Housing Supply Challenge: Round 2 - Getting Started

Alberta

Location Identification Framework for Non-Market Housing in Beaumont, Alberta

Non-market housing is currently under-supplied in our fast-growing suburban municipality of Beaumont, Alberta.

As such, our proposed solution is to develop a framework for identifying suitable locations for non-market housing in the City of Beaumont, Alberta.

 The goal of the framework is to reduce uncertainty for stakeholders (about the desired location and form of non-market housing. Reducing locational uncertainty will encourage new non-market development proposals and partnerships, simplify approval processes, facilitate access to financing, and reduce community opposition.

The proposed framework builds on examples from other communities and will include measurable data on factors influencing the success of non-market housing (e.g., access to transit and community amenities, income mix), and a clear, robust process for stakeholder engagement. It will include materials to be used by the City, proponents, and the public, to provide transparency on how location decisions will be made.

Alberta

Rural and Remote Communities - Housing Data for Pre-Development Progression

Housing data is a key part of addressing housing need in any community. To accurately understand and address need in communities, there needs to be an understanding of who is in need; what units are required; how many units are required; and what the future needs look like..

Unfortunately, for many rural and remote communities, housing data is severely lacking. Sometimes only minimal information about housing is available, and often the data is dated. This in turn causes issues with proving need to those backing or funding the project..

We propose to create a framework that will allow communities to generate quality-housing data independently.  This will allow communities to understand the need that exists in their communities as well as to work to address it. Rural communities across Canada will be able to utilize this framework.

Alberta

Changing Horses NFP Society Supportive Housing Complex

This solution addresses two affordable housing barriers: the mismatch between policy and implementation; and inflexible processes limiting innovation in First Nations housing.

For the solution, we are implementing lessons from the Indigenous Housing Innovation Initiative that offered seed grants to 24 First Nations across Canada. In particular, we are taking the lessons from the design and construction of a Tiny Home Supportive housing complex project and using the grant to document our process in a user-friendly format for distribution.

The goal is to offer a model for the future: community-led initiatives; energy efficient and culturally responsive designs; integrated project delivery; and the integration of traditional planning concepts.

Alberta

Co-Creating Housing Affordability with Neighbourhoods

Research suggests opposition to affordable housing in the public participation process tends to arise from uncertainty and miscommunication from a minority of residents.   Therefore, the solution to this challenge is to engage a broad swath of the community at the outset in a practical, bottom-up approach.

Experiences from a variety of jurisdictions suggest that when communities have the opportunity to envision the future of their neighbourhoods prior to development, barriers are reduced.  

The proposed solution intends to create an evolved public participation process that directly reduces systemic barriers and creates an informed neighbourhood engagement framework. 

The proposed solution will create a formalized process across decision-makers in the housing development approval process to integrate their efforts and to co-create affordable housing in all Edmonton neighbourhoods with consistent communication and processes.  It will also provide new avenues for participation for groups who are typically under-represented in the process of development. 

The solution will broaden the formative participation of indigenous, vulnerable groups, newcomers, LGBTQ+ and other potential users of affordable housing.  It will also create practical tools for regulators to re-think policies and practices.

Empowering Faith-Based Organizations to Create Affordable Housing

British Columbia

Faith-based organizations (FBOs) are uniquely positioned to create affordable housing because they have a community-focused mission and often own underutilized land.

Unfortunately, FBOs often encounter unique barriers getting projects started.

Co: Here Foundation is developing and piloting not-for-profit consulting services in the Lower Mainland of BC that will specifically address FBO barriers and, expedite their pre-development process.

These services will build FBO capacity, assisting them to develop a business plan that demonstrates preliminary financial and development feasibility, a clear housing vision, and an effective internal decision-making structure, which will enable FBO’s to access the financial and technical expertise that is readily available.

British Columbia

Leverage-Free Housing Finance Model

Financing is a considerable barrier in the housing development process, starting from the pre-development phase to making affordable houses available to first-time home-buyers.

The ultimate aim of the solution is to convert tenants into first-time homebuyers through an innovative program that offers financial flexibility.  The proposed solution will offer first-time homebuyers the opportunity to start with a minimal ownership stake and allow them to increase it at their own discretion and pace.

