Peterborough's Housing Crisis Continues to Be Problematic Says United Way

The United Way Peterborough & District’s 19th Edition of Housing is Fundamental report that highlights Peterborough’s worsening rental market according to author Paul Armstrong.

Paul Armstrong authored the Housing is Fundamental report annually. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

This year’s report analyzes the market and underscores the ongoing challenges posed by housing affordability and accessibility.

Their local key findings include:

• Canada has reached a new low for its vacancy rate at 1.5 per cent

• Peterborough’s vacancy rate remains at 1 per cent

• The average market rent is $1,325 across all units, which is a 6.5 per cent increase from last year

• Three-bedroom units saw the largest increase in average market rents at 7.7 per cent

• The annual income required to afford the average market rent is $53,000

Average Rent In Canada

Average Listed Rents by Unit Type - Feb. 2024

Rent Year-Over-Year Change

The report also recognized these highlights of the rental market in Canada:

• Canada-wide vacancy rate was 1.5 per cent (Oct. 2023), a new low

• Strong rental demand outpaced supply

• Tighter markets with lower affordability

• Rent growth exceeded average wage growth by a wide margin

• Rent arrears increased from 6.5 per cent (2022) to 7.8 per cent (2023)

• Lower-income renters faced below-average vacancy rates for the least expensive apartments

Armstrong highlighted the contributing issues using data from Statistics Canada and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).

“When surging rents outpace income increases, something is wrong. When people pay their rent and then find themselves at food banks to eat, something’s amiss,” he said. “When inadequate supply of rental units produces a 1.0 per cent vacancy rate in Peterborough, something has to change. When housing costs are now the primary driver of inflation and 20% of Canadian rental stock is owned by large capital enterprises, something’s inequitable. When homelessness grows, but social housing builds don’t materialize, something’s unjust. The housing crisis deepens with little indication of relief.”

“Housing remains the cornerstone of a healthy and thriving community,” said Jim Russell United Way CEO. “Data is showing us that foodbanks are seeing record high numbers of first-time users. Without stable and affordable housing, individuals face immense barriers in every aspect of their lives, from purchasing food to employment to health. This year’s report is a call to action for all levels of government and community partners.”

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United Way Peterborough & District Announces Upcoming Point-in-Time Count to Measure Homelessness

United Way Peterborough & District’s upcoming Point-in-Time Count, part of a nationally coordinated effort to measure homelessness across Canada, will take place between Nov. 18 and 21, the organization announced on Monday afternoon.

Jim Russell, United Way CEO (left); Elisha Rubacha, United Way’s community impact officer (middle) and Betsy Farrar, United Way manager of community impact (right), Photo by dAVID tUAN bUI.

The Point-in-Time Count comprises of two parts: a 24-hour enumeration and an in-depth survey. The enumeration involves tallying the number of people that surveyors observe experiencing homelessness. Conducting an enumeration over 24 hours will provide Peterborough with a snapshot of the minimum number of people experiencing homelessness in our community says United Way. This enumeration is understood to be a minimum due to the different types of homelessness that cannot be observed, such as couch surfing, which is also referred to as hidden homelessness.

In addition to the enumeration, the in-depth survey will improve the understanding of who is experiencing homelessness in our community. The survey data will provide our community with information about the specific needs and circumstances of people experiencing homelessness in Peterborough at this time.

The survey will ask questions such as:

• Demographics like age, gender, race, sexual orientation, and Indigeneity

• Length and duration of homelessness

• Reason for homelessness

• Health factors

“The Point-in-Time Count is an opportunity to learn directly from those experiencing homelessness in our community,” said Elisha Rubacha, United Way’s Community Impact Officer. “As the PiT Count Coordinator, it is my hope that this research will support housing advocacy efforts, while also reducing stigma.”

This Point-in-Time Count marks the fourth one to have taken place in Peterborough, with previous ones taking place in 2021, 2018 and 2016. United Way expects the data to reflect a stark increase in the number of people experiencing homelessness and the complexity of their situations compared to the 2021 data, said Betsy MacDonald, United Way Director of Community Impact.

“As a community, we have been feeling the effects of rising costs over the last few years. It is anticipated that the 2024 PiT Count will provide us with data that indicates that more people are experiencing homelessness than previously,” she said. “This data is important for us to have as a community because it provides concrete justification for the need for increased resources to be put towards housing services and programs.”

