United Way Perth-Huron is giving Perth-Huron residents a new opportunity to speak up for community housing. Locals can visit the United Way website to sign a petition encouraging the Government of Canada and Government of Ontario to invest in new community housing in the region.
“The reality is, there are many people in our region who can’t afford the rents and prices on the market today,” said Ryan Erb, United Way Perth-Huron Executive Director. “That’s why we need serious new investments in community housing owned by non-profits, co-ops, and the public sector — housing that’s truly affordable for struggling families.”
Most community housing in Perth-Huron is owned and operated by the County of Huron and the City of Stratford. The units were primarily built through federal and provincial programs in the 1960s and ’70s. Wait times to access a unit are long, often stretching into years.
While the need for affordable housing has grown in recent years, little new community housing has been built. New investments from the Federal and Provincial governments can change that.
“It’s time for the Federal and Provincial governments to get serious about community housing again,” added Kathy Vassilakos, Director of United Way’s United Housing. “We need hundreds or even thousands of new units in Perth-Huron to end this housing crisis, and funding is crucial to achieving that. United Housing will be part of that solution, aiming to build and operate hundreds of units over time. But we can’t do it alone.”
The Speak Up for Community Housing petition is addressed to Canadian Minister of Housing and Infrastructure Gregor Robertson and Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Rob Flack. It encourages both governments to make the investments needed to build new community housing at scale and ensure those investments reach rural regions like Perth-Huron.
Signatures will be collected throughout the summer and early fall before delivery to Ministers Robertson and Flack as well as local representatives.
Anyone interested can find more information at perthhuron.unitedway.ca/speakupforhousing.