The Blue Mountains Attainable Housing Corporation aims to provide more affordable rental, entry-level ownership, and seniors residence opportunities to support local workers, families, and seniors as they live, work, and play in the Town of The Blue Mountains.
The Blue Mountains Attainable Housing Corporation (BMAHC) is taking the next steps to create more attainable housing in the Town of The Blue Mountains. Since its creation in 2014, BMAHC has created two programs, a down payment assistance program and a grants program for secondary suites. BMAHC is now taking action to expand its reach to help develop attainable housing stock in the municipality.
BMAHC will look to the successful Whistler Housing Authority example and use various models for the creation of new permanent, attainable housing for working households and seniors. BMAHC will help build a sustainable community in the Town by focusing on year-round and seasonal rental markets, as well as entry-level home ownership to support the needs of families, seniors, and local workers.
“This is an exciting action plan for BMAHC that will get new attainable housing stock built and will lay the foundation for additional attainable rental and ownership stock in our community,” said BMAHC Chair Rob Sampson.
A recent survey funded by the Government of Ontario titled, “Creating Attainable Housing in South Georgian Bay”, found that housing is becoming increasingly out of reach for the local workforce. 60% of respondents indicated they would live in the area permanently if housing were affordable. Local workers, families, and seniors want to live in the area, but are unable to do so due to housing prices.
BMAHC is taking steps to solve these challenges. Through a competitive procurement process, BMAHC has selected StrategyCorp, an Ontario-based strategy firm, to support the corporation in building the in- house capacity to develop more attainable housing and to lead a procurement process for housing developments.
BMAHC will be engaging the public and council as they go through this process to ensure that its plans and developments are guided by local input.
“Council is supportive of the work being undertaken by the Attainable Housing Corporation. Council will work closely with the Housing Corporation’s Board to engage the public in addressing housing needs in our community,” Mayor Alar Soever noted.
Public engagement opportunities will be posted to the Attainable Housing Corporation’s website (http://thebluemountainshousing.ca/) and advertised within the local media.
About The Blue Mountains Attainable Housing Corporation
The Blue Mountains Attainable Housing Corporation was established as a not-for-profit in January 2014 to augment the supply of healthy and sustainable ownership housing units that are affordable to a larger portion of the population. Its goal is to support the creation of more affordable housing opportunities for those living in the vibrant, diverse community of The Blue Mountains.
About StrategyCorp
StrategyCorp’s multi-disciplinary team of strategists provides advisory services to private, public, broader public sector, and non-profit clients in complex political, financial, regulatory, and public process environments. What sets StrategyCorp apart from other consultancies is its ability to help clients create conditions for success through the integration of business analytical capabilities with a deep understanding of external public affairs and communications environments.
For more information, contact The Attainable Housing Corporation.
Media Release