Habitat for Humanity Halton…

Habitat for Humanity Halton-Mississauga applauds the Ontario Government for its implementation of inclusionary zoning regulations that will help ease financial tensions for families across the province. Allowing municipalities the ability to control their zoning regulations is a useful tool for affordable housing and addressing local poverty. While our objectives regarding housing aligns with the province, we would like to address the language of the regulation and the role of non-profits.

We believe that non-profit organizations such as Habitat for Humanity should be considered development partners with the Ontario government. Aligning with non-profit organizations will relieve the financial burden taken on by the province, while also strengthening communities by partnering with local organizations. Additionally, connecting with Habitat and other charities designed to provide reasonably priced housing will reduce “shallow affordability”, delivering a variety of unit types to the market at various prices.

The proposed regulations should explicitly state that contractors have the option to coordinate with non-profit organizations to build affordable housing. We recommend including language related to non-profits in section 3.b), thereby incentivizing contractors to work with groups such as Habitat for Humanity. Partnering with non-profit organizations will deter shallow affordability by involving local stakeholders not concerned with income, and producing more livable cities.

Finally, it is essential to keep affordable homes in the hands of the people who need them. We recommend that the new regulation includes language requiring municipalities to prevent subletting their homes. Adding these restrictions to the legislation will prevent homeowners profiting from their subsidized housing and ensuring affordable homes remain with eligible occupants.

Habitat for Humanity Halton-Mississauga

[Original Comment ID: 212325]