The issue of affordable housing has been of concern in the Cowichan region for the past decade or more. Extensive discussions on the issue have been held over several years with the Cowichan Valley Regional District (CVRD). Recently announced dollars for federal and provincial housing programs can be accessed but projects that can show strong support by local governments have a much higher chance of approval. The Regional Housing Service demonstrates local commitment and funding, which enables us to all be more effective in meeting the growing housing needs in our region.
The adoption of bylaw 4201 on April 11th, 2018, established an Annual Financial Contribution Service to assist with providing programs and services related to affordable housing and homelessness prevention in the Cowichan Region.
The Regional Housing Service has two primary goals;
Goal:
To support non-profit organizations to develop affordable housing proposals for projects that are in the pre-construction phase.
Purpose:
To address pre-construction “soft-costs” for proposals that aim to create new affordable housing by way of construction, acquisition and/or conversions.
Funds:
Maximum funding for proposed PDF projects is $25,000
Goal:
To address the shortfall in affordable rental housing stock within the Cowichan Region
Purpose:
To support development of new affordable rental housing stock, shelters and second stage housing by making a contribution to capital costs.
To enhance community contributions and partnerships in order to leverage additional funding resources.
Funds:
Funding may be up to 10% of the overall project budget.
Many organizations seeking to build or preserve affordable housing do not have access to housing expertise or are challenged on how best to navigate funding and regulatory processes. Cowichan Housing Association will assist organizations developing affordable housing projects to strengthen partnerships with various government agencies and to develop housing expertise through the following:
In April 2019, Cowichan Housing Association launched a Cowichan Attainable Housing Strategy that lays out priorities and an implementation plan for increasing availability of affordable housing in the Cowichan Region. The programs and activities of the Regional Housing Service will be implemented to serve the aims of the Strategy, and will be evaluated on that basis.
The Regional Housing Service Guidelines document is to describe the Regional Housing Service programs and the decision making processes by which the services and programs will be governed.