United Way Peterborough & District wants the community to be aware of the Point-in-Time Count activities taking place next week:

• Between the evening of Nov. 18 and the evening of Nov. 19, outreach workers will be walking and biking throughout the City to enumerate and survey people experiencing homelessness

• Surveys will also take place inside of shelters on Nov. 18, as well as during the day on Nov. 20 and Nov. 21 at specific community locations

• These surveyors will be wearing identification badges that indicate they are part of the Point-in-Time Count project affiliated with United Way Peterborough & District

• Individuals being surveyed will be offered goods in exchange for their participation

• Surveyors will approach individuals and ask them a screening question to determine their eligibility for the survey.

The individuals are allowed to end their participation in the survey at any time without repercussions.

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Peterborough Action for Tiny Homes Submits Temporary Rezoning Application to City For Affordable Housing

Peterborough Action for Tiny Homes (PATH) submitted a completed application for a temporary rezoning to the City for affordable housing, announced on Wednesday.

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The rezoning is for 385 Lansdowne St. E. and the Peterborough City Planning Department has approved the application. It will be presented to the City Council General Committee on Aug. 26.

A site development agreement pre-consultation has been conducted with City staff, Planning, the Building Department, and Fire Services to establish the parameters for the site's development and operation.

“This is the first step in providing a valuable community resource to address homelessness in the City of Peterborough and will enable us to offer secure, heated sleeping cabins and supporting amenities for 24 unhoused individuals,” said Keith Dalton, PATH board member.

The plan is to build 30 sleeping cabins for unhoused people at the former Peterborough Humane Society building. Habitat KPR has agreed to sign a three-year lease with PATH for the latter to use the tiny homes in April of last year.

The program is currently funded for the first year of operation and PATH will seek support from Peterborough citizens and provincial and federal levels of government to extend this service for three years according to a press release. This is being done while PATH proceeds with its Phase 2 program for community-funded permanent, affordable housing.

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City of Peterborough Gives Public Notice of Intention to Pass By-laws to Establish and Rename Certain Roads

Notice is hereby given that under Sections 31(2) of the Municipal Act, 2001, S.O., 2001, c. 25, the City of Peterborough proposes to enact the following by-laws on June 10.

Photo courtesy of the City of Peterborough.

1. A By-law to rename a portion of lands known as Hillside Street (from Cochrane Crescent to Simons Avenue) to Deline Street; and

2. A By-law to establish the road to be known as Deline Street as a public highway;

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Housing Access Peterborough to Provide Affordable Housing Waiting List

The waiting list for affordable housing units operated by Peterborough Housing Corporation (PHC) will be provided through Housing Access Peterborough, a City of Peterborough Social Services program starting Wednesday.

Photo by Keegan Beekers.

PHC, the City’s affordable housing agency, had previously operated the waiting list for Affordable Housing and the City’s Social Services Division, through its Housing Access Peterborough (HAP) program, operated the waiting list for Rent-Geared to-Income (RGI) housing according to a press release.

Affordable Housing units feature rents established between 80 per cent and 100 per cent of Average Market Rents. Rent-Geared-Income housing refers to a housing program regulated by provincial legislation where rent is capped at 30 per cent of a tenant’s income.

Peterborough Housing Corporation and 14 non-profit housing providers together operate about 2,000 affordable housing units, including about 1,500 rent-geared-to-income units. There are currently more than 2,000 applicants on the waitlist for RGI housing.

“Bringing together the affordable housing and RGI waitlists, through Housing Access Peterborough, will make it easier for people to apply for housing services through the Housing Access Peterborough website, find information or seek assistance at a single location,” said Councillor Keith Riel.

Prospective applicants for affordable housing can submit their application online through the HAP website or pick up paper application forms at the Housing Access Peterborough office at 178 Charlotte St. in Peterborough.

As the Service Manager for the City and County, the City of Peterborough administers the Centralized Housing Waitlist for Rent-Geared-to-Income (RGI) housing. PHC previously managed access to affordable housing units through a separate application process. Applicants who were on the affordable housing waitlist with PHC prior to Wednesday and those on the RGI centralized waitlist have been given the opportunity for priority placement on this new waitlist.

The City says the units provide safe, decent and reasonably priced housing options for individuals and families with low to moderate incomes. They add that they are also designed to ensure that people from a wide range of economic backgrounds can access housing without experiencing financial hardship or housing instability.

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City of Peterborough Rewarded $1.88 Million From Provincial Government For Exceeded Its 2023 Housing Target

After Peterborough exceeded its 2023 housing target and broke ground on 506 new housing units last year, the provincial government rewarded the City with $1,880,000 through the Building Faster Fund, announced at City Hall on Monday morning.

