Moncton explores creating housing authority for affordable homes

A new non-profit is laying the groundwork to buy and renovate old homes to boost the availability of affordable housing in Moncton.

The concept was outlined at a Moncton city council meeting Monday, as city staff offered an update on the municipality's affordable housing plan.

Rising Tides Community Initiatives Inc. was launched by representatives of other non-profit groups in the city, including Debbie McInnis with the United Way and Joanne Murray with the John Howard Society. 

"We need a body that can be the go-to for affordable housing, renovations … to become the experts in affordable housing in the city," Murray told councillors.

She said the work could also involve buying vacant land to develop affordable housing. 

Various agencies and non-profits provide or support housing for segments of the population, but there isn't one single entity that addresses affordable housing. 

Rising Tides could use funds from various levels of government and other sources to address the need for cheaper accommodations in the city, she said. 

Vincent Merola, the City of Moncton's community development officer for social inclusion, told councillors a person making the minimum wage of $11.50 per hour can't afford to pay the average of $750 per month for a one bedroom apartment.

The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation calls housing affordable if it costs less than 30 per cent of a household's before-tax income. 

Merola said there are 153 homeless people in Moncton and 1,600 people in the region on a waiting list for housing through the province. 

The province's three-year affordable housing plan calls for building 151 new affordable housing units and renovating another 5,160 across the province at a cost of $32.8 million. 

Murray, who through the John Howard Society, is working on plans for 20 units of affordable housing under that program. She said the project would take two years to open. But they can't spend that long adding 150 units to house people. 

"If we have 151 people on the list [of people who are homeless]. I want to see 151, 153 — whatever the number is — I would love to see that many units added," Murray said. "That's the only way we can move forward. To say anything less is to say it's OK for half of them to be on the street."

She said they need to add affordable units faster than what's happening now. She said that's where the new Rising Tides organization could help by renovating existing properties. 

Consultant preparing business plan

The city's affordable housing plan, approved by council in April, calls for exploring the creation of a housing authority. 

Such an authority could be a not-for-profit, autonomous corporation, Merola said in a presentation to council. It would work with the three levels of government, business community and other social agencies to boost the availability of affordable housing. 

Many of the details of how such an authority would function are still to be determined.

The city has hired a consultant, Georges Cormier, to look at potential business models, how such an authority would be funded and function. That plan is expected to be completed within the first three months of 2020, after which it would return to city council for consideration.

Merola said Rising Tides could end up taking on the authority role, depending on the results of the business plan.

Homelessness dominates agenda

"I'm done with studies, I'm done with reports," Coun. Brian Hicks said after hearing from Merola and Murray. "I think maybe the city is going to have to be the one that initiates this if we're really serious about it."

Moncton Mayor Dawn Arnold said housing isn't traditionally municipal jurisdiction in New Brunswick. However, she said issues around housing and homelessness have come to dominate the agenda in recent years. 

"We also have to step up," Arnold said told reporters after the meeting. "This is about creating the way forward so other levels of government come on board."

The business plan would lay out potential funding sources, including from other levels of government.

Arnold said that while council has yet to see the plan, she expects there would be support for providing municipal funds to get the organization started.

Moncton is also exploring a policy to waive building and development fees for affordable housing projects.