The solution will directly match ‘investors’ with ‘homebuyers’ in a risk-return sharing model without putting any burden on government resources. The model will develop a ‘trading platform’ where funds are raised and house-shares are traded, providing the necessary liquidity and flexibility.

The solution will be implemented in Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley and is scalable to be a country-wide solution.

The solution will be a leverage-free model that eliminates financial intermediation from the housing system, starting from the pre-development phase, saving all the related costs along the way, leading to more affordable homes.

British Columbia

Renovate the Public Hearing: Pre-Development Public Engagement Reforms to Support Housing Supply

SFU Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue (the Centre) and partners will reduce barriers and improve housing supply by providing solutions to the challenges created by legislated local government public hearings in British Columbia (BC).

Current public hearing requirements add time, money and sometimes trauma to pre-development processes for all involved. Solutions that improve public hearing requirements and procedures will lower housing costs by creating predictability and reducing risk in pre-development. Solutions will also improve diverse access, equity, and democratic competencies in legislated local government public engagement activities.

International scans and deliberative innovations, legal reviews, advisory groups, and community dialogues will inform solution options. Pilot tests in four municipalities and regional districts in BC, including the city of New Westminster, will undergo a mixed-method evaluation to identify how changes work, for whom and in what context. 

Outcomes will support systems change for updating public hearings, revising Section 464-470 of the provincial Local Government Act, and provide a model for national reform.

British Columbia

Gentle Density Housing (GDH) Accelerator

Small Housing BC (SHBC) seeks to promote the uptake of gentle density housing in numerous cities throughout British Columbia. 

Single family neighbourhoods typically represent 80% of housing in a given city, representing the vast majority of the land mass and offer a significant opportunity for build out of increased (gentle) density and affordability.  Yet, there are significant barriers to gentle density housing, lack of public understanding of gentle density leading to community resistance and correlative political hesitancy; lack of municipal planning capacity and knowledge of gentle density typologies and affordability models; and lack of shared knowledge and experience. 

SHBC proposes to overcome these barriers through two related processes: development of an interactive web tool that address these issues and a comprehensive consultative engagement process with BC municipalities and their key stakeholders.

Tools for Affordable Workforce Housing in the Southern Gulf Islands

British Columbia

The Southern Gulf Islands Tourism Partnership Society (SGITPS) has a mandate to address workforce housing with support from the Municipal and Regional District Taxes (MRDT) collected from Online Travel Agents (OTAs).

The proposed solution aligns the SGITPS with local non-profit housing societies to facilitate collaboration among Southern Gulf Islands’ (SGIs’) shared objective of achieving needed affordable housing and establishing a dedicated Southern Gulf Islands (SGI) Housing Navigator role.

The SGI Housing Navigator will work with local agencies to strategically align local government pre-development processes of the Islands Trust and the Capital Regional District, developing standardized tools and templates, such as housing agreements.

Workforce housing units will be dedicated to support staffing for local hospitality businesses using MRDT-OTA. Coordination of individual island and non-profit society efforts will better serve the overall affordable housing needs of island communities and increase access to needed resources including financing from BC Housing and support from the BC Non-Profit Housing Association. Public, non-profit, and private resources will be invested more efficiently and effectively.

British Columbia

Co-Creating Housing Solutions: Early Engagement Interventions in Housing Development

This solution proposes the development of a publicly accessible toolkit that outlines tools for engaging with neighbours and residents around affordable housing projects.   The solution will go beyond conventional and required engagement processes (e.g., a developer's open house or the Public Hearing model).

By developing more inclusive, accessible, and equitable forms of engagement intended to be implemented early in the development process, this toolkit will empower non-profit and private sector housing developers, local government staff, and the public to work together to co-create housing solutions and ensure a broader representation of perspectives early in the development process. This in turn will provide decision-makers greater confidence about public sentiment toward a project, allowing them to know their decisions are based on an engagement approach that strives to improve upon existing tools and methods.

We anticipate that the digital toolkit will include a number of components, such as tools for running a Co-Creation Workshop or design charrette; online and digital engagement tools; a guide to the legal requirements for rezoning in BC; and more.

