Affordable Housing Initiatives
There are a number of governing bodies that impact housing in Fort Erie. The Province provides high level policy direction to municipalities. As part of a two-tier governance system, the Region of Niagara serves as the appointed Service Manager when it comes to the provision of social and affordable housing.
The Region of Niagara Official Plan contains Housing Policies that encourage diversity in housing type, size and tenure to meet projected demographic and market requirements of current and future residents. The policies contain targets to be used in measuring the overall provision of housing during the span of the Official Plan.
Additionally, Niagara Regional Housing is actively working to identify current and future housing needs, provide strategies to improve access to housing and ensure everyone in Niagara has an adequate, suitable and affordable place to live through its Housing and Homelessness Action Plan (HHAP).
The Town of Fort Erie is responsible for maintaining its planning policy documents to conform with Regional and Provincial policies and encourages a range of housing types within the Town.
Generally, the housing market can be viewed as a continuum where the supply of housing responds to the range of housing demand in a community. This can range from emergency shelters to affordable housing units to market units.
Households can move back and forth along the continuum through different stages of their life-cycle. For example, senior homeowners may choose to sell their homes and move to the private rental market, or homeowners who move from a market rental or ownership into a subsidized rental due to illness or loss of job. It is therefore important for each community to have an adequate supply of units throughout the continuum.
The Town is currently implementing the recommendations of the Housing Needs assessment and Housing Action Strategy by strengthening the current Official Plan polices to better support affordable housing projects and creating an Affordable Housing Community Improvement Plan to provide incentives for affordable housing development. These initiatives will offer greater flexibility in addition to financial incentives to the development community in an effort to encourage tan increase in the range of housing choices, tenures and prices available in the community.
Below are links to several Town initiatives that have been endorsed by Council to support affordable housing in the Community. There are also several links to Federal, Provincial and Regional resources that may provide guidance and assistance on services and supports that are in place to better facilitate affordable housing.
Town of Fort Erie Housing Action Strategy
Town of Fort Erie Housing Needs Study
Region of Niagara Housing and Homelessness Action Plan
Province of Ontario Housing Plan
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation - Affordable Housing Development
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation - Affordable Housing in Canada
For more information on what the Town is doing to support and encourage affordable housing in the community, please contact:
Jennifer Pennell-Ajie
jpennellajie@forterie.ca
905-871-1600 x 2401