(From left to right) Councillor Leslie Parnell; Dave Smith, Peterborough-Kawartha MPP; Matthew Rae, Perth-Wellington MPP and Mayor Jeff Leal. In 2022, Ontario saw the second-highest number of housing starts since 1988, with just over 96,000 new homes. Ontario also broke ground on nearly 15,000 new purpose-built rentals, the highest number ever on record. pHOTO BY dAVID tUAN bUI.

The announcement was made by Matthew Rae, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing who was in attendance of the press conference.

“I want to congratulate Peterborough and all municipalities that have worked hard to get shovels in the ground faster,” he said. “Our challenge to these municipalities now is to redouble their efforts to build more homes than ever before so we can improve affordability and keep the dream of homeownership alive in Ontario. Our government will be there to support you every step of the way.”

Last August, the Ontario government announced the Building Faster Fund, a new three-year, $1.2 billion program to provide significant funding based on performance against provincial housing targets to address the housing supply crisis.

Municipalities that have reached at least 80 percent of their housing target receive funding, and municipalities that exceed it receive increased funding.

“We have a target that we have to achieve by 2031 of 4,700 units as part of the overall provincial pledge that the Premier announced last August,” explained Mayor Jeff Leal.”

He continued to explain that this is a step toward making housing in Peterborough more available and affordable to rent or purchase.

“We want to move that vacancy rate from one per cent to a three per cent level which would be much more healthy and that would moderate rent in the City of Peterborough and provide opportunities for young people to buy that first home,” said Leal.

Any unspent funding can contribute to housing-enabling infrastructure to all municipalities, including those that have already received funding due to reaching their targets, through an application process.

In addition, ten per cent — or $120 million — of the Building Faster Fund is being set aside for small, rural, and northern municipalities to help build housing-enabling infrastructure and prioritize projects that speed up the increase in housing supply according to a press release.

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Monaghan Road Housing Project Making Significant Strides In Public Update From The City of Peterborough

Construction of the City of Peterborough’s affordable housing project at 681 Monaghan Rd. will show significant progress in the coming weeks as precast structural loadbearing walls and precast floor slabs are installed followed by prefabricated wall panels, announced by the City of Peterborough on Tuesday.

Photo courtesy of the City of Peterborough.

This is the first City construction project to use prefabricated construction techniques.

Construction started in the fall of last year with an official groundbreaking ceremony held on Oct. 11 for the six-storey building with 53 units including 37 one-bedroom, 11 two-bedroom and five three-bedroom units with amenity space and utilities on the ground floor. Construction is expected to be completed this year.

“It’s exciting to see the progress of construction at 681 Monaghan Rd.,” said Councillor Keith Riel. “This important housing project is being funded as part of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation Rapid Housing Program, so it was essential that the team assessed construction techniques for both cost efficiency and the ability to facilitate a shorter construction period.”

“Unity Design Studio, formerly Lett Architects, has a rich history in Peterborough and is proud to be collaborating with the City of Peterborough on this project -  a crucial stride toward providing much-needed affordable housing,” said Roy Turner, Unity Design Studio senior project lead. “As the building takes form, we would like to express our gratitude for the dedication of the entire project team. Their commitment ensures that upon completion, this building will offer affordable housing to many and positively impact our community.”

“As proud members of this community, we are so fortunate to be able to help address this crisis with this much needed project,” said Craig Mortlock, Mortlock Construction president. “To date, we’ve spent many months working together with the City of Peterborough and the design team to design, coordinate, implement and construct this building. We are now at a very exciting stage of the project. We, and any other passerby, get to witness the fruits of the team’s planning and coordination, as the precast concrete structural panels are being delivered and placed on site. It is so rewarding to see this building taking shape so quickly, growing daily, eventually allowing so many people to call this building home.”

This affordable housing project received $18.9 million in federal funding through the third round of the Rapid Housing Initiative (RHI3), $40,000 in SEED funding, $854,810 through the Ontario Priorities Housing Initiative (OPHI) and over $4 million from the City of Peterborough.

The project will be home to vulnerable populations in Peterborough, including Black Canadians, people with disabilities, Indigenous Peoples, homeless people or those at risk of homelessness.

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Mount Community Centre to Complete Redevelopment After Donation

The Remembering Otto and Marie Pick Charitable Foundation has donated to complete the redevelopment of The Mount Community Centre (TMCC) to provide affordable housing, announced in a press release on Monday.

Photo courtesy of the Mount Community Centre.

The construction began in September 2014. The donation concludes the development of the Mount’s main building of seventy-nine apartments according to a press release.

“‘Operation Upstream’ as we call it, enables us to support unhoused and homeless people before they need more intense supports like those in our hospital system,” said Martin Pick. “In this way, we are helping others to a better place. We are pleased to contribute to the community with a gift to facilitate the completion of 11 more affordable apartments at TMCC.”

