Latest news with #affordablehousing
CBC
3 hours ago
- General
- CBC
'A devastating blow': Yellowknife man out of options after accessible housing project fails
Social Sharing Brian Carter is packing up 26 years of memories at his Yellowknife home. Carter, who is chair of the N.W.T. Disabilities Council, hoped to move into a long-awaited accessible housing project, until it was put on hold. "It's just very emotional, very tough," Carter said. Carter, his wife and another family member they live with are all disabled. Because of his deteriorating health issues and also a lack of accessible housing for his family, he has to leave the N.W.T., he said. "We had discussed about the possibility of moving into that home. And now I'm forced to make a major move on our own, disabled, with three of us disabled," Carter said. Since 2020, the disabilities council and Housing N.W.T had been working on a 45 to 50-unit apartment housing project in downtown Yellowknife. The goal was to create affordable housing tailored to the diverse needs of people with disabilities. The council had secured funding and a sub-lease on a plot from the territorial government. In February, the territory informed the council they wanted to use the land for another project and proposed other sites. But due to disagreements, the partnership fell apart. 'There's nothing available for them up here' Carter said they had worked on architectural designs and fundraising for the past five years. For him, the project would have meant greater security and stability. "My health is going down. I've got heart problems. I've gotten diabetes. My legs need to be amputated. I had cancer surgery last year that after a long delay, I was running my business while hooked up to a catheter ... yeah, it became very personal to me," Carter said. With the project in limbo, Carter said people with disabilities will continue to struggle with the lack of a housing solution. "People will continue to be transferred to institutions down south because there's nothing available for them up here." Carter said. "It's going to mean they're losing their contact with their communities, people lose their sense of dignity, and you know as disabled people that's a big thing is to be able to live in dignity." In an emailed statement, Housing N.W.T said the council didn't meet the deadlines under their lease agreement. "As milestones in the original lease agreement were not met ... Housing N.W.T. met with the NWTDC and expressed our interest in moving ahead on a more imminent housing project," the statement read. Carter disagrees with this. "We met every milestone ... I asked them to provide the proof of that, provide their letters to us requesting certain milestones." CBC News reached out to Housing N.W.T again, but didn't get a response by deadline. Significant need Charles Dent, the N.W.T. human rights commissioner, calls the situation a setback for people with disabilities, as there's a significant need that is not being met. "It certainly affects people's human rights in the broader scheme of things. If you take a look at the UN Declaration, it's certainly an issue that would show up there." With the project on hold, Dent said this means conditions for people with disabilities in the North won't improve any time soon. Marie-Josée Houle, Canada's federal housing advocate said there is a huge lack of accessible housing for people with disabilities which is "quite amplified for people in Canada's North." "People with disabilities face financial hardship, unsafe housing and the lack of supports and services at a far higher rate," Houle said. "Basically this is unacceptable," she added. Houle said policies should be made around people living with disabilities by keeping them central in discussions. Carter said the collapse of this project is more than just bureaucratic. "It's a devastating blow to people living with disabilities in the Northwest Territories who remain chronically underserved across housing," Carter said. Carter said he feels sad for the people of the North, and that another project like this could take another 10 years.
Irish Times
9 hours ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Homes in Kildare affordable housing scheme above price limit for State-backed mortgages
Houses for sale in an affordable housing scheme in Co Kildare are priced above the threshold of what the State deems affordable in its local authority home loan scheme. Eight new homes at Lattin Place, on the Rathasker Road in Naas, went on sale on Wednesday with prices ranging from €295,000 for a two-bed house, €365,000 for a mid-terrace three-bed house and €370,000 for an end-terrace three-bed property . As of 3pm on Wednesday there had been over 100 applications for the eight homes . The house price limit for State-backed mortgages under the local authority home loan scheme is €360,000 in Co Kildare. Two working families with two children each and who have approval for the local authority loan are locked out of these affordable purchase homes, because the price of the three-bed homes is above the purchase price limit of the loan scheme. READ MORE Sandra Rowe says she and her husband are 'really, really frightened for the future' and is calling on the State to increase the threshold on the loan scheme. The couple, who both work full time, were refused a traditional mortgage through a bank because their income was too low. They are currently renting a house in Naas with their two children – a 12-year-old boy and a nine-year-old girl. 'The rent is crazy, and we have no stability here. The biggest thing you want as a parent is stability for your children, and we thought the local authority loan and the affordable housing scheme would be our pathway,' Ms Rowe says. Aishling Conway with her husband Shane and their two children, Ella May (6) and Jack (2). Similarly Aishling Conway and her husband have also been locked out of the scheme, with Ms Conway saying 'it's quite strange that they're advertised as affordable housing, but then on their own mortgage, you can't even get it'. The couple, who both work full time and have two young children, a six-year-old girl and a two-year-old boy, were unable to secure a traditional mortgage from a bank because of their ages – they are both in their mid-forties – and so applied for the local authority home loan scheme. They have been house hunting for almost four years and had been hoping to avail of the affordable homes at Lattin Place. [ How much can I earn and still qualify for social housing? Opens in new window ] 'It's quite frustrating, especially with the way the market's going. At the moment, you bid on a house, and it just shoots up. One house we bid on jumped €9,000 in eight minutes, and it kept going up and up because two parties were bidding against each other,' Ms Conway says. The couple have very recently gone sale-agreed on another three-bed home in Naas for €320,000, and acknowledge they are 'very lucky' to get a house in the town for that price. Cllr Bill Clear at Lattin Place, Naas Local Independent councillor Bill Clear has been assisting local families in securing schemes to help them on to the property ladder, but says this situation is particularly frustrating. 'There is a silo in operation here, this is a Department of Housing loan, and a Department of Housing affordable purchase scheme – but the two aren't talking to each other. It is another abject failure of this Government,' Mr Clear says. Both Ms Rowe and Ms Conway are 'stuck in the middle', he says. 'They are all working, so they're locked out of social housing, but yet they're on too low of pay for the house prices in Naas. They are the working poor.' The homes at Lattin Place are a 'small drop in the ocean' of what is needed in Naas, Mr Clear says. There is another affordable housing scheme coming up at the former Devoy Barracks site in the town, which will have 219 units when completed. Prices for the first phase of the Land Development Agency project, due to launch in 2025, have not yet been released. Mr Clear, however, believes the project will be 'massively oversubscribed'. He says he is 'so frustrated and angry' at the situation. [ 'Without people to build homes, it won't happen': Construction workers decry shortage of tradespeople Opens in new window ] 'There is no data on people like this stuck in the middle. There are some homes in Kildare now with three generations living together, it's not only children living at home, but grandchildren are there now too. It's not right,' Mr Clear says. Ms Rowe will be one of those waiting on the Devoy Barracks scheme and calls on the Government to either increase the threshold of the local authority loan scheme, or to ensure the affordable homes fall within their price range. 'The one thing that we need as a family is either the threshold to be made higher or the affordable homes to come in at the threshold that has been set. That's what we need and what we're hoping for. We're putting all our eggs in the basket for this one,' Ms Rowe says. Without that, the future is uncertain for Ms Rowe and her young family. 'Myself and my husband are really, really frightened for the future. We know these houses [at Devoy Barracks] are coming up soon but we're just petrified now that if the prices are higher than what Lattin Place is, or if they come in at the same price, and the threshold isn't made higher – then we're in big, big trouble. Our hands are completely tied.'
ABC News
16 hours ago
- Business
- ABC News
More housing earmarked for Sydney Fish Market redevelopment site after planning control changes
Sydney could net more than 1,500 new homes from the redevelopment of the city's old fish market after the Minns government finalised changes to planning controls. The site on Blackwattle Bay was already slated for 1,200 apartments as part of a mixed-used precinct, but the ABC can reveal the land has been rezoned to squeeze more housing from the project. NSW Planning Minister Paul Scully said there would be less area for offices and more space for apartments. The announcement comes as the proposal to turn Rosehill Racecourse, near Parramatta, into a "mini city" of 25,000 homes lies dead in the water. On Tuesday, Australian Turf Club members voted against selling the track, in a major blow to the Minns government's push to address the state's housing shortage. Mr Scully said the government was working on "other options" in lieu of its scuppered Rosehill plan. The government will require 7.5 per cent of the homes on Blackwattle Bay to be kept "in perpetuity" for affordable housing. But the location means the rest of the homes are likely to be priced too high for those on ordinary incomes. The minister said the rezoning made no substantial changes to building height limits, which range from six to 36 storeys. He said there would be no loss of open space under the modified plan, which includes a 1-hectare park at the southern pylon of the Anzac Bridge. A promenade 30-metres wide will be built along the bay, linking Glebe Island Bridge and the new Sydney Fish Market. The developers — Lendlease, Mirvac and Stockland — were shortlisted late last year to carry out the urban renewal. The companies are due to submit their proposals in July, with the first new homes expected to be built by 2028. The units will be a short stroll from the proposed metro station at Pyrmont, but the first residents will have to wait several years to ride it. The Metro West to Parramatta is not set to open until 2032. "The homes will come slightly in front of the Metro, but it's in a really well-located part of Sydney with access to transport, and access to jobs," Mr Scully said.
CBS News
18 hours ago
- Business
- CBS News
Blight Busters uplift Detroit with affordable housing in Old Redford
For months, CBS News Detroit has followed the transformation unfolding in Detroit's Old Redford neighborhood — from the first shovel in the ground to the final touches on a major new housing development. Now, that vision is a reality. The Orchard Village Apartments, a brand-new 48-unit affordable housing complex, is officially complete. The project is the latest milestone for Detroit Blight Busters, a grassroots organization that's been revitalizing neighborhoods for nearly four decades. John George, executive director of Blight Busters, has been on the front lines of Detroit's battle against blight since 1988. That year, he and a group of neighbors boarded up a vacant drug house, and the movement began. "We started this work 37 years ago because we didn't want our children growing up and around that negative energy," George said. "To see this kind of development in the neighborhood where we started is very exciting, to say the very least." The project was completed in partnership with CHN Housing Partners — a large-scale affordable housing developer, residential lender and housing service provider that works with its partners to solve major housing challenges for low-income people and underserved communities. According to George, it's not just about structural buildings; it's about building better lives. "It's all about quality of life," he said. "Our children, all children, deserve to grow up in a neighborhood that's safe and clean." Affordable housing remains one of Detroit's most pressing needs. Since 2017, the average rent in Detroit has increased by 55% for single-family homes and 43% for multifamily homes, according to data from the Urban Institute. Developments like Orchard Village help address that gap, offering stability and opportunity for families who need it most. For George, this work is personal. A self-described "Brightmoor baby," he was born on Chapel Street and Fenkell Avenue and remains committed to making Detroit a place where everyone feels at home. "[Detroit is a city of] people putting their petty differences aside," he said. "Creating opportunity, creating spaces and places where all are welcome, and creating a Detroit our children deserve." A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Orchard Village Apartments is June 2nd at 11 a.m. George says everyone is welcome to attend. CBS News Detroit will continue to follow the impact of this project and the people behind it as part of our ongoing "Detroit Proud" series.
The Guardian
19 hours ago
- Business
- The Guardian
The Guardian view on social housing: invest boldly to tackle ‘simmering anger' about substandard homes
The most obvious social housing problem in Britain is the lack of it. The failure to build enough homes to keep up with need, and replace those sold off under the right-to-buy scheme, has adversely affected millions of lives. In parts of England, the wait for family-size homes has reached 100 years, with long waiting lists also in Scotland and Wales. Charities rightly call this a national scandal. While the slowdown dates back decades, the 60% cut in the affordable housing budget in 2010 made the situation far worse. The resulting shortages mean millions of people are stuck in privately rented accommodation with no prospect of buying their own. Hundreds of thousands of others are officially homeless, and trapped in overcrowded temporary flats and rooms. But another problem has now crept up on this one. With complaints from tenants about repairs soaring, the social housing sector is increasingly failing people with homes as well as those without them. The housing ombudsman for England, Richard Blakeway, warned this week that 'simmering anger' about substandard living conditions, including mould and damp, could boil over. This is a crucial moment for housing campaigners and concerned professionals such as Mr Blakeway. In less than two weeks, the chancellor's spending review will set out how much money the government will commit to spend on housing between now and 2029. The £2bn announced so far is regarded as a downpayment, enough for 18,000 homes. Billions more will be needed if affordable homes are to be a substantial portion of the government's 1.5m target. Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister, is widely understood to be dissatisfied with the Treasury's offer so far. She is right to insist that social housing is prioritised. This means capital budgets, but also funding for temporary accommodation, repairs and improvements, including those that reduce emissions and bills. For too long, social housing failures have been dismissed as second-tier concerns, largely because the tenure is for people on lower incomes. British homeowners and landlords have reaped huge advantages in recent years on the back of rising prices. The renters' rights bill began a process of rebalancing housing policy towards those without property assets. Now ministers must go further and show that they recognise access to affordable housing as a fundamental entitlement. Other changes besides budget increases are already in progress. Social tenants should soon see the benefit of rules making housing associations more professional and accountable. Specialist qualifications will be rolled out, and providers will for the first time be subject to freedom of information laws. From October, Awaab's law – primarily focused on England – imposes a 24-hour deadline for emergency repairs. Longer-term rent settlements will help housing providers, which do not all deserve to be painted as villains. There have been grave failures, none more appalling than the fire at Grenfell Tower in London, but many of the problems are systemic rather than the fault of particular people or organisations. Again and again, polls show how highly healthcare is valued by voters. But housing and health are closely connected. When the government announces its spending plans, it should spell this out to voters. Ensuring that everyone has a safe, suitable and affordable home is a crucial step on the road to national recovery. Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
