Peninsula Homeless to Housing (PH2H) has “total confidence” that if land were made available to the task force today, they would be able to start building affordable housing in the City of White Rock.
“There’s some builders here, in our region, that are willing to step forward and what’s holding them back is the unavailability of land here,” PH2H chairman Rick Bayer told Peace Arch News Tuesday.
“It’s just too big of a hurdle for any sort of developer or builder to even begin to look at this. To buy land at these prices, it’s not going to happen.”
The same point was made to White Rock city council Monday during Bayer’s presentation on the topic.
“If the city were to make some of their land – if they have it – available, or if they were to buy some land, then I’m quite certain that we can move forward on this,” Bayer said.
During his presentation to council, Bayer highlighted two additional points that, if acted upon, he said would reduce pressure faced by homeless and low-income people living in White Rock.
Bayer recommended council create an affordable housing fund, something that was brought up by Democracy Direct council candidates during the 2018 civic election campaign.
“When I look at the current OCP, I see a lot of words like encourage, support, explore, consider,” Bayer said to council. “Those are great words, but can we move in 2019 beyond just exploring and considering to actually doing?”
During the meeting, Coun. Anthony Manning told Bayer that council recently directed staff to take a look at possible legislation to add a five per cent vacant tax for houses and businesses in the city.
“Specific to that motion is earmarking the funds to acquire land for affordable housing,” Manning said. “Now, it’s quite likely that we will need to ask Victoria’s permission to implement that tax. So if that is ultimately the case, I would ask the task force to please help us lobby Victoria for the right to impose that task.”
Bayer, who spoke to council alongside long-term PH2H volunteer and White Rock extreme-weather shelter volunteer co-ordinator Joan McMurtry, said they would certainly help the city lobby the provincial government.
Bayer also requested that the city designate a percentage of units in new housing stock for affordable housing, which he defines as 30 per cent of a renter’s income.
Bayer noted that all council members participated in a pre-election homeless-and-affordable-housing forum hosted by PH2H last October, which was attended by about 200 people.
“Make a legacy for this council. There has been a lot of talk around it, but what about some action,” Bayer said. “As a municipal council, you’ve been elected (on) a mandate and people are looking for action on this area.”
Coun. David Chesney told Bayer that council supports his objectives.
“I think I can speak for almost everyone sitting here in front of you,” Chesney told Bayer. “Rest assured, there has probably never been a council that is more committed to working (to create) the type of community you dream and speak of.”
Bayer told PAN after the meeting that PH2H documented what councillors said during the campaign, and part of the intent Monday was to hold their feet to the fire.
“I love that you’re calling us out on doing action instead of just being committed,” Scott Kristjanson told McMurtry and Bayer. “My action, Joan, is I will see you at 5:45 tomorrow morning to help out (at the extreme-weather shelter).”
Kristjanson turned up for the morning volunteer shift the following day, PAN confirmed.
Mayor Darryl Walker, who also recently volunteered at the extreme-weather shelter, shared a story about his experience.
“I was struck by one young man, probably in his, I’d say, mid-30s. He was on his way out that morning to go to work. He had a job, he just didn’t have any place to live. It speaks volumes to what we do and don’t have in our community and our society,” Walker said.
