New videos released by United Way Perth Huron (UWPH) aim to show how housing costs are affecting workers in the region.
The videos were done in partnership with the Four County Labour Market Planning Board (FCLMPB). Executive Director of the FCLMPB, Dana Soucie, says the affordable housing crisis is also affecting employers, who are finding it harder to attract new workers to the region because they can't afford housing or rising rental costs, which has seen some companies take unique actions.
"We have seen everything from employers buying homes, which has never happened before. There are challenges with that, in, well they become landlords. Whoever thought as an employer you'd have to be a landlord to get your workforce?" Soucie pondered.
When it comes to making things easier for workers and employers alike, Soucie thinks there needs to be more solid long-term solutions presented to combat high rents and housing costs. She says that has to come from all levels of government, and include partnerships with organizations like United Way who want to make more affordable housing options possible.
"I think that working with local organizations like the United Way, who are looking at projects that will bring in, that word 'affordable' housing. Affordable housing is also a hot topic, and what affordable means," added Soucie.
Soucie says many industries are affected by the struggle to attract new workers, including manufacturing, tourism and hospitality and also healthcare. That is amplified in rural areas, where resources are not as available at times as urban areas. Couple that with Midwestern Ontario having a very low unemployment rate (second lowest in the province accord to the FCLMPB numbers), and the strains on workforce attraction and retention are even more amplified.
"In our EmployerOne Survey, it continues to have housing as the top barrier to attracting and retaining their workforce. Hearing from the employers and the struggles that they're having trying to deal with housing, I think it's a huge, huge topic," Soucie emphasized.
Soucie says their research in recent years included the aging workforce in our area, and how that will soon make employer challenges even more stark.
"That led us to some really eye-opening things that need to be looked at in our healthcare system. That's because one topic ends up turning into another, because the workforce is very complicated, and digging into these areas and sectors that are struggling, like healthcare, it's extremely important," Soucie said.
The new videos from the United Way features stories from two local workers. One is an accountant that was evicted when the building her apartment was in was sold to a new owner during the pandemic, and the new apartment she found was $1,000 more a month for a worse living situation.
Another video profiles a local minimum wage worker who has a husband that also works for minimum wage that moved to the country recently. They pay more than half their income for a small one-bedroom unit.
"Rents have gone through the roof, to the point where, unfortunately, many workers simply cannot afford the housing they need," said Ryan Erb, UWPH Executive Director. "For minimum wage workers and young professionals alike, working hard isn’t enough when prices and rents are so high."
The videos will be shared on social media, where viewers can "share their support for increased funding for non-profit housing," according to a media release from UWPH.
"We believe the best way to get workers the housing they need is to provide it directly at a rent they can really afford," added Erb. "That’s why workforce housing is a key component of all the projects we’re developing with our new non-profit housing organization, United Housing."
Anyone interested can find more information at perthhuron.unitedway.ca/workersneedhousing