What’s the issue?
Affordable housing is scare in BC and the Kootenays. In Nelson, the rental vacancy rate is around 0%, few houses come up for sale, and those that do are often unaffordable to the average earner.
Who is impacted by this issue?
A lack of affordable and available housing has impacts on prospective homeowners, prospective renters and current renters who may be evicted as rent costs increase or because they are competing with the short-term rental market.
What is ideal?
Ideally, low-income earners and middle class earners will be able to afford quality housing without being pushed out of the communities they work in and call home.
What role is the government currently playing?
The NDP Government has promised to build 114,000 affordable rental housing units over the next 10 year, and during the election they promised a $400 rebate for renters and a speculation tax or closing the loopholes that incentivize speculation.
What role should the BC government play?
- Develop a comprehensive housing strategy to provide affordable housing for all British Columbians.
- Support measures to curb speculation in BC real estate markets.
- Invest in more affordable rental housing.
- Form partnerships with First Nations, non-profit organizations, co-operatives and private developers to support the planning and construction of low income rental units.
- Protect existing social housing and provide incentives for construction or conversion of existing buildings to rental housing.
- Ensure strong protections for rental and lease tenants.
What’s happening in the Nelson-Creston area?
- Attend the Addressing Homelessness in B.C. talk on Oct 11, at 12 pm at the Hume Hotel
- Attend a A Community forum on affordable housing that will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 11 at the Nelson United Church, moderated by Bennett.
- Learn about Ready to Rent BC’s RentSmart Program for landlords by attending a talk on Oct 10. at 7:00 p.m. in the Nelson and District Credit Union board room (enter at the rear of the building).
- “The City of Nelson has started enforcing a bylaw, fining homes that haven’t purchased a short-term rental license or ignored warning letters, and they’ve purchased software to keep on top of the situation. There is now an interactive map that shows all the short-term rentals in town, accessible online to anyone.”
- The City of Nelson does have an Affordable Housing Strategy
- The Nelson CARES affordable housing project has just announced they hope to have their 47-unit Lakeside Place building for seniors and disabled people ready for occupancy by early 2020. In addition, the Nelson CARES society runs Ward Street Place, Cedar Grove Estates and Copper Mountain Court.
The Nelson Star published an article on 11 October 2017 called City monitors, enforces short term rental rules.