British Columbia

Raven House- a model for urban Indigenous youth culturally-based affordable housing

In British Columbia, there are approximately 5,271 children and youth in foster care. 3,499, or 66%, of those 5,271 children are Indigenous.  46% of those children are over the age of 12 and are considered youth.

Every year in British Columbia,  800 youth age out-of-care at age 19,and their eligible funding is terminated. In Victoria, approximately 150 youth “age” out-of-care every year without adequate supports in place to meet their basic needs, such as housing. Victoria is one of the least affordable  cities in Canada.

The Victoria Native Friendship Centre provides 48-units of low-income, culturally-based housing to students, single parent families, and youth aging out-of-care. However, it has over 100 families on the waiting list.

Due to the pandemic, many office buildings in cities are now empty. These offices can pivot with supportive zoning to transform into small, self-contained suites with common spaces. This type of culturally-based supportive housing is ideal for youth transitioning out-of-care and the common spaces can be used for workshops, training, staff supports such as social workers, youth mental health and addictions workers and a property manager.

At Raven House, urban Indigenous youth can develop skills and self-confidence before moving on independently.

Manitoba

Rent Seeker

Lengthy community needs assessments create a lag in processes for affordable housing and create an over reliance on the private sector to inform what the affordable housing needs are.

Through this proposed solution, Rent Seeker will help to eliminate the need for a lengthy community needs assessments for funding applications for affordable housing projects.

To address the issue of community needs assessments, Rent Seeker will address the need for consumer driven data to lead affordable housing building projects based on current and specific market demands that we are not currently able to capture in a meaningful way.

Using the HelpSeeker Technologies model, we will partner with sector service transformation companies to bring transparency, accuracy, and sustainability to the rental market, including the affordable rental housing market. This will also help to clarify the state of  affordable housing in Brandon by adding availability to real-time consumer data for safe, appropriate, and affordable housing.

This project will be piloted in Brandon, Manitoba, and can include other similar sized cities with similar affordability challenges.

Manitoba

Indigenous Housing Inspection Program - Barrenlands First Nation

The Indigenous Housing Inspection Program (IHIP) will help Barrenlands First Nations (BFN) upgrade substandard homes on its reserves.

In order to upgrade substandard homes, Barrenlands needs support in terms of home inspections and training to address the critical need of increasing energy efficiency.

Unfortunately, capacity in Home Inspection and Energy Efficiency improvements are limited in First Nation communities. The difficulty is that local capacity is often not developed when homes are upgraded or completed.

IHIP will build this capacity (as well as potentially other skills in future) by building local skills and abilities with the training provided on-reserve. Training will combine in-house and in-class teaching resulting in certified skills.

Barrenland First Nations has invited the IHIP to implement its pilot project in its community, and has expressed keen interest in building its capacity through this program.

New Brunswick

The Housing Hub: Southwest New Brunswick Housing Information Portal

Southwest New Brunswick’s (SwNB) municipalities are in an extreme housing shortage due to limited local developer capacity and a lack of interest from ‘urban’ developers to build in rural areas. 

Across the region’s municipalities, at least 500-1,000 + new or converted affordable and market rate rental units are needed in the next 5 years.  Unfortunately,  there is a lack of interest to build this type of housing amongst local developers.

However, lowering costs, project time, and overall development effort for developers would be a key factor in lowering rental costs and ultimately lowering barriers for entry for new developers.  This can be accomplished through access to data - access to data and information is one of the major barriers preventing local private and non-profit developers from accessing funding and developing affordable.  Easy access to all regulatory information and key contacts lowers time and effort. 

The solution is a one-stop-shop online Hub that will have information relevant for all stages of pre-development.  The Hub will highlight how it can help developers expedite their project.

The Hub would have a real impact on streamlining the process for developers, leading to lower development costs to allow for many more affordable units.

Newfoundland

Creating Affordable Cohousing Through Knowledge-Sharing

Cohousing is a community-led, community-funded housing model with social and environmental benefits.

Unfortunately, there is a lack of cohousing-specific expertise in Canada to expand this housing model.

