidates and the public on the role that cities can play in supporting affordable housing and the community housing sector.
“As we head into municipal elections where housing affordability is the number one issue on both candidates’ and voters’ minds, we felt it was important to ensure that all candidates were aware of what housing looks like in their communities, and what the local government role is in addressing the issues of housing and affordability,” said Jill Atkey, CEO of BC Non-Profit Housing Association.
The campaign includes a customized election guide for every municipality in the province, sharing the economic and social benefits of affordable housing, and highlighting census data related to housing and affordability in individual communities.
“We want to do everything we can to ensure that voters and elected officials understand the important role municipalities can play in developing and preserving safe, secure and affordable homes for everyone,” said Thom Armstrong, Executive Director of Co-op Housing Federation of BC.
Housing Central also launched a Municipal Toolkit, providing information on the tools that local governments can use in supporting co-op, non-profit, and affordable rental housing in their community.
The campaign asks candidates to show their support for affordable housing by pledging to Make Housing Central. Their pledges will be publicly hosted on the www.housingcentral.ca website and shared on social media by using #MakeHousingCentral2018. The pledge asks candidates to commit to using local governments’ ability to zone and contribute land, develop strong policy, streamline permitting processes and pursue partnerships – actions that will result in the development of new affordable housing.