“These affordable apartments will have a positive impact in our community,” said Mayor Jeff Leal. “On behalf of the citizens of Peterborough, I want to thank Martin and Denise Pick for their outstanding generosity. As a former Minister of Agriculture, I developed a wonderful relationship with Martin Pick. Pickseed is a national and international leader in providing grass seeds and forages for the world’s agricultural community. The Mount Community Centre has improved the lives and wellbeing of so many people in our City, and this gift will allow them to make an even greater impact. This is clearly the second miracle on Monaghan Road.”

“We are humbled and beyond grateful to share that Martin and Denise Pick have made a generous donation to support the continued redevelopment of TMCC,” said Steve Kylie, the Mount Board Chair. “The Pick Family has a rich history of multi-generational philanthropy and the family name is synonymous with community building.”

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Habitat for Humanity Kicks Off National Student Writing Contest

Students from grades 4 to 6 are invited to share what home means to them in an annual national writing contest held by Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region.

ELLYOT READ HER STORY DURING THE GROUND-BREAKING CEREMONY OF HABITAT’S PHASE TWO PROJECT ON LEAHY’S LANE. She was one of nine runner-ups from last year’s contest. PHOTO BY DAVID TUAN BUI.

The contest is open and accepting entries, with submissions being accepted by mail or online until Feb. 23. Habitat’s goal is to receive 15,000 student submissions across Canada this year. 

“Nothing compares to the feeling of strength and security that comes from having a safe place to call home. Every child in Canada deserves to feel this way and that’s why we continue building and advocating for more affordable housing,” says Julia Deans, Habitat president and CEO. “The enthusiastic response to this annual contest where children share in their own words what home means to them is truly inspiring.” 

Every participating student earns Habitat earn a $10 donation provided by the contest sponsors to build safe and affordable homes. Across Canada, three grand prize winners will also receive a $30,000 grant to help their local Habitat for Humanity build homes for families needing affordable housing. In addition, nine runners-up will receive a $10,000 grant for their local Habitat for Humanity. 

Last year, over 12,000 entries raised $302,000, helping families in 42 communities across Canada build a brighter future through affordable homeownership.  

“We are very excited to have the opportunity again to engage students in conversations about home through the national Meaning of Home contest,” said Jenn MacDonald, Habitat communications and donor services manager. “It is truly amazing to see the level of thought and creativity the students put into their entries and the support of our affordable home-building efforts.” 

In the past four national competitions, there have been four student winners from local schools across the Peterborough and Kawartha Region including two winners from Edmison Heights Public School, one winner from Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board’s Virtual Elementary School and Ellyot from St. Catherine Catholic Elementary.

Their winning entries have raised a total of $40,000 for Habitat for Humanity PKR Leahy’s Lane developments which has already supported 41 local families and individuals into affordable homeownership in the City of Peterborough according to a press release.

“As this contest’s founding sponsor, we are amazed at the heartfelt student submissions that pour in year after year,” says Stuart Levings, President and CEO of Sagen. “We are proud to have a role in engaging children in caring for their communities at a young age while recognizing how meaningful it is to have a safe place to call home.” 

To enter the contest, parents and teachers can sign up at www.meaningofhome.ca with submissions being accepted until Feb. 23, 2024.  

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Temporary Encampment Site Undergoing Property Maintenance

Property maintenance, including garbage removal, will occur at the temporary encampment site at Aylmer and Wolfe Streets on Wednesday, announced by the City.

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Over the last month, most people on the site have been connected with available shelter and housing services. As of Monday, four people were staying in tents on the property, as reported by the City.

When the temporary encampment site was approved by City Council in early September 2023 as a way to clear the nearby Rehill Parking Lot property for the construction of 50 modular housing units for people experiencing homelessness, there were about 55 people who moved onto the Aylmer and Wolfe streets property.

About 40 people living on the Aylmer and Wolfe Streets property were offered units in the new Modular Bridge Housing Community. The City partnered with One City, which has opened the new Trinity Community Centre with a winter overnight drop-in space with 45 beds and a daytime drop-in program.

The City’s emergency shelter network, operated by community partner agencies, offers 127 shelter beds.

Social Services outreach workers and community partner agencies work together to assist people who are experiencing homelessness with accessing available shelter and housing services.

Outreach workers are speaking with the four people staying on the temporary encampment site to help them access shelter.

City Council has temporarily allowed tenting on the Aylmer and Wolfe Streets property until Jan. 5 or earlier if the Mayor rescinds the temporary by-law exemption before that date.

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