Creative & Innovative (Affordable Housing)

 As I brought up in Thursday's post, we need to be innovative and creative when it comes to addressing some of the issues in the City of Brandon.
 Today, I want to discuss what I believe could be some effective approaches to affordable housing.
 I think that when many people reflect on affordable housing, they think 'houses', and not living accommodations as a whole.
 One idea I believe has some merit when it comes to finding adequate living accommodations for people, particular post-secondary students and seasonal workers (such as the pipeline workers currently in Brandon), is a HomeStay program.
 A HomeStay program isn't a new idea, and has had positive results in other communities.
 The program could be administered through Brandon University, Assiniboine Community College or through the City of Brandon with support from those two institutions.
 The program, effectively, matches people willing to open their homes to 'house' students or workers in exchange for a fee or rent.
 By having a third party coordinate the program, you have the ability to vet both the home owners and the tenants before matching the two together.
 This ensures the living accommodation (room or basement) being rented by the tenant is clean, safe and adequate for the tenants needs while the 'landlord' also has the knowledge that their tenant has gone through a similar vetting process.
 In addition, the payment of 'rent' could go through the third party, to ensure there are no late payments or issues in that regard.
 I live in close proximity (within a seven minute walk) of Assiniboine Community College and could, potentially, rent the finished basement of my house to a student.
 However, the prospect of placing an ad or ads to find a tenant, vetting those potential tenants, the potential for 'issues' with that tenant, and the hassle of collecting rent on a monthly basis makes it a less than desirable experience.
 A HomeStay program might make it easier, as those negative experiences are no longer in my hands.
 As an added benefit, a HomeStay program might be beneficial to empty nesters who still live in the homes where they raised their family, and now have the extra space.
 This extra income to help offset costs, essentially helping these people stay in their homes for a longer period of time.
 Lakehead University (Thunder Bay) started a HomeStay program for international students in 2013, and currently provides:

• Competitive compensation rates of $775 with meal plan, $550 without meal plan (meals would be provided at the University's Food Services Program).
• Social events
• Regular communication with the Homestay Coordinator & 24 Hour emergency number

 The program also boasts that 'Lakehead’s international students, as well as the people and families who host them, benefit from the experience in many ways — culturally, financially, and personally.'

 In addition to the HomeStay program, here are some other ideas that may be worth exploring:

• Community Land Trust - CLT's buy up parcels of land and place them in community ownership through non-profit. Anyone who develops property on the land owned by the CLT has to adhere to cost guidelines set by the community, pegged to the median incomes of people within the CLT (not to market rates). The parcels of land are bought using a combination of public and private funds.
• The City of Brandon currently partners with organizations like Habitat for Humanity by providing land (property) to building housing for low-income families. If there the ability to expand on that current partnership, or former partnerships with other not-for-profit organizations.
• Bridge-Housing - this has been an effective strategy in high-density cities in Canada. The basic premise is developers purchasing 'air-rights' above adjacent properties, and building on top of those existing structures. Of course, safety guidelines to reinforce those existing structures to the handle the construction of a second and/or third floor would have to be strictly followed and enforced.