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Regional Housing Trust Fund

British Columbia's Capital Region currently has a rental vacancy rate of 0.6 percent (among the lowest rates in Canada) and, at nearly $500,000, one of the highest average house prices in the country. Some 22,200 households in the Victoria region are in core housing need, which means they are unable to find housing that meets basic standards for adequacy, suitability and affordability.

"Housing affordability is something that is achievable by only 30 percent of residents in this area" says Henry Kamphof, executive director of the Capital Region Housing Corporation and member of the Housing Affordability Partnership.

In November 2004, the Capital Regional District (CRD) Board passed a motion to create a Regional Housing Trust Fund (RHTF). In April 2005, six of the region's 13 municipalities - which account for more than half of the region's population - voted to establish the Regional Housing Trust Fund, contributing a total of $638,256 annually. It is estimated that these funds can lever up to 12 times that amount from provincial and federal governments and other sources, resulting in between 50 and 75 new housing units each year. Proponents of the fund are anticipating that more municipalities will choose to participate in the RHTF after this fall's municipal elections are over.

No single organization is claiming credit for the creation of the Regional Housing Trust Fund. Rather, it is seen as the product of eight years of effort on the part of many individuals and organizations in the Capital Region. It also represents an awareness of, and responsibility for, the ongoing evolution of a community that cares about the quality of life of all its residents.

Many members of the community's housing stakeholder groups work together through the Housing Affordability Partnership (HAP). In addition to multiple contributors - HAP, the CHALLENGE and the Capital Regional District - support for the Regional Housing Trust Fund came from some elected officials who championed the idea and from individuals working in other housing organizations.

In seeking to foster a culture of engagement, inclusion and collaboration, the Quality of Life CHALLENGE helped marshal community support for the establishment of the Trust Fund. HAP has worked to promote the message that housing affordability is central to the region's economic and social stability.

Says Henry: "In all human endeavours, the network of relationships among people involved in similar work can tip the balance in favour of a new idea or initiative. We have a strong core group of people who work on housing issues, and our respect and knowledge of each other's abilities is what helped us get everything lined up for the adoption of the fund. The CHALLENGE was able to extend our network deeper into the community, and its efforts led to the groundswell of support we needed."

Says Mabel Jean Rawlins-Brannan, Director of the Quality of Life CHALLENGE, "A collaborative effort shows its strength when many diverse voices speak out in support of the proposal. That was the intention, and that is what happened here. The elected decision-makers heard the facts from reliable research. They heard the personal stories from people struggling because they could not find appropriate housing. They heard from the citizens who vote for them. And they heard from people in the housing industry."

The work done to establish the RHTF is proof positive that the building of support is the place to start. It begins with an outlook based on the importance of relationship-building and drawing on the depth and breadth of community experience with the challenge at hand.

More information:
Capital Regional District: www.crd.bc.ca
Quality of Life CHALLENGE: www.qolchallenge.ca
Housing Affordability Partnership: www.housingaffordability.ca

Story by Anne Makhoul

Nov 1, 2005