Whitehorse council aims for 'attainable' housing

The City of Whitehorse has named housing as one of its strategic priorities for this year, and it's focusing on "attainable" housing, not just affordable housing.

There's a difference: affordable housing, formally defined, means housing that costs a maximum of 30 per cent of a household's income. Attainable housing refers to the ability for people in any housing category to find new types of housing, for example someone in a rental apartment being able to buy a house.

Whitehorse mayor Dan Curtis said attainable housing is a focus because the city's business community wants to see more housing options for people of all income levels.

"We've heard from the Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce and numerous business and mining operatives that not everyone is looking for affordable, but they're looking for attainable — something that fits their lifestyle and fits their ability to have employees come here," he said.

The city's rental vacancy rate stood at 2.4 per cent, according to the most recent figures available from the Yukon Bureau of Statistics.

Mike Gau, the city's director of development services, said the city avoids building housing itself in order to avoid competing with other agencies for limited federal funding. But he said the city can help encourage construction by zoning more residential land and changing development regulations. 

The city's housing plan includes the goal of increasing the supply of accessible housing units that will let seniors live closer to their families, for example in garden or basement suites.

"[Attainable housing] means that anyone can attain some form of housing that suits where they are in their lives right now," he said. "And we're trying to help ensure there's some supply of that type of housing."

'Everyone deserves to access housing'

Kate Mechan, who manages the Safe at Home housing action plan, said there is a need for more rental units, especially for lower income people in need of supportive housing, which includes access to community services.

Still, Mechan said she supports the city's goal of encouraging more housing at all income levels. 

"Everyone deserves to access housing somewhere along that continuum and I think the city's attainable housing strategy will really try and help facilitate that."

The city also plans to produce a report on the number of available housing units, sell some parcels of land it owns, and work out a land transfer agreement with the Yukon government.