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The need to explore new policies on housing results from the federal
government declaring its intent to disengage from the development and delivery
of housing programs. The Comittee found that many people agree that the
following symptoms reveal our housing problems:

A decreasing supply of affordabie housing for families;
Low rental vacancy rates;

Increasing number of homeless people;

Rapid increase in housing prices.

The report is organized by topic with a total of 57 recommendations. The
Commission recognizes that the majority of housing will continue to be built
by the private sector with the government participating where the private
sector is unlikely to become involved.

PROVINCIAL HOUSING POLICY — TEN GOALS:
The Commission recommends that the Government adopt the following 10 goals:

To ensure an adequate standard of housing at an affordable cost.

To encourage an understanding of the importance of housing.

To extend opportunities for British Columbians to own their homes.

To ensure an adequate supply of rental housing.

To ensure that people with special needs have access to suitable housing.
To assist the homeless to move off the streets.

To ensure that all communities have an adequate supply of serviced
residential land.

To ensure that housing development occurs in conjunction with sound
regional planning policies.

To conserve and maintain the condition of the existing housing.

To foster broad community participation in the provision of affordable
housing.

COMMENTS :

The goals proposed by the Commission are appropriate, but not necessarily apply to all
communities in the same manner. Goals #4, #6, #7, #8, and #9 do not necessarily apply to all
communities andlor require an overall policy whereby all communities provide support, through
the provincial government, to those communities suffering by lack of appropriate housing.

DEFINING HOUSING AFFORDADILITY:

The COHO Report defines affordable housing as housing that does not exceed
30% of low and moderate income household gross annual income. A number of
charts are presented to demonstrate the “avel of affordability of housing in
different areas in the province. Unfortunately the charts included with the
report are not consistent as to the years and communities they refer to, so it
ig difficult to reach any conclusicn.

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