At their Council meetings held Tuesday March 22, 2022, both the City of Brantford and the County of Brant approved a capital contribution agreement that will identify the shared investment in the development of a new affordable housing build on Trillium Way in Paris, Brant – one of the collaborative projects being implemented to achieve the deliverables set out in the Mayors’ Housing Partnerships Task Force Affordable Housing Action Plan.
In 2020, City of Brantford Mayor Kevin Davis and County of Brant Mayor David Bailey convened the Mayors’ Housing Partnerships Task Force, with the goal to build partnerships to create more housing options in the community as quickly as possible. The Task Force created project teams to address three key objectives: discover the opportunities; work together; and, make development easier.
“Affordable housing is an incredibly important topic for many communities including the County of Brant and City of Brantford. Waitlists continue to be extensive and not enough viable housing options are available. I am proud of our Councils for taking action on the Affordable Housing Action Plan and moving forward to create new solutions by constructing affordable housing units in Paris. This is a strong step in the right direction, said David Bailey, Mayor for the County of Brant.
Consistent with the plan to build 506 new housing units from 2020 – 2030, capital costs for each new development will be negotiated and proportionately shared by each municipality. The County’s contribution to the Trillium Way development is estimated at $12.5 million, up to $15 million. Construction on the new development that will feature up to 49 one and two-bedroom units is expected to begin in May, 2022.
“Having a place to call home provides a sense of security and wellbeing, giving a foundation for individuals to pursue personal goals and improve their quality of life. Both Councils’ approval to move forward collaboratively on this development demonstrates the ability and commitment of our communities to find and build solutions together. Recognizing we still have a lot of work to do to achieve our common ultimate goals, I’m encouraged to see how much progress we’ve made to date,” said Brantford Mayor Kevin Davis.
The City’s proportionate contribution to the Municipal target is estimated at up to $40 million.
The acute need for more affordable housing, and the positive impact this stability has on people’s lives cannot be understated. Clearly, need has never been greater, made even more acute by impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. At present, there are over 1,450 households on the community housing waitlist, whereby new non-senior applicants, with no dependents, have a wait of between eight and 12 years, and account for nearly 35 per cent of applicants.
“This is more than affordable housing; this is transforming lives and communities. Affordable housing has been shown to have profound effects on residents such as improving health, security, access to jobs and financial stability. Together, the County and City are committed to creating opportunities for residents to lay down roots and create a home while improving the quality of life for residents and the overall community,” added Social Services Committee Chair, Councillor Marc Laferriere.
