Progress continues on York affordable housing developments

Annual report from Housing York shows 825 units in development, including in Newmarket, Aurora, Georgina

Newmarkettoday.ca
June 9, 2023
Joseph Quigley

York Region’s housing corporation has progressed to 825 units in the planning and development stage but is awaiting more federal to help to bring them to fruition.

Housing York’s 2022 annual report highlighted the organization’s progress on its portfolio, presented to its board of directors June 8.

The report shows the organization's efforts to advance its housing developments, with projects in the works in Georgina, Aurora and Newmarket with its Bayview Parkway development.

“It’s always exciting to see when we can make progress on the board’s objective to expand the housing portfolio,” director of housing development Joshua Scholten said, noting recent projects like the Passage House and upcoming completion of Unionville Commons in Markham. “Really proud of all of these projects.”

The 825 units in development exceeded the target the organization initially set of 480 in 2022. It is working toward an overarching goal of doubling community housing.

Projects in development include 62 Bayview Parkway’s affordable housing proposal in Newmarket, with an expected construction to be beyond 2024.

Other initiatives include a transitional housing facility in Aurora and a new community housing location in Markham. The report notes these facilities are contingent on municipal planning approvals and upper-government funding.

“While safe, secure and affordable housing is essential for everyone, it is becoming more difficult for York Region residents to find housing that is right for them at a price they can afford,” board chair and Newmarket Mayor John Taylor said in the annual report.

“Together, we all play a role in supporting the housing needs of residents, and we know that housing matters because people matter. “

The report also highlighted a new resident survey for Housing York, which found an 80 per cent satisfaction rate, above the 73 per cent average of other community housing providers.

“Prioritizing resident wel-lbeing through proactive wellness checks is really important to us,” Scholten said. “In everything we do, we really want to focus on our residents.”

The organization went through a clean audit and had an operating surplus of $122,000 in 2022. But it also experienced a significant rise in rent arrears, rising from $187,212 in 2021 to $435,447 in 2022. That is in part due to delays at the Landlord and Tenant Board, with the organization requesting 26 hearings in 2022, but none occurred.

Still, the organization said 91 per cent of households were in good standing. Scholten said hearings are stalled, but they try to work with tenants, with 100 per cent of at-risk tenancies preserved in the year.

“Despite these challenges, we were still able to maintain a positive outcome,” he said.