Our solution is to compile knowledge from the experts and other cohousing groups to create legal, financial, and pre-design documents and processes to support cohousing in St. John’s.  Then, we would convert this knowledge into templates, workshop guides, and example reports that would form a toolkit for cohousing consultants to support more accessible and affordable cohousing across Canada.

This solution will become the foundation of a cohousing knowledge commons that collectivizes the experience, skills, and resources of the geographically dispersed grassroots cohousing initiatives.

Ontario

Pre-development Process Streamlining and Modernization for Affordable Housing in Simcoe County

Slow, disjointed, and antiquated development approval processes impact housing supply and affordability. First Nations Communities in particular have no building permit system and home construction follows no set process. As a result, existing codes & standards are not consistently used.

We propose a pilot in Simcoe County to address long approval times and digitize the process for all 16 municipalities and 2 First Nations Communities. The system will streamline the pre-development construction processes for affordable housing and help ensure First Nations homes are built to code.

A single window approach will include:

- A Development Approval Data and Information Exchange Standard (DADIES) that will determine what data is being shared between stakeholders and standardize exchanges for more timely, transparent processes,

- A Central Review Platform (CRP) that enables stakeholders to efficiently submit, review, communicate about, and approve development applications, enabling faster decision making,

- And a Central Analytics and Reporting System (CAARS) that will give communities access to insightful data regarding their development approval processes, and inform decision making to enable smart planning across the county.

Ontario

ESG-Funding Online Platform

Mobilizing private capital into projects that include affordable housing is critical to increasing supply, yet it remains a major challenge as the specter of these affordable housing projects will project low financial returns.

Now, with climate-risk accepted as a significant structural risk in property portfolio management, large pools of private and institutional capital have become earmarked for ESG/ Impact Investing with a heavy focus on environmental outcomes.

Through this solution, we will create  visibility around tranches of ESG capital and their “E” requirements.  This will enable developers to tailor projects to attract ESG funds to their capital stack as well as deliver environmental benefits- leading to improved operational affordability.

Ontario

Creation of Non-profit Housing Development Corporations

All development projects require three components to become feasible: capital, land, and capacity. If any of these components are missing, a project will not be successful.

Specifically, pre-development activities such as securing sources of funding or financing, identifying project partners, and developing a design concept are crucial steps to determine the feasibility of a development project. These can be time consuming and challenging to address if an organization does not have the time & capacity.

There is simply a lack of development capacity in the non-profit and co-operative housing sector.

Our solution is to lead the creation & mentorship of non-profit development corporations across Canada.

Cahdco is a non-profit development corporation based in Ottawa, created more then 20 years ago by CCOC, a private non-profit housing organization. CCOC operates 1,700 affordable rental homes in downtown Ottawa.

Cahdco will work with CHRA to recruit housing organizations across Canada interested in increasing their development capacity and then advise them how to create and establish a non-profit development corporation. Cahdco will be assisted by Indwell, based in Hamilton, Ontario.

Ontario

Affordable Rental Housing in Brampton’s Private Housing Stock (lodging houses, triplex conversions)

The proposed solution seeks to address a growing challenge in housing affordability for a majority of low and middle-income renter households in Brampton.

This solution proposes to address housing affordability in Brampton by using the existing private housing stock.

The pre-construction barriers to supply of safe and legal lodging homes and rental triplexes within the predominantly low-rise private housing stock are: significant financial investment of time and resources for project planning; approvals; and required public consultations.

Phase 1 of the solution is to pilot the co-design of a number of prototypes for lodging houses and rental triplexes in a sample neighbourhood, resulting in a variety of pre-approved plans. These pre-approved plans will be used to educate the public and help to reduce negative perceptions of these rental typologies in Brampton, showcasing the role they can have in supporting a full mix and range of housing choices to residents.

In Phase 2, the project will be expanded in scope (policy, DCs, zoning overlays etc.) and geographical application to support these typologies city-wide and remove barriers to the conversions of single-detached dwellings to meet affordability needs of renter households.

Ontario

Network Roadmapping for Redevelopment Plans to Confront Systemic Racism

BIPOC communities are chronically under-engaged in municipal planning processes, despite BIPOC having the highest levels of housing insecurity. This limits the delivery of affordable housing for BIPOC residents.

This solution will address the barriers of systemic racism within municipal planning projects and public consultation processes that create BIPOC displacement.  It will coordinate BIPOC community members (residents, development sector leaders, and organizations serving marginalized BIPOC residents) and municipal planning bodies in Toronto and Peel.

The goals of this solution will be:

1) Multi-sector strategic plans and partnership agreements, and municipal policies that produce affordable housing that address BIPOC displacement.

2) Roadmaps for making changes to municipal planning as to integrate social equity into densification plans.

Ontario

Housing Needs and Affordability for Single-Parent-Led Families

The number of unsheltered individuals rapidly increased throughout the 2020 pandemic. The number of people residing in temporary hotels increased by 300%, of which 28% were females. Family shelters were at capacity with single mother-led families occupying 73% of family shelter positions.

A number of Halton-based single mothers who work a 40-hour week, experience challenges and may live in poverty. Many cannot afford to rent a 2-bedroom apartment for their family. As a result, many other aspects of her life may suffer including food security, mental health, parenting, and life skills.

Home Suite Hope (HSH) operates from a housing-first model and recognizes that for individuals to be successful, they must first have a safe space to call home. In providing affordable housing, and thus a home, it enables one to be successful in other aspects of their life.

HSH proposes a pre-development solution to determine two key factors in offering single-parent families affordable housing: 1) Tenant-Informed Building Amenities Requirements for Single-Parents; 2) The Affordable Housing Framework.

This solution is scalable to 6 HSH Affiliates supporting single-parent-led families across Ontario.

Ontario

Tiny Home Communities in Northwestern and Rural Ontario

Tiny home projects or "villages" have been proposed in major cities across Canada, but little consideration has been given to the tiny home concept in northern and rural municipalities in Ontario.

For many communities, major barriers remain that must be removed for the tiny home concept to be a viable tool in addressing homelessness and affordability in northern and rural Ontario. This is particularly true in the District of Kenora in Northwest Ontario, where a homelessness crisis is brewing as a direct result of the housing shortages in the region’s First Nations communities, including those neighbouring the region’s 9 municipalities as well as the remote communities in the far north.

There is a growing, grass roots movement in northwestern Ontario that is seeking to establish tiny home communities on and off First Nations lands to provide low-barrier housing to homeless community members. However, the movement has not been successful in making meaningful impacts due to a number of barriers facing this type of development.

Kenora District Services Board (KDSB) in partnership with the University of Manitoba (U of M) seek to develop a Tiny Home Community Development Roadmap for Northwestern Ontario.

Ontario

Community Led Designs for Specialized Housing in the North

The existing northern housing policies, programs and funding mechanisms support the production of suburban-style family homes in northern reserves. These are ultimately not satisfactory for NAN members.

Without capacity or support for community-based design in pre-construction, there will continue to be insufficient housing development in the North.

Community Led Designs for Specialized Housing in the North (CLDSHN) will initiate an alternative pre-construction process through the co-creation of Housing Plans with populations experiencing inequitable housing outcomes in Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) Territory.

Focusing specifically on those experiencing greatest housing need, CLDSHN will engage community members with lived experience in generating shovel-ready design and implementation solutions.

While designs will be tailored to the unique needs and priorities of the occupant populations, they will be accompanied by flexible implementation plans meeting the diverse climatic and geographic contexts of the territory. The development of Housing Plans rooted in the experiences of NAN members will respond to the ongoing NAN housing crisis by building new pathways towards affordable and appropriate housing.

Ontario

B Homes

Our goal is to create new purpose-built secondary housing by eliminating pre-development barriers to investment for detached homeowners.

B Homes creates new housing stock by providing a turnkey detached accessory dwelling unit (DADU) development service to average homeowners and small residential investors. Included in this service, provided by a consortium of non-profit builders and developers (B Homes), is a suite of tools specifically designed to reduce the typical barriers for DADUs at single family homes. Customizable, energy efficient and accessible housing design, project management services, seamless integration to existing communities and sound financial support are the foundation for the value we provide to potential users of this service.

