Development Committee Supports Affordable Housing Initiative

Fredericton (November 21, 2006)– The city’s Development Committee today supported a proposal to tackle the serious shortage of affordable housing in the city for low-income families, seniors and persons with special needs.

The committee recommended that the creation of the Fredericton Affordable Housing Ad-Hoc Committee be sent to City Council for approval.

“We know there are hundreds of people on a waiting list for this type of housing and many more living in emergency shelters because there’s nowhere else for them to go,” said Coun. Mike O’Brien, chair of the Development Committee, who has agreed to be City Council’s representative on the proposed nine-person committee.  “There is a huge shortage and it needs to be addressed.”

Spending 30 per cent of your income on housing is considered affordable but low-income families exceed that ideal so other necessities of life suffer, added Councillor O’Brien.

One of the major problems the new committee will look as is how to best take advantage of existing federal and provincial support programs.

Affordable housing needs to be viewed as a shared responsibility between all three levels of government, community groups and the business and development communities as the make-up of the committee reflects.

Members who agreed to participate with Coun. O’Brien include Sarah Touchie, Senior Development Officer with Service Canada; Gary Glauser, a consultant with the New Brunswick Non-Profit Housing Association; Nancy Lange, Coordinator, Community Planning Group on Homelessness; Valarie MacCallum, Executive Director, John Howard Society of Fredericton; Gary Gould, General Manager, Skigin Elnoog Housing; Chris MacPherson, Assistant City Administrator, City of Fredericton; Joanne Thomson, Community Liaison Coordinator, City of Fredericton; and Eldon Toner, Principal, Toner Renovations Ltd.

Acting in an advisory role will be Alex Forbes, Assistant Director, of Development Services, City of Fredericton and Penny Higgs, Supervisor of Housing, Family and Community Services, Province of New Brunswick.

The committee plans to invite other participants, especially from the non-profit and for-profit developers and the business community as their work progresses.

-30-

Media Contact:  Coun. Mike O’Brien, City of Fredericton, (506) 460-2085.