Durham Region plans to build 2,330 new affordable housing units by 2034, less than 300 units a year across all eight Durham municipalities. Even with these low numbers, the projected cost is over $2.2 billion, according to a councillor.
Durham’s home-insecure numbers are rapidly rising each year reaching crisis levels (see below).
“It is clear that Durham alone cannot meet demand without significant help from the provincial and federal governments. Meeting this demand in Durham alone would cost $15 billion not taking into account future demand,” said the Regional and Oshawa Councillor Brian Nicholson.
In a recent social media post, Nicholson referred to a recent study by the Canadian Centre for Economic Analysis on benefits of new public housing. This new report argues that investing in public housing is not only a social necessity but also an economic one.
Investing in both new public housing and repairs to aging buildings could generate billions in economic activity across Durham while improving health care, reducing public costs and helping thousands more people find affordable homes, Nicholson said.
He charged that Durham Region views affordable public housing as a drain on the tax base when if properly funded and managed, it can be a significant economic benefit as well as meeting a social necessity.
“Rather than doing the bare minimum, Durham Region and both the federal and provincial governments need to step up and stop avoiding this housing crisis by hoping it will go away if they ignore it long enough.
“If we can build 1,000 new units here in ward 5, then imagine what a true effort can do across Oshawa and Durham,” he added.
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