Chatham-Kent municipal staff could be directed to look at ways to make it easier for affordable housing projects to come to the area.
Councillor Trevor Thompson will be putting forward a motion Monday that, if approved by council, would have staff create a report that outlines all the fees associated with building an affordable housing project in Chatham-Kent as well as any recommendations to streamline the process.
According to Thompson, with over 800 people on waiting lists for affordable housing in Chatham-Kent, the municipality needs to step up and look at how they can solve the problem.
"If this is such a crucial need that we see within the community and it is an issue, where hundreds of people are sitting on waiting lists trying to find an affordable housing situation, then we need to do better," he said.
Thompson said he recently met with a first-time affordable housing developer who told him some of the obstacles she faced when trying to build.
"She working on a project in Chatham and she was describing some issues she had with permitting, with getting all the approvals," he explained. "Not only that but learning about all the different fees that are attached to projects like this."
The developer told Thompson she would be on the hook for over $40,000 in fees to get the project up and running. Besides creating a clearer outline for those looking to develop in the area, he is also hoping the report will look at ways the municipality can reduce some of the building charges.
"Other communities, like Peterborough, they have a program where it gets granted back through the municipality. It helps stretch their dollar a little bit further and it helps a developer who's sitting on the fence in regards to developing these affordable housing properties," Thompon said. "So I brought forward a motion just to get a sense of exactly what the fee structure looks like as well as what are some of the obstacles, some of the hurdles, to getting these projects going."
Thompson is also encouraging the municipality to address the need for affordable housing in smaller communities.
"Of the projects we have, the bulk go into Chatham. Trying to get an affordable housing project built in Blenheim, we haven't had one in years or anywhere else in some of the quieter more rural communities," he said. "People want to stay close to their family, they want to stay close to the community they're used to. It is a housing crisis across the municipality and we need to do everything we can to alleviate that situation."
