Midland’s affordable housing task force wants to hear from you.
The town has launched its public consultation project on its Engaging Midland website. The online consultation process is designed to offer a virtual forum for helping local residents better understand Midland’s need for more affordable housing along with providing updates on measures being taken to build additional housing.
The task force is charged with finding opportunities to increase the number of affordable housing units available in Midland.
From 2015 to 2019, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) reported the vacancy rate for rental row-housing and apartment units declined from 3.3% to 2.0%.
The task force, meanwhile, wants to see this trend reversed.
Launched last June, council directed the group to seek options for addressing Midland’s affordable housing needs with objectives that include encouraging new accessible and affordable housing.
“This mandate reflects Council’s recognition that the lack of such housing presents challenges to the wellbeing of our residents and economy,” the town said in a release.
“The County of Simcoe has legislative responsibility for housing and manages many programs targeting social housing. Accordingly, the Task Force will focus on the segment of the affordable housing market known as ‘attainable housing’ – housing not eligible for government social supports.”
This segment of the market is often referred to as the ‘missing middle.’
The task force’s initial work involved reviewing municipalities across Canada to understand how they addressed their housing challenges.
All municipalities stressed the importance of active participation from residents.
The launch of the public consultation on Engaging Midland starts this outreach process.
Residents will also be able to get information on the housing situation in Midland, links to resources the task force is using and updates on housing activities.
Residents are also encouraged to submit questions.