Our intention is to implement this solution in Barrie, Ontario . In Barrie alone there are over 31,485 detached homes with the potential for new detached accessory dwelling units. However, our ultimate goal is to distribute and install our novel modular detached accessory dwelling product in major cities across Canada through a network of social enterprise contractors and trusted consultants to create widespread impact on the secondary affordable housing landscape in Canada.

Ontario

Inclusionary Zoning (IZ) Housing Development Calculator & Dashboard

A variety of municipal policies affects the affordability of a development.  Changes to unit count, parking ratio, open space requirements, timeline costs, construction costs, fees and taxes adjust the feasibility of a project.

To encourage developers to build affordable units, we need to enable them to understand how they can reduce costs, and in turn, understand how affordable housing can fit in their proposal.   Developers need to fully understand the city of Toronto’s housing goals and understand the real impacts of different policies.

We are proposing a web-based housing development calculator & dashboard that will translate Inclusionary Zoning (IZ) policy requirements and provide on-demand pro-forma calculations.  Our solution provides stakeholders with a calculator and 3D modelling tool to understand IZ in Toronto and how incentives offset costs of affordable units. It allows developers to conceptualize how they can pass-along cost savings to provide affordable housing, reduce unknown pre-development barriers, visualize multiple feasible developments, and provide stakeholders with greater transparency into funding opportunities.

Ontario

Financing affordable housing with the power of community

Tapestry Community Capital specializes in using a social finance tool called a Community Bond.

Similar to a regular bond, they are an interest-bearing loan, except they also generate a social return for investors. Community bonds are an innovative way for non-profit affordable housing providers to overcome two key barriers:  Lack of flexible and efficient project financing and community resistance to affordable housing developments.

Community bonds allow organizations to set their own financing terms and raise funds on a predictable timeline. While unlocking private capital, they also build a powerful sense of community ownership. Residents, neighbours, and local businesses alike can all invest to improve their community, while earning a fair return.

Our solution adapts our proven process for raising community investment to meet the complex funding needs of affordable housing providers. We will design this program through a highly collaborative process involving a diverse range of stakeholders that provide, fund, or are personally impacted by affordable housing.

Prince Edward Island

Overcoming Zoning Challenges in Land Use Planning

Stratford is planning to design a more collaborative process that will promote a safe and ethical space for the public, planners, developers, and stakeholders to work together to address housing challenges in land use planning.

This new process includes preliminary research on the economic, environmental, and social benefits and costs associated with different development patterns, social marketing and education, technology, and the design of an updated planning process.

The social marketing component will inform and educate the public on matters such as population growth, housing supply, land use and development patterns with the purpose of deconstructing the stigma around high density and diversified housing needs. This education will be further reinforced through technology, by 'gamifying' this process via a virtual interactive platform that will allow residents to simulate and visualize how different development decisions play out in land use patterns and housing supply in a PEI context.

The design of the new planning process will support up-front collaboration and co-design for different housing typologies to build support and buy-in early in the planning process, therefore improving the frequently adversarial nature of the public hearing

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Quebec

Realized through Value Collective

Value Collective  aims to address the pre-development barrier of a financialized economy that does not adequately recognize non-financial forms of value.

This solution proposes the establishment of a living lab to generate ideas, programs, and structures for de-financialized systems of organizing. The project would offer a rotating cohort of residents housing and workspace at no cost, among other forms of support, as a basis for prototyping new approaches to economic practice utilizing non-financial value exchange.

By providing accessible housing and a vibrant social infrastructure within the framework of a hub for new economic knowledge and practice, Value Collective creates a context where practice-led cultural change is possible. Value Collective is currently exploring implementation at Cite-des-Hospitalieres, a former monastery in Montreal.

Quebec

Solutions hub to accelerate the development of affordable student housing in Quebec

There is a lack of affordable student housing in Canada. Affordable student housing is also not reflected in most statistics or policies. Stakeholders are fragmented as the housing sector does not have adequate student housing representation, and the educational sector has not given this need enough attention.

However, there are significant and underutilized financial and land resources that would allow affordable student housing projects to get off the ground if various stakeholders could work more closely together.

The Carrefour du logement étudiant will bring together relevant educational institutions, student associations, organizations and government departments to address the planning deficit, forge new partnerships, experiment with new models, disseminate technical solutions, and inform public policy.