Union of B.C. Municipalities report shows many housing projects on hold due to lack of provincial funding<\/p>\n
The B.C. Urban Mayors\u2019 Caucus and Union of B.C. Municipalities are calling on the province to accelerate projects to address housing gaps and escalating municipal costs, following the release of data showing nearly half of the survey respondents have housing projects on hold due to lack of provincial funding.<\/p>\n
\u201cUrban municipalities are carrying the costs of a housing and homelessness crisis, without the resources to solve these challenges alone,\u201d caucus co-chair Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto said in a news release. \u201cWe are calling on the province to consider this data, and accelerate project funding and delivery to help create more homes for people who need them to ease the pressure on local services \u2013 and local budgets.\u201d<\/p>\n
The data comes from a survey of 14 responding municipalities conducted January through March, which was analyzed by UBCM alongside information from the Housing Needs Reports and Housing Target Guidelines.<\/p>\n
Six respondents reported a\u00a0total of 3,278 homes in 28 projects were on hold in their municipalities due to lack of provincial funding. Vancouver accounts for approximately half of all the units on hold. One respondent also highlighted that outside of funding, provincial projects face long delays, including a large development that will have been in the funding and development process for a decade since purchasing the lands by the time of completion.<\/p>\n
All surveyed cities cite significant costs for homelessness response, including shelter provision, policing, fire services, and sanitation. Not all municipalities collect data on these costs, but 93 per cent indicated policing costs are increasing, while all respondents indicated fire response, or other costs associated with homelessness are increasing.<\/p>\n
About 21,000 households are on BC Housing\u2019s social housing waitlist across the 14 urban municipalities. Over the previous five years, the eight caucus members that are part of the Metro Vancouver regional district saw a 64 per cent growth in their housing waitlists.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe data illustrates an issue that is not well understood,\u201d said Coquitlam Coun. Trish Mandewo, president of the Union of B.C. Municipalities. \u201cThe provision of supportive housing is a provincial responsibility, and when those housing needs are not being met, the result is more British Columbians without homes. Local governments have gone the extra mile to assist the province in fulfilling its role, but we are also sharing this information today to make it clear that the province needs to do more.\u201d<\/p>\n
The B.C. Urban Mayors\u2019 Caucus is an informal, non-partisan group of mayors from Abbotsford, Burnaby, Chilliwack, Coquitlam, Delta, Kamloops, Kelowna, Maple Ridge, Nanaimo, New Westminster,\u00a0Prince George, Richmond, Saanich, Surrey, Vancouver and Victoria. Together, they represent over 60 per cent of the province\u2019s total population.<